A key role of the Public Image Director in Rotary is to assist project leaders to tell their Rotary stories in the wider community.

Article by PP Roslyn Teirney, Assistant Regional Public Image Coordinator

In some communities, Rotary clubs are lucky enough to have photos and reports of their service and events published regularly by the local newspaper.

Other clubs find it disheartening to send information to media and not see the story taken up.

People of action are persistent. Keep trying and in the process identify key decision makers, best times of the day to get the attention of the chief of staff or news editor, in order to maximise the chance that your story will get a run.

The Rotary Club of Hobart in District 9830 heard recently from an industry professional, who shared his tips about how to communicate your requests or story leads with a newspaper:

• Do it in the morning
• Focus on ordinary people and the human angle
• Prepare the main points and messages and have facts ready
• Be flexible. Stories may need to shift around according to priority
• Give as much notice as possible
• Call back quickly
• Get to the point - add details later
• Keep it simple ... especially quotes
• Think outside the box: not just photos but videos and sound grabs too

Taking the Public Image courses on the My Rotary Learning Centre will greatly assist Public Image directors in their role. For those who are time-poor, simply familiarise yourself with the key documents on this link to start pitching your stories confidently and taking advantage of the extensive research Rotary has done to inform our branding and marketing policies.

Download these helpful files: https://rotaryzone8.org/sitepage/2021-zone-8-national-conference/making-an-impact