Maddie's Fund - For Animal Organizations

The Role of PR in Accomplishing Humane Goals
Temma Martin, Media/ Public Relations Specialist, Salt Lake County Animal Services and No More Homeless Pets in Utah

1. The Importance of a Public Relations Program

A proactive public relations program can be one of the most important elements of any humane organization. While many organizations perceive time and money spent on PR as a luxury, it is actually an essential investment in a resource that has the power to make or break an animal welfare agency. Establishing a regular, positive presence in the local media lets people know about all the good things we do every day, and creates a favorable image of our organizations with the public, which will prevail if something unfortunate ever happens. Promoting your group also increases name recognition, which results in more adoptions, donations and community support. In addition, it represents an opportunity to educate animal guardians and promote responsible care, which will always make our jobs easier. Finally, building relationships with local reporters is a safety net in case an unfavorable story ever does arise, so that they will go easier on you, because they know and trust you. An effective public relations program is just as important to no-kill sanctuaries and rescue groups as it is for animal control agencies and other traditional shelters, because ideally, all animal groups are working to accomplish the same humane goals. However, shelters that euthanize generally have to focus more on their PR efforts because of the controversial nature of dealing with the reality of unwanted pets in the community. Good PR becomes especially important in this case because traditional shelters often have to work harder to overcome the "bad guy" image, which is vital if they are going to get potential adopters to visit their shelter. It is also valuable in maintaining a positive image in the face of the inevitable life and death mistakes that can occasionally occur when euthanasia is sadly a part of daily operations.

Every animal group in the nation places a different amount of importance in their public relations program. Some organizations have one or more full time PR specialists who work exclusively to find opportunities to promote their cause, and others have directors or animal control officers who will tolerate media interviews only when something happens and it becomes necessary. No matter what amount of staff time is dedicated to public relations efforts, PR is a valuable resource which can be utilized at no additional cost to help spread humane messages.

2. The Role of Public Relations

No More Homeless Pets in Utah (NMHPU) is a statewide coalition of animal groups who are working to end euthanasia in Utah with the support a Maddie's Fund grant. The public relations portion of this effort accounts for only about 5 percent of the budget, but it is still one of the most important elements of the program. It is difficult to measure the value of public relations in terms of dollars spent, because aside from the salary of the PR specialist, all the of the publicity itself is free. NMHPU has come up with creative methods of attracting media attention for the launch events of each of the program elements, including the kick-off of the program itself, the grand opening of a mall adoption center, and the introduction of a mobile spay/neuter unit. By making each of these events exciting and visual, and by focusing on the animals, the newspapers, radio and television stations run with the opportunity to spread our message. The media know that their readers, viewers and listeners love animal stories, so with ratings in mind, they are happy to report on animal activities. Now that we have launched all of the key elements for the NMHPU program, our PR efforts will focus on annual events, such as Super Adoptions and Spay/Neuter promotions, and on feature stories which will help spread the message to our community and help us achieve our goals. By watching for potential news story opportunities on subjects like purebreds in shelters, spring overpopulation, and adoption success stories, the group's identity and goals remain in the public eye.

The PR efforts of NMHPU since its launch in July have been very successful in terms of amount of media coverage. Each of the kick-off events has been well covered by both print and electronic media and has received a great deal of airtime. Unfortunately, it's difficult at this point to measure exactly what effect our PR program is having on achieving our goals of increasing adoptions and sterilizations and decreasing euthanasia. Although statewide adoption and sterilization numbers have increased, this is due not only to the public relations campaign, but also to a massive paid advertising effort which accounts for nearly a third of the NMHPU annual budget. Both paid advertising and public relations campaigns are important in changing the attitude in the community and getting people help us achieve our goal of ending the need for euthanasia.

I use exactly the same public relations strategies in my full-time role at Salt Lake County Animal Services as I do in my contract position with NMHPU. In many ways it is very beneficial for me to work in a shelter because I have the advantage of offering a view from "front lines," and I have the advantage of having the shelter animals to help tell the story. There do not appear to be many government animal control agencies across the country who dedicate funds to a full-time PR specialist, so in this way I feel that our agency is extremely progressive. The position was created over ten years ago, so the value of positive media attention and the number of animals adopted through "pet of the week" spots, has convinced the county commissioners that it's worth keeping the position in the budget.

3. Fourteen Tips for a Proactive Media Plan

The following are some tips to help you build a proactive media relations plan, and to take advantage of the publicity that is free and always available to you:

Develop good relationships with the radio, print, and television reporters in your area. Find out who does the "animal beat" or who has a strong personal interest in animal issues. Try to maintain contact with your reporters, so you can begin "training" them to come to you. Train your reporters to call you as a source whenever they're doing an animal related story. Have some "canned" stories ready for them at all times, in case they call on a slow news day. Try to do as much as you can on your end to offer them "pre-packaged" stories, with ideas for visuals and people to interview. Communicate openly and honestly with them, even when something bad happens. Your goal is to have them calling you when they need story ideas.

Be a resource! Establish yourself as the resident animal "expert" (but be careful not to get in over your head.) If a reporter calls, offer the info they're looking for, even if you don't end up being part of the story. Make them feel like whenever they call your agency, you either have the info or know where to get it. Use the internet to quickly get enough info to intelligently discuss almost any subject. If an actual "expert" is needed, point the reporter in the right direction, or hook them up with someone. The more people and visuals you have as part of your story, the bigger the story will be on the news. Try to convince pet owners that sharing their experiences through the media can help educate others.

Decide if the story you're selling should be handled with a phone call or a press release. Phone calls work well for cute or simple stories or when you want to give a station an "exclusive." Press releases are appropriate for bigger, more serious news, or when you want all the facts on paper. Check with your reporters to make sure they are comfortable with phone calls for smaller tips.

Look for story opportunities in every case and every animal that you handle. Have your whole staff watch for unusual cases that could illustrate a point or send a message. Consider that even sad stories can be valuable if they educate people and prevent future incidents. Make sure that you always have a moral to your stories, and present them clearly to the reporter.

Look for animal tie-ins with timely issues that are being discussed in the media. For example, the school shootings in the past two years represent a good opportunity to discuss the link between animal abuse and human violence.

Take advantage of every holiday, event, or season to get animal issues into the media. Offer stories about to the animal safety issues related to the 4th of July, Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc. Promote wise decisions related to impulse purchases of pets around Christmas, Easter and Halloween. Consider seasonal messages to educate pet owners about safety during the hot, cold and wet months. Participate in national events sponsored by other agencies. Much of the work is already done for you, since they often send out press releases and public service announcements that you can customize for your organization.

Think visually! If your story is for television or print, give them something to look at. Think through your story idea and make sure you can see all the important pieces. Don't hesitate to buy props or decorate your shelter if it will help sell the story. Orchestrate scenes if necessary, to give a TV camera a chance to catch an interesting activity. If you want to promote an event that happens the next day, come up with a "we're preparing for..." story. Make sure your images reinforce your words, not send the opposite message.

Take some control of the interview to ensure that you get your most important points across. Realize that you know more about the subject than the reporter. Make sure that you communicate your important information even if they don't ask the right questions. Decide in advance what you want to say, and plan to express your points in a few short sentences. Don't be afraid to start with your important point, even if it's not what the reporter asked initially. Say, "Well, first I'd like to begin by saying..." and then go on to answer the original question. Don't hesitate to restate your main point at the end of the interview. Expect to have one or two quotes used out of the whole interview. Know that the rest of the info you offer in an interview is what the reporter uses to build the story.

Train your staff to work cooperatively with the media. Remember that reporters have a job to do, and they are nicer to us if we treat them with respect. Remember that it is usually inappropriate to joke or be sarcastic with reporters that you don't know well. Be aware that our attitude and behavior can influence the angle of the story, and how we are portrayed. If reporters are interfering with a case or investigation, politely let them know... "I'm still handling this case at the moment, but I will be happy to help you when I'm done." "That case is still under investigation, so I can't release that information at this time."

Spend the time and energy to clean up your image if you make a mistake or are portrayed negatively. Try to get accurate information out if the negative story was based on misinformation. Don't try to deny blame if your agency does make a mistake. Express regret and explain how it occurred. Use mistakes as an chance to examine the incident, and explain how this will be avoided in the future.

Try to clear up any jurisdictional issues you might have in your area. Send a list of all the local animal groups to your reporters so they can contact the proper agency. Try to avoid speaking directly about specific events that happen clearly outside your jurisdiction. Don't hesitate to talk about a general issue, even if the incident was not handled by your agency.

Be sure to show respect for the other animal groups in your area when dealing with the media. This is especially important if you are working to build a coalition in your area and applying for a Maddie's Fund grant. Avoid bad-mouthing other groups not only because it's against the Maddie's fund rules, but also because it hurts everyone's credibility. Be careful of language that will alienate animal control agencies and traditional shelters. Phrases like "kill," "death row," and "pound" may get people to support the non-euthanizing groups, but if the public turns against the shelters, it only results in more euthanasia.

Don't overlook the easy stuff! Start pet of the week programs on tv and radio stations, and in the newspaper. Use pet of the week spots to slip in timely educational messages or announce upcoming events. Find out which radio stations will allow you to prerecord public service announcements. Host fun special events to attract people to your shelter. Send simple announcements of your events to the tv, radio and newspaper "community calendars."

Pay attention to cute, odd or funny stories. Watch for stories that would make good "kickers" (those funny last stories on tv news broadcasts) Be aware of when it's appropriate to sell a funny or bizarre angle to a story. A python that emerged from a toilet in Salt Lake City ended up as the kicker on all four of our tv stations and it was funny to see the anchors squirm as they discussed the story.

Most importantly, have fun, be honest, and know that you are using your dedication and passion to spread the word and make things better for the animals!

About the author: Temma Martin has been the Public Relations/Media Specialist for Salt Lake County Animal Services since 1997. She also contracts to do public relations for No More Homeless Pets In Utah. Prior to working in PR, Temma was the Education Director for the Humane Society of Utah. Temma can be reached at (801) 269-7413 or Tmartin@co.slc.ut.us.

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