Lyceums of higher education throughout the country have received significant national press lately, and it seems as though Ohio schools tend to be receiving the majority of coverage. Not for their outstanding academics or superior public relations programming, but recently for much of the insanity that has gone on with athletic programs, over exuberant fans, and in the past, poorly trained national guardsman. This coverage, similar to the bonfire tragedy at Texas A&M University, does little to promote the school as a college of choice among its target audiences and puts even seasoned public relations professionals on the defensive. However, they indeed received national coverage.

The question becomes: Is there a way to earn positive media recognition on a national scale without such trial and tribulation. I believe the answer is “yes;” however, there are much more important items that need to be considered first before a campus group seeks national publicity. The idea of creating something fantastic or unique are two public relations buzzwords that must first be eliminated from the vocabulary as media professionals are rarely swayed by hyperbole and have surely heard about every fantastic, unique, and one-of-a-kind program dozens of times before.

To garner national publicity, a pitch must pass a simple but an all-important litmus test: If I did not work for this entity (in this case, a college or university), would this interest me? Is this relevant and interesting to someone hundreds or even thousands of miles away who may have never heard of this entity? If the answer is “no,” go back to the drawing board and find a way to make the pitch salient or, more accurately, find something truly newsworthy. However, this is not to say the particular piece of information is not relevant to a different target audience, it simply may not be germane on a national scale. This is a key point.

The single most important thing to consider in such an undertaking is making sure that attempting to implement a national publicity campaign makes sense to the core objective. There are a variety of core objectives that a college or university group could undertake, and what I’ve found is that the most likely are: 1. Increasing enrollment, and 2. Augmenting donor and research dollars. Knowing that the vast majority of attendees to a college are based on proximity, a national campaign from a return on investment perspective may make little to no sense at all. Will an article in USA Today regarding a new wing being added to the business library mean students from Florida will flock to Washington? Probably not, and in all reality, USA Today would likely not even care.

If a national publicity campaign is part of an overall strategic public relations program, where earned media successes are to be leveraged to specific target audiences in order to cause some change or activity, then tactics should be used that specifically are designed to advance this core objective. Considering that the cost to use a wire service can be as high as a couple thousand dollars to a low of about one hundred bucks, apply some common sense and be sure that something going over the wire makes sense, and that It’s targeted accordingly.

In order to create real world examples to illustrate the point, and no disrespect is meant in any way, the following headlines are from recent wire releases:

1. Marymount University Chooses Sallie Mae as Principal Provider of Federally Guaranteed and Private Student Loans
2. University of Louisville Renews Contract with Sprint for Communications Services
3. eCollege(SM) Announces Partnership With Thomson Learning
4. Cuyahoga Community College Offers Free Program for Women in Transition
5. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Offers Expert Resources to Discuss Science and Technology Trends for 2003
6. Florida Memorial College Foundation Executive Director Appointed
7. The Anderson School at UCLA Appoints Alumna as Its New Director of Alumni Relations
8. Key Donation Helps Kent State University Keep Pace With Financial Innovation

Now, I’m not claiming to know the specifics of the programs each of these public relations people are taking on; however, I’m going to utilize them to make a point and assume they are at least trying to secure some type of coverage. Releasing these types of releases over the wire may not be the best use of resources. Put yourself in the news editor seat at a publication and use the litmus test: Do any of these releases mean anything to you or your readers, viewers, or listeners? Do you care that Marymount University chose Sallie May? Do you care that U of L contracted with Sprint? Is it relevant that Florida Memorial College Foundation appointed an executive director? UCLA? I do like the Kent State one, however.

What does that mean to students or the alumni? For starters, public relations professionals must learn how to write more compelling headlines that speak to the target audience and pique the attention of the media, and this is true no matter the target. For instance: Students Have More Funding Options at Marymount; or Internet Access Among The Fastest For Students at University of Louisville.

Consider another: Worcester issued a release to say they have resources to discuss science and technology. Do you care? Does this speak to the potential student or donor, and does it position Worcester as a leader in this segment. No. A press release was used to target the media and provide a call to action to, of all targets, the media. Again, not knowing the specifics of the WPI public relations program, I would argue that this is the wrong tactic for this type of communications. Collegiate groups seeking national opportunities should rather consider the following course of action:

1. Write a compelling headline.
2. Utilize a wire service when merited; otherwise, distribute a release to contacts with whom you have an established relationship and via such vehicles as MediaMap.
3. Take advantage of services like ProfNet Leads, where you can submit experts as resources on a given topic to news media throughout the country.
4. Pick up the telephone and pitch a quality story idea.
5. Provide bios to the media complete with areas of expertise.
6. Find a logical tie in to a national trend.

Considering #6 and looking at the attempt from WCI, give them an “E” for effort; however, it failed rule #1. How about something to the effect of: The Bursting of the Technology Bubble Lead to Innovations That Will Impact Businesses and Consumers in 2003, According To University Experts. It’s all about the core objective and positioning a given university as experts in a given field, experts that will attract the best and brightest to involve themselves in that university as well as providing compelling information that attracts the media.

This brings up the next point. No amount of public relations can replace good old-fashioned success in a given field, based on successful research completed or creating a truly innovative program for students.

Assume for a moment that Kent State has the most graduates of any university in the United States employed in the media. That’s a great story, and some university out there can honestly say that, i.e. Ohio Institution Shaping the Media. Then, through some effective media relations, you contact targeted outlets and position an expert who can discuss why the Kent State curriculum has been so successful, and what is being taught that is affecting the way you and I receive our news. One university affecting the nation.

Research is also very important, as universities research information that affects our daily lives. For example (for illustrative purposes only), Researchers at Northwestern Find Music From Kiss Soothes Infants. You simply cannot replace quality research, and many universities do a great job of this. Once you have the facts, and given a budget to do so, there are several courses of action you could take.

1. Work with the entity (in this case, the rock group Kiss) to do a co-branding announcement regarding the research. This allows the public relations machine of both entities to implement the announcement.
2. Craft a video (relatively expensive) or audio (less expensive) news release to the targeted media outlets, which in this case could certainly be on a national scale.
3. Aggressively pitch the researchers to speak to a national audience on their findings.
4. A nice piece of press agentry would be rather appropriate here, so create a media event to showcase the findings.

The information is compelling to a national audience, being relevant to parents throughout the country. It accomplishes a core objective of positioning Northwestern as experts in the field of raising a child and perhaps even pediatrics. Thus, if I’m thinking about becoming an expert in child care, I want to go to Northwestern. If Northwestern is seeking donors or funding for research in childcare, prospective donors see that they’re providing capital for research that affects how we raise our children.

The bottom line is rather simple. If you’re seeking to conduct a national publicity campaign for a college or university group, be sure that first you’re armed with information that a national audience would find relevant. If you’re not, find ways to capitalize on trends, issues, and research that could be brought to a national stage that will advance the core objective, and provide that information to those who can speak cogently on that topic. Then, clearly, concisely, and quickly provide that information to the media in an easy-to-digest format and utilize the proper tactics for the information.

All public relations is personal, so bring a face and provide personality to an issue, and don’t be afraid to express opinion. On a national scale, finding items that are personal become significantly more challenging, so you first must pass the litmus test before enacting implementation. You can pitch until you’re blue in the face with no results. When asked: New Mexico State is holding a unique alumni event, can we secure national publicity for that? You have the answer.

Rodger Roeser, APR, an award winning television anchor and newspaper editor, is the public relations director of Powers Agency, an integrated marketing firm headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Roeser is the former president of Eisen Management Group, senior public relations consultant with HSR Business To Business, general manager of VMS Ohio and public relations director of ERA Franchise Systems. He is a Cincinnati PRSA Board Member and vice president of programming. He can be reached at rroeser@powersagency.com or by calling 513-721-5353.

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