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[1]

Press Releases

[2]

Press Conferences

[3]

Press Briefings

[4]

Press Tours

Case study

[5]

Interviews

[6]

Pitch letters

[7]

Media Events

[8]

Other tools

Tools 

Press briefings are a form of communication with the media, with the main purpose of keeping journalists themselves informed rather than directly informing the public through the journalist. They can also be used to provide deep background and information for follow-up stories. This can be an effective method of reaching reporters with story ideas and it is good opportunity for your staff to meet reporters. 

Press briefings can be organized as closed press conferences, providing reporters with more detailed information than a press conference normally allows for without the cameras, photographers and microphones. They are often treated as informal communication with the media. Holding regular press briefings once a month might give the journalists information they can use for stories. Stories that come out of your press briefing may also support the efforts of your organization to get more representation in the media. Even if you do not organize them once a month, you can use them whenever you feel a need to update them on your accomplishments, inform them about the results of some research or initiative, or engage them on a issue of local importance. 

Briefings are usually an excellent low-cost— organizationally and technically— way for your policy staff to meet reporters and exchange information and opinions. Consider organizing them outside of your office, at the location of project work or in conjunction with other partners, if appropriate. Just remember that although they are informal, nothing is “off the record.”

How to organize a press briefing:
It is best if press briefings are organized in a conference room or large office space. Not all media are invited to every press briefing. Choose the most relevant ones for your issues, and invite 6-12 reporters. Have in mind that you should invite double the number you expect to attend and that some reporters will drop out at the last minute.

It is always useful to prepare written materials and background information. If you are holding regular briefings to update the media on your recent achievements and upcoming activities, prepare for the journalists copies of a newsletter if you have one (see Newsletters), a schedule of upcoming events, and perhaps one page of achievements or a highlighted recent success. In other cases you are organizing a briefing to present certain information such as research results or strategic plans to provide journalists with background information on a local issue that you would like them to get more engaged in. In such cases you should prepare clear written reports that include the basic information you are presenting in not more than four pages, and give them copies of any charts, table or diagrams that you use. It also is useful to provide them with a list of other resource people or organizations that they could turn to for further information on the topic. Ask no more than three persons from your team to attend. A spokesperson and an expert should be present.

Moderating the discussion during the briefing will help your group and the invited journalists have a fruitful discussion, rather than an official presentation followed by questions. A moderator can also insure that no one single reporter is dominating the discussion.

You will know that you have been successful if the journalists follow up on topics from the briefing and begin to report on the topics and investigate further. It will also be obvious if they continue to come to your briefings and begin to turn to your organization as a source even outside of the context of your briefings.