By Ken Blum
Black Ink
Your newspaper is the mirror, advocate and spirit of the community it covers, and what can be more interesting than that?
Why not share those newspaper adventures with audiences sure to be captivated?
One of the best, least expensive and easiest ways to do that and promote your product at the same time is to craft a presentation/speech for groups as varied as the Rotary Club, the Chamber, senior citizen centers, church groups, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and, perhaps most important, local schools and colleges.
Not a public speaker? No worry. You can create a presentation through PowerPoint or a similar program that will almost speak for itself, or just remember that compelling content will carry the day even if you speak in a nervous monotone.
And once you get the hang of it by making the same speech to different audiences, the better and smoother the process will become.
Here are a few thoughts and ideas to get you started.
Pick the Topic
There are dozens of topic possibilities, so let’s look at a few:
In general, the most interesting area of your operation is the news department.
Possibilities include: “Three stories that changed Orrville forever.” Go through your archives and focus in on a selection of events that had a major effect on the community. Use a projector to show the pages and headlines. The stories can center on emergencies, such as fires, floods, tornadoes; events that had a dramatic effect on the town’s economy, such as a major industry moving in or out of the community, a new highway routed near the town, or the effect of big box stores on retail businesses; crimes—kidnappings, murders, bank robberies, etc.
Make sure to tie in the newspaper to these events—the trials and tribulations, twists and turns the reporters and editors faced to bring these stories to readers.
Other offshoot possibilities in this vein: “Three newsmakers who changed Orrville forever.” (For better or worse.)
• “Three days that changed Orrville forever.”
• Or, go more current with a topic such as: “Three stories that will change Orrville forever.”
Or, you can go with instructive topics such as: “Headlines, Headaches and Hard Work –putting out your hometown paper.” This would be an overview of how news content is chosen, gathered and delivered to the reader, and an overview of the production process.
• “The Courier—what’s in it for me?” Go through a recent issue of the newspaper—page by page—pointing out the content that’s relevant to every segment of the community.
Or you can tackle the three-word question I know you hear at least a dozen times a week: “Aren’t newspapers dying?”
Possible topics answering this question:
“Print is Alive and Well in Orrville.”
Or,
“Your Courier: changing, rearranging and relevant as ever.” (Point out that print is alive and well, but the newspaper is offering new and exciting electronic options.)
Note: The National Newspaper Association has a bevy of materials and research proving that local community newspapers are healthy and here to stay. You can integrate this research into your presentation. But center it on your local newspaper. The research can be found at nnaweb.org under the resources tab.
And here are some tips and tricks for making your presentation:
• If you use a projector, bring an extra bulb. Rehearse changing it beforehand, just like a Marine learns to disassemble and then quickly reassemble his or her rifle.
• Bring along free copies of the newspaper with a flier attached promoting subscriptions with a special offer.
• Rehearse the presentation to the minute. Don’t be sidetracked because the meeting is running late or a meal was delayed. If that happens, just pick up the pace.
• Always allocate 10 minutes or so for questions and answers. At times, you’ll be flooded with them. In this case, ask if you can have a few more minutes. At other times, you’ll face dead silence. In this case, don’t just quit—have a few other comments in the can to end on a positive note. Have business cards on hand to give out to anyone who would like to follow up with other questions for which you didn’t have time to answer there.
• You’re from a newspaper, and as a messenger who often gets blamed for the message, chances are a nasty person in the audience will have an ax to grind. Answer as honestly and courteously as you can, and if he or she keeps grinding your ax, just say you respect his or her opinion and be glad (not really) to discuss the issue in detail after the meeting.
• If your office is large enough and has a room available, you may want to invite smaller groups in for a tour and presentation. Don’t forget to offer beverages.
• No need to write a separate presentation for each group—one will do it for numerous presentations. But have enough material available to stretch it out for a longer speech.
• And last but not least, get the word out about your availability as speaker. Send a letter to all clubs, groups, organizations and schools. You’ll probably be flooded with requests, especially at first, but you can schedule out a month or two in advance with, say, one or two presentations per week.
It’s fun. It’s rewarding. It’s worthwhile. And you’ll be surprised by the valuable input and suggestions received in return. © Ken Blum 2016
Ken Blum is the publisher of Butterfly Publications, an advising/speaking/publishing business dedicated to improving the profitability and quality of community newspapers. He puts out a monthly free email newsletter titled Black Inklings. It features nuts and bolts ideas to improve revenue and profits at hometown papers. To subscribe to the newsletter or contact Ken, email him at blummer@aol.com; or phone to 330-682-3416.