Get Ink II: in this second look at creating awareness, we focus on marketing the president to the media.

Based on my conversation with college media relations officers--and my own experience in that position at three different colleges--it sometimes seems as if every college president in the country wants to be quoted in The New York Times. In defense of college presidents, the desire is not all (or always) about individual ego. Rather, it is a college president's correct understanding of the need to continually remind a forgetful public of her institution, and the role it plays in our society.

To help bridge the gap between what the president hopes, and what your average media relations officer can deliver, following are a handful of "rules" for the creation of a successful presidential media relations strategy. (Add these to "Your Keys to a Successful Media Relations Program" in "Get Ink," December 2002.) Some are designed to help you understand the media and how they work, and others are designed to help position you as a media resource. All will help you get ink.

RULE #1: THE MEDIA DECIDES WHAT'S NEWS, NOT YOU

"But I don't want to talk about that," said a president with whom I once worked. During my tenure at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, he had been contacted by the media to comment on a new medical procedure. In his mind, what the reporter wanted to talk about was not news. This president missed the key issue: Presidents don't decide what's news; editors and reporters do. For this reason, most media exposure is really a planned response to an unplanned-for opportunity. It is not about your own continual cultivation of the media in order to get your story out, it's about cultivating the media so that when they have a story to write, they will think of you.

RULE #2: DEADLINES ARE ABSOLUTE

There are three calls you had better respond to immediately: those from the IRS, your board chair, and the media. When it comes to the media, always remember that most reporters and editors have two positions on almost everything--not interested or urgently interested. This sense of urgency is driven by deadlines; when reporters are on deadline, they can't wait, can't postpone, and can't delay. They may call you, but if you can't respond, they will make a second call to another expert, and there is always another expert.

RULE #3: UNDERSTAND HOW THE MEDIA THINKS

In my experience, most reporters and editors are thoughtful professionals who work hard to write fair and objective stories. However, you must understand that the reporter has a different goal than you do. You want to look good. He wants a story. And therein is the potential for conflict. The media is not interested in your agenda. They don't really care why you want to be quoted. Their only interest is the story and they will always look at you as a means--one of several that are available to them--to that story. You can't control them or the story they ultimately produce. If you want controlled media, buy an ad.

RULE #4: CULTIVATE, CULTIVATE, CULTIVATE

It can take months, even years to develop a media relationship that eventually bears fruit. Keith Moore, of Keith Moore Associates (www.keithmooreassociates.com), illustrates this point when he mentions the legwork that Warren Wilson College (SC) undertook. The college's PR director, Ben Anderson, had met and pitched a story to The New York Times education editor in June 1999. That fall, college President Doug Orr went to New York to personally visit the same education editor. In January, Times reporter Jacques Steinberg traveled to Asheville to visit campus. The story, "Blue Collar Jobs Complement Liberal Arts Courses" ran in the Times on February 6, 2000--almost eight months from pitch to catch. The Lesson? If you want media fruit next summer, begin planting seeds now.

RULE #5: PREP YOURSELF

Every college president who hopes to earn an hour in the national media spotlight needs to spend other hours--perhaps many hours--in media training. It is far better to work out that nervous tic in front of your media consultant and anxious PR director than in front of the reporter from The Washington Post. Even the most charismatic, articulate president will benefit from the training. Bury the ego and spend the time.

RULE #6: ANTICIPATE THE STORY

If you want to know what the regional and local media will be interested in tomorrow, take a look at what the national and international media is covering today. Most reporters spend a great part of their careers trying to find a Local angle for national news. If something happened at Columbia, they ask themselves, could the same thing happen at Coe? Frank Dobisky of Dobisky Associates (www.dobisky.com) gives an example of this when he asks, "Is your institution using a successful affirmative action plan in admissions?" Most reporters were very interested in that topic immediately after the recent Supreme Court ruling in the Michigan case.

Says Moore, "This fall, you can expect stories on how limited funding in public institutions will impact enrollment and how campuses are eliminating expenses. The media also will want to talk about foreign students' activities, how campus students are reacting to diverse cultures and religions, the FBI recruiting on campus, and any special policies a campus has for protecting and promoting free speech."

Rather than waiting for the reporters to call you, call them with a quote, an expert, or a sidebar they can use.

RULE #7: PREP FOR THE STORY

Earlier, I mentioned the need to prep for the media in general. What about prepping for a scheduled interview? Dobisky says the first thing he tells clients to do before the initial meeting is to pull dips of other stories that the reporter has done. He says this will help you understand that reporter's approach, the types of questions she might ask, and even how she might slant responses. Moore tells his clients, "In preparation for the meeting, the president should List four or five messages he wants to communicate: 'Our college is thriving because ...' 'Our campus has turned the corner because ...'" Having these messages in hand will help focus the interview on the topic at hand.

Ray Jones, of Media Ink ([e-mail]), reminds his clients to have background material ready including written quotes, three- and four-sentence bios, photographs, and other illustrations. He also says that if there are questions that come up in an interview and go unanswered, get the answers quickly and decide whether you or the president will get back to the media person.

RULE #8: BE AVAILABLE

You may spend months, even years courting the media, but all that effort can go out the window if you can't respond to their needs in their timeframe.

Ray Jones tells a sad but important story. He describes a president he once worked with who was "always moaning that all the presidents he saw quoted in The Chronicle of Higher Education were not nearly as smart or erudite as he was." This president could never understand why--when Chronicle reporters needed someone wise, quotable, and impressive--they didn't automatically pick up the phone and call him.

"In response," says Jones, "I decided to cultivate a few sources at The Chronicle who might, over time, trust me when I told them I had something good. I focused on one reporter who covered sports. My ace in the hole was that the president fancied himself as an ideal 'student athlete" He had strong opinions on sports reform. I made it a practice to periodically share with the Chronicle reporter things that the president had said or written on sports reform, so the reporter could see that the president could be counted on to say something forceful and meaningful, not dole out plain vanilla quotes. Our chance for glory came when Notre Dame Left the NCAA football contract arrangement and set up its own billion-dollar deal for TV broadcast rights. This set the stage for a wonderful story possibility for us.

"Everything worked according to plan. The reporter, as expected, needed a saucy quote about Notre Dame and he figured he would get it from my president, so he called us--on deadline--and asked me to put him on the phone. It was our golden opportunity. The only problem was that the president's ego, insecurities, and fickle personality got in the way. He refused to take the reporter's call. He said he was 'busy' and that the reporter should call him back 'some other time" I told the president that the reporter would never call back, ever, if he didn't pick up the phone right then. The president balked, and the reporter never called again. Ever."

RULE #9: BE GRACIOUS AND REMEMBER THE TEAM

In a recent conversation, Keith Moore mentioned that he had recently taken the ideal president to meet some national media representatives in Washington, D.C. The visit, set up by the college's PR staff, featured Dr. John Maupin of Meharry Medical College (TN). As part of the visit, Maupin went through a series of six grueling, yet fruitful, media interviews over two days. He met with media ranging from the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Washington Post to National Public Radio and Good Morning America.

Says Moore, this bright, articulate, unflappable president provoked discussion wherever he went. Perhaps his most impressive characteristic was that he did every interview with patience, relaxed warmth, and flexibility. He was comfortable and made those around him comfortable. After the two days were over, the president even graciously thanked those with him, for their work in setting up the agenda. He did all the heavy lifting, but he thanked those supporting him as though they were true heroes.

In the end, Dr. Maupin's thoughtful observations forged the groundwork for a June 27 Chronicle piece titled, "Getting Doctors Into Poor Communities."

THE MORAL OF THE STORY

The road to national media exposure can be a Long one and it is seldom smooth. But for those who plan their approach, anticipate stories, cultivate key media, and respond quickly, the journey can be worthwhile.

15 Unbreakable Rules for Working with Your President

From Keith Moore of Keith Moore Associates, presidential marketing tips you won't want to be without.

1. Never upstage the president or permit your president to be upstaged.

2. Do not treat your president as second class to a media representative or, for that matter, to anyone else.

3. Be loyal. Do not give the president a reason--or a chance--to distrust you.

4. Only attempt to advise your president on what you clearly understand yourself.

5. Give your president the best advice you can (even if you do not think it will be accepted).

6. No matter how sure you are that your advice will be taken, offer your advice when the president is most likely co understand and accept it.

7. Never let your president be interviewed by the news media without proper preparation.

8. Do not bring the president problems, but if you must bring problems, bring solutions too.

9. Do not directly contact the trustees without first clearing your contact with the president.

10. Do not become identified as the president's (or anyone else's) lackey.

11. Know your president well enough to avoid extending your chief executive beyond his personal limitations in a crisis.

12. Respect the president's priorities and never waste the president's time.

13. Remain friends with the president's spouse, secretary, and other cam pus Leaders such as vice presidents, deans, and department heads.

14. Always maintain a balance in your efforts to build the president's image, the institution's image, and the images of the people on the faculty and in the administration.

15. Do not become so wed to these unbreakable rules that you cannot break one when it's appropriate.

Bob Sevier is o senior VP of Stamats Communications (www.stomats.com). For information on his free e-newsletter, QuickTakes, e-mail [e-mail].