YOU’VE GOT SOMETHING (NEWS) TO SHARE ... NOW WHAT?

Imagine that for the last couple of weeks, you’ve been keeping a secret that you know the world wants to hear or that you are going to release a new revolutionary product that everyone will want to read about, purchase and use. When you are ready to tell everyone, how do you go about letting the press know, so they can write, publish or produce a story on this “revolutionary news?”


Thanks to an ever growing media system that now includes newspaper, radio, TV and the internet’s billions and billions of websites and their uniquely and focused written blogs, we’re bombarded with a variety of different corporate, governmental, artistic, specialized & personal messages (news) daily.

For many, especially those who create the stories, this continual influx of messages is viewed as a financial rush, while those like me who spend hours daily reading just to say up with things, there is an educational rush. In fact, society even has a name for those who love to stay on top of the news - news junkies. And I will admit, I am one – one who not only likes to read what’s happening, but also likes to create news that you will be reading in the paper tomorrow morning.


And then there is another type of “rush,” – one that I consider the ultimate exercise of “power” - framing an issue. In my opinion, framing an issue is the ability to set the parameters as to how people think and act about a specific subject. This affects not just what people think (and react) about a subject, but how the press reports it, how politicians deal with it, and what solutions are available to deal with that problem. This is important because for those who do the “issue framing,“ there’s an awful lot of money and control on the line. The perfect example of this is the Rx Cannabis industry. Not only did the people who came up with the idea get to frame the issue, but that frame has us believing that a “Dr.’s recommendation is actually a prescription,” when its clearly not.


Obviously getting to that level takes time, training and money. Even so, this section of the Lobbyist Education Series will help you understand what you are competing against, while providing you with some tools that will help you go toe to toe with the professionals. Finally, we will share with you some ways and ideas on how and where to distribute your news, helping you get the most bang for your buck.