GT Media - second week in..

This week at GT Media was quite fast paced, I am quickly getting used to the large amount of things that need to be done in a small amount of time! I started my day by reading the news. A very helpful and insightful habit to get into.
My first assignment was to draft up a media release for a client. I didn’t really know too much about the event the media release was to be about, so I researched what I could. It happens to be an event that takes place once a year, so I also looked to the previous events and how they turned out.
When we first learnt how to write media releases at Curtin I found the best tip to be making sure the Who, What, When, Why, Where information is covered. As I had a couple of pages of information, I found it easier to create these headings and paste the relevant information below. It is so much easier to write the first paragraph of your media release when all the information is sorted neatly into those categories! It also ensures that you don’t overlook any important information that needs to be included.
After the media release, I had to develop an overall communications strategy for the event. From my previous research attempts I understood the general background and relevant primary and secondary target audiences of the event.
When we were asked to write communication strategies at Curtin, I never really understood the need to have Goals and SMART objectives. I thought that they were quite similar however; SMART objectives are clearly a lot more specific and can be easily evaluated post strategy. So why not just have SMART objectives? I now know that when you are asked to write up a communications strategy for a client, goals are a necessity! It is important to outline to the client simply what you would like to achieve with the strategy. That way you are on the same page with what to expect as a result of the communication strategy.
Once I had finished the write up regarding background, goals, target audience and aims of the strategy, I had to list the appropriate actions or media tools that would follow. These included my previously written media release, a media alert and a sponsorship letter.
Funnily enough, I had never written a media alert before, but it was pretty easy to figure out. I discovered it is a short factual document that covers the necessities of the event. Something that can be sent out with the initial media release and also to act as a reminder a week before the event takes place.
The sponsorship letter was a little harder. I started off by outlining the important facts about the event and what it was for (fundraiser). I then outlined some incentives and different sponsorship packages that can be attained. I finalised the letter with contact details and a reminder of the events past success.
One of the final media tools I outlined to be used as part of the communication strategy was social networking media i.e. Face book, MySpace and Twitter. These media vehicles are so easy to use and allow for a two way communication between organisations and the public. There were many different ways this particular event could use these forums to their advantage at no extra cost.
So that was my second week at the consultancy, and I managed to learn something new as well as implement things I had learnt at Curtin to complete tasks.