Proving Your Worth: Ways to Measure the Impact of Your Communications

Those working in communications are often asked how they measure success and whether they can show a return on the investment for the dollars put into media campaigns. While appraising the results from communications work is not as straightforward as counting the number of clients served by a food bank or a prenatal clinic, communications can be measured — in more ways than one. In this workshop, Lisa Brem Witter, COO, Executive Vice President, Fenton Communications, will outline 10 key questions to help evaluate whether your communications are effective.

How to Get U.S. Media Coverage on Global Issues

Shrinking column inches and air time devoted to international issues means stiffer competition among organizations seeking to score coverage related to their work. In this workshop, Lisa Witter from Fenton Communications will discuss their newly released guide for public interest advocates, Over Here: How to Get U.S. Media Coverage on Global Issues. This workshop will offer real-life case studies of how nonprofits that work on international issues have successfully attracted media coverage. As Witter notes, “Because news outlets have less money today to maintain foreign news bureaus and send TV crews abroad, groups that do work on the ground have more opportunities to be the media’s eyes and ears — and to steer them to cover stories that the world needs to pay attention to.” This workshop will show you how.

This Just In: Lessons from Two Decades of Public Interest Communications

For over two decades, Fenton Communications has developed and run communications campaigns to raise the profile of issues like global warming, health care disparities, political corruption and women's rights. From developing techniques to turn a one-page New York Times ad into a 24-hour news cycle to harnessing new internet strategies to build the membership of organizations like MoveOn.org, we'll cover "lessons learned" from the public relations teams at Fenton Communications based on their experience on dozens of campaigns.

This presentation covers ten common techniques for not only garnering press coverage of an issue but also to ensure that your issue is covered in the best possible way. Topics include, reframing the conversation, telling human-interest stories, harnessing the internet, tapping popular culture and cultivating unusual allies to gain the attention of the media.

Adapted from a Fenton guide of the same name and filled with real-life case studies of successful communications campaigns, this presentation provides insights into successful strategies - and why they work.

Now Hear This: The Nine Laws of Successful Advocacy Communications

In this age of information overload and compassion fatigue, what does it take to wage an effective advocacy or public education campaign that will rise above the fray? How do we convince people to "buy" our ideas for a better world? What does it take to educate, motivate and mobilize the public? What will pressure decision-makers to do the right thing?

This presentation covers the nine laws of successful communications strategies that will help you to cut through the clutter instead of adding to it -- from setting realistic goals to matching strategies and tactics to target audiences.

The presentation is adapted from a Fenton guide of the same name, filled with real-life case studies of successful communications campaigns as well as words of wisdom from more than 25 leading experts. We will discuss how to get to the right message, in the right medium, delivered by the right messenger to the right audience so your social change campaign gets measurable results.

"In a Study Release Today": How to Get Ink on Your Next Report

Why do some reports make the day’s headlines and the evening news while others gather dust on the shelf? In this presentation, we take you through 10 tried and true tips for attracting news coverage for report releases, culled from Fenton’s experience working with non-profit organizations and researchers to publicize high-impact studies on a broad range of issues including education, health and the environment.

The presentation covers the three phases of a communications strategy for a report release: 1) Position: How to frame your findings so they advance your goals, cycle into the news and tell a compelling story. 2) Package: Our advice on the soup to nuts of making your report media-friendly so it gets a closer look. 3) Promote: A check-list of who to reach out to in the newsroom -- and how.

Now Advertise This: 10 Tips to Make News with Public Interest Advertising

Advertising can be a powerful, unmediated medium for seizing public attention and generating buzz for your campaign. But when you don’t have tons of money to spend on ads, leveraging earned media is essential to make sure your message hits the mark.

This presentation offers Fenton’s best tips for how to make news with public interest advertising. We draw lessons from case studies of real-life ad campaigns that have contributed to policy change as well as heightened visibility and fundraising for our clients. The presentation will cover what the ad should communicate, how to make the media bite on the story, and where and when the ad should run for maximum impact.

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