Improve your communication and outreach skills
Tips for reaching out through media
Media coverage contributes to increased knowledge of you, your project and UiT. If you want to become an active communicator in the media, we have some tips for you:
- Always think through: What is your main message? Who do you want to reach out to? What do you want to achieve?
- Update your personal webpage on uit.no. Check that the contact information is correct, and describe what you are working on in a way that others understand. Read more about the personal page and how to change it.
- Prepare good photos of yourself that the media can freely use. Feel free to contact the photographers in the Communication section.
- If you are a researcher, it is a good idea to create a fact sheet (maximum one A4 page) with main points from your research, important figures and facts. Use everyday words and practical examples.
- Make a note of journalists who write well about your field, and feel free to contact them directly.
- Good pictures and illustrations increase your chances of a breakthrough in the media. Printed media must have high-resolution images. Only send out material to which you have rights to and which the press can use free of charge.
Contact with the media
Feel free to take the initiative with media and introduce your case. Explain briefly what it is about, who it concerns and what practical consequences it can have. Concentrate on the most important point. You may also want to
- think through what makes the case relevant and whether it meets (some of) these news criteria: impact and importance, proximity, oddity, relevance and conflict.
- clarify which medium the case fits into.
- write down some summary points and facts that you can e-mail after the phone call. This helps the journalist and prevents misunderstandings.
- tip one medium at a time. This increases the chance of getting publicity. If the journalist does not follow up within the agreed or reasonable time, you can move on to other media. If you have a big news story that many media outlets are interested in, it can be more efficient to send the tip to many people at once.
Here are 7 tips you can use when the journalist calls you:
- Make a note of the name, medium and telephone number.
- Make sure you understand what the inquiry is about. Clarify whether it is background information, a short comment or a longer interview.
- Ask for reflection time, if you need it. If in doubt, consult a colleague or the Communication Section. In simple cases, you can ask to call back, but do so within a short time, preferably half an hour. Journalists work under time pressure. In more extensive cases, it is common to arrange a meeting. Understand that the media cannot wait if your subject area is an urgent hot topic.
- Always call back as agreed, regardless of whether you choose to work with the journalist or not.
- Ask to see your own quotes, and correct if necessary significant factual errors and misunderstandings. Clarify this with the journalist prior to the interview.
- If the case is outside your field, it is perfectly fine to say that you cannot answer, but feel free to tell the journalist about other sources you think may be relevant.
- Feel free to familiarize yourself with the Code of Ethics, which is the media's own ethical guidelines.
Campus director in Harstad, Karl-Erik Arnesen, is interviewed by a journalist from Harstad Tidende.
Foto: Tomas Rolland/UiT
Other communication channels
Exclusive contact with a journalist is one channel you can use to reach out. Here are examples of other channels you can consider:
- press release (see details below)
- opinion article (see elaboration below)
- Social Media
- event post on the digital bulletin board Tavla and press invitation
- news article on uit.no/nyheter – contact the Communication Section
- tips to or opinion posts in Khrono – an independent newspaper for higher education and research
For those of you who want to disseminate research, these can also be relevant channels:
- The Research Corner on uit.no – a column where researchers can write about their research through popular science texts
- The Saturday University – popular science communication from UiT
- The Research Days – national science festival
- EurekAlert – English press release service where the news must be based on a recently published article in a magazine
- ScienceNorway – in the form of tips for the editorial staff or posts on Researcher’s Zone
- Topic editor in Store norske leksikon (Encyclopedia)
How to write a press release
The Communication section is responsible for press releases on behalf of UiT. But the way you write a press release, shows how to present your case to the media:
- A press release should contain a news item. Tell the most important thing first, and clearly explain what the case is about and how it will affect people.
- Describe briefly; write maximum half an A4 page. Write simply and to the point. Use everyday language as the norm.
- Is the press release about a research result? Write about your important findings at the start – what have you actually found out? Then follow up with why this is important. Feel free to bring in something about your methods at the end.
- List a contact person with a phone number (mobile) and e-mail, and make sure he or she is available after the press release is sent out.
- Make a title in the subject line of the e-mail that sells, and that makes the journalist curious. Put the press release in the e-mail itself (not in an attachment), so the journalist can immediately see what it is about.
- Feel free to call to hear if the editors have received the press release and if they will follow up the case.
How to write an opinion article
An opinion article or opinion piece aims at bringing new knowledge or insight and provoke debate. An opinion article is a text on a current topic, written for a general audience. It is a subjective genre, where you use I-form and give an opinion on what you write about. This is something to keep in mind if you are considering writing an opinion piece:
- Opinions usually reach a smaller readership than news, reports and shorter debate posts. Therefore, think about whether this is the right format for your case.
- The window of opportunity to get an opinion piece in the media is narrow, and many are rejected. You increase the chances of having the opinion piece published if it can be linked to a current event, issue or public debate.
- Decide which medium is your first choice. Send your text there first, and ask for an answer within a reasonable amount of time. If you get rejected, try the next medium on the list. Do not send the article to several media at the same time.
- Feel free to contact the opinion / column editor and discuss your idea in advance.
- Make an effort to prepare a short, catchy title and a preface that will make the reader curious. This can be decisive for whether the article is published and read. Feel free to study how the opinion pieces in relevant media are structured, and structure yours in the same way.
- The opinion piece should contain a news item. It should make the reader wiser and / or trigger an action or debate. The message can be controversial.
- Write easily and comprehensible without professional jargon. Use concrete examples, and feel free to share your own experiences.
- The form can be exuberant, humorous and imaginative if the topic is allows for such language.
Do you need help and advice? Please contact the Communication section.