Ghostly presence proves irresistible to media
Publicists understand the appeal of the visual - journalists can't resist a good photo opp and will often run weaker stories if the visuals are strong enough.
It's easy to think that if the topic is serious enough - in this case sexual assault - visuals would be less of a factor in gaining media attention.
Not so.
At the recent Right to Recovery forum I publicised for Sexual Assault Services Victoria, we were blessed by the nonjudgemental equine presence of Ghost, the therapy horse.
We also had a boxing demonstration from Donna Lyon of Left, Write Hook who works with victim-survivors and art therapists who were ready to paint, complete with easels.
Just the mention of these visual options helped lure media. They also gave me something interesting and unexpected to discuss during my calls to journalists.
In the end Ghost and the boxing was just a small part of the reporting - happily the journalists focussed on the core issue - the need for more investment in a broader range of recovery options.
It's up to publicists to ensure / engineer a visual element whenever possible. You may not have a horse on your side but think creatively and theatrically about how you could visually demonstrate one of your key messages but don't make it lame.
I once represented a same-sex attracted youth group which was taking a religious organisation to court. The legal action was triggered when the church refused to rent a church property to the youth group for a camp simply because they were same-sex attracted.
The media loved the story - it's a spicy situation. I knew I was on a winner - good guys, bad guys, churches, court cases, rainbows, multiple spokepeople, legal winners and losers etc but Nine News wanted visuals.
We eventually offered amateur footage of the kids having fun at the previous year's camp. It created hassle for the reporter as they had to deal with different formats of video and handle personal material but for them it was worth it.
The extra vision sealed the deal and the story got a Sunday night run - peak viewing.
To get more media coverage of your own, contact me today 0414 713 802.