Client Snapshot: Indiegogo Campaign Media Training Tips

Our media training specialist once said ‘people think they know exactly how to deal with media based on what it’s done in TV dramas and films’, but there’s much more to it and that’s why it’s crucial to understand the media landscape and what makes a story appealing to the media.

One of the most important things for media is timing, significance and proximity. Journalists are looking for stories that are new and trending, but more importantly these stories have to be relevant to a huge number of people. It’s all about readership numbers these days.

This week we had a great example of a timely and significant story that made the headlines in the UK and foreign media. Thomas Feeney, a 29 year old from York, who lives is London, decided to launch a Greek bailout campaign on Indiegogo. On the other side, bells rang and journalists immediately thought – what a great story!

In a matter of days, the story was everywhere, from newspapers to radio and even TV. Thomas went from being an unknown marketing manager from East London to a kind of celebrity, from which all the media wanted a bite.

All Thomas wanted was to raise some funds to help the Greek, but he ended up by having to manage a tons of media requests, not to mention his Twitter handle, which got 21K retweets when he first announced the campaign launch.

This is a great example of how important it is to understand how timely and significant a story can be, but most importantly how vital it is to be prepared for it. Before you aim for stardom, plan your PR activities well ahead in order to avoid surprises, and don’t forget to allow some time and budget for media training!