Publicity

• News is somebody ordinary doing something extraordinary - or vice versa! The Princess of Wales in an apron, hulling strawberries at a fete, makes headlines.
• News is about someone important or someone who can make things happen.
• News is immediate and fast - unless you're dealing with long-lead print media like glossy magazines!
• News is something the audience can relate to relative to their lives, work, families and where they live - with a filter of 'what is relevant to me?'
• News is about superlatives – the oldest, newest, first, best, biggest of something. News is also about money and information.

Timing

Think about the timing of your release - different media organisations have different deadlines. The local TV coverage is geared towards the main bulletins at lunchtime, teatime and last thing at night. Whereas local radio will often also look for stories for the breakfast and drive time (early morning and evening) shows, they also have programmes and bulletins to fill  throughout the day. Specialist programmes are aired weekly. Local newspapers can be daily, such as the Shropshire Star or weekly, as in the case of the Hereford Times - but almost all outlets need material 24/7 for their websites and social media channels.

Locality

Be aware also of the editorial areas covered; the Ross Gazette for example would not be interested in a story about a church in Leominster. BBC West Midlands, BBC Hereford and Worcester and BBC Radio Shropshire have Sunday morning programmes with a religious or spiritual theme, and specialist producers who work towards them. You can find their details in our local media contacts as part of this guide.

• Think about the content you are delivering for your church and community everyday - if you are aware of regular listings for this type of content, make sure your events are included.
• List your activities on local listings sites such as What’s on in Hereford and village Facebook pages.
• Comment on local issues simmering in local media: encourage relevant church members to contribute to the debate. It is important that as Christians we play our part in wider discussion.
• Utilise your church social media accounts to list events, including regular services.
• Consider spending a small amount of money on an advertisement on Facebook or in the local press, if you have a big event on.
• Think about how you can get a mention for your church around the major church festivals. Are you doing something different? Have you come up with an approach that is bucking the trends, such as involving teenagers?
• Publicise your important church anniversaries and arrivals of new team members.
• Plan for media coverage if you know you are going to have a special visitor, and think about what the eye-catching photo or video might be - often it will be them doing something unexpected - serving tea, digging a hole, or even taking a photograph themselves, rather than cutting a ribbon! If you have an unexpected important guest, try to get some photos and a quote from them to send out.
• A new way of doing something, a different type of service can also make the news.

• Send your media release via email. The days of printed releases going by post are over! Journalists want to be able to lift text directly from a digital format.
• At the top, detail when it can be used from. Either mark it ‘for immediate release’ or write 'Embargoed until:' and include the exact time and date for release to the public.
• At the end say who is sending the release, when it was written and who the main contact is.
• Write a good short headline which tells the story: What is the angle? ‘Why someone should care?’, What is it that is interesting?
• Most of all be clear what the story is about – start with the basics and then bring in limited background further down the release. Put the facts in descending order of importance. Use a NOTES section at the very end for facts and details which may interrupt the flow of the story.
• Try and fit it onto one side of A4 and write it the way you would like to read it or hear it. If it is in a sensible order and provides good content then it could potentially run with very few changes. You can refer to the news section of the diocesan website for ideas on how a media release should be laid out and the style it should be written in.

• Use quotes when you can. Somebody’s opinion, knowledge or personal story can bring a story to life. Remember it does not always need to be the vicar.
• Use short sentences and keep sub clauses to a minimum to keep your story crisp and informative.
• Local newspapers and radio stations write stories simply to appeal to the widest audience; they have to be easy to read. The average reading age in the UK is nine-years-old and journalists will be writing in a style to reflect this.
• Make yourself accessible when it comes to interviews and photograph opportunities: Give the media a mobile number and/or your email .
• Keep the church language to a minimum. Write for a non-churchgoing audience, as this is who you are looking to speak to through a media release.
• If there is a potential photo or filming opportunity then make sure you mention it and say when it is. 
• Use your headline as the subject line of your email - this may catch the busy reporter's eye.

• Explain where your church is, the area it serves such as 'serving the South Shropshire Hills district of...' – the saint’s name alone may cause confusion. You should not assume that the reader knows anything about your church.
• Establish media contacts by phoning the relevant radio, TV station or newspaper and asking for the best person to send your story to. Email the press release to the named journalist. Keep a copy of everything you send so you can refer to it if asked.
• Timeliness is key. If you are commenting on an important issue don’t wait until six weeks afterwards, news is immediate and fast and the world soon moves on while you are finely crafting your news release.
• Follow it up with a phone call and if your story was not used, try to find out why. This is not only a learning exercise but it will also help build a relationship.
• Feel free to ask for help from the communications team and tell us your news too!

• Name and position of caller, title of newspaper, radio or television station and programme or website? Or are they a news agency?
• Staff or working in a freelance capacity?
• What is their telephone number and email address?
• What are they calling about?
• What contribution are they looking for?
• What timings are involved? (When is the contribution needed by?)
• If you need time to gather information or prepare your response, can you call them back or ask them to call you back to give you some thinking time? If it is a very simple inquiry then deal with it straight away, otherwise, in that time think about what you are going to say – work out a course of action, a possible statement or bullet points to work off. If others need to be consulted or contacted, then do this.
• Do you need help from the communications team at the diocese? We would much rather find out this way than to read it in the paper. The world moves fast now. If the nature of the matter could be significant or causes you any concern do please let us know even if it is out of office hours. We are here to help. We have an out of hours phone number for the communications team: 07889 186316

• It is central Church of England policy to always have written permission from parents/ guardians of identifiable children before taking their photo. You must also ask for explicit permission regarding the use of the photo - is it okay to go online, on social media, or appear in a newspaper article?
• Schools usually have permissions sorted and will be familiar with ensuring those who cannot be photographed are kept separate. But do check with them in advance.
• Group shots or those that do not show faces are safer.
• Do not photograph or film any children, young people or adults who are at risk or who have asked not to be involved.

• All children, young people and adults must be appropriately dressed when photographed or filmed.
• All people taking photographs or filming at an event should make themselves known to the event organiser, vicar or churchwarden.
• At large events set up the photo or video recording opportunities at the end. This allows the service or performance to go ahead without disruption and allows any child, young person or adult who cannot be photographed or filmed to enjoy the event.
• If photographs of people are used online do not use their full name, age or address without permission. Do not use their name in a file name, alt tag or other data.
• Further information about safeguarding children and other members of our church communities can be found under the safeguarding section of our website.

• For adults we recommend putting signs up when you are planning to take photos, alerting people in your service sheets and, where possible, advertising it in advance in your pew notices.
• Where appropriate, you might ask whoever reads out notices during the service to also mention the nature of the photography and its intended use.
• You can find a template photo/film permission form on our website, which can be easily completed online, even from a phone; this is essential for children and vulnerable adults.

• Images for publication and use on social media accounts must be of a sufficiently high resolution. Please note that a poor quality or low-resolution image will be deemed unsuitable for publication.
• If you are sending images to a newspaper or other publisher then it is best to supply images as separate jpg files and not to embed them in an email or word document.
• If you are sending a number of images then it might be best to do so via a file sharing website such as WeTransfer or Dropbox.

Image: (c) Courtesy of Peter Holding

• Action shots always look more interesting on the page than people standing in groups and smiling politely at the camera.
• Is there a way to illustrate the story through an object or a piece of clothing?
• There are great tips on the Church of England’s Digital Labs blog: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/ digital-labs/digital-labs-blogs

• Camera phones are great because they mean most people have a camera on them at all times. However, they can struggle with poor lighting and produce blurred photos.
• To get maximum stability cradle the phone in both hands and rest your elbows on a pew or chair.
• You will obtain best results by mounting your camera on a tripod.

Image: (c) Courtesy of Peter Holding

• You are in charge of the shot! Ensure you are close enough to the group to see everybody’s faces. Check that everyone is visible and tell them to move if need be.
• If you have someone in the group who desperately dislikes having their photo taken then ask them to step aside if they are not vital, rather than risk them ruining the shot by trying to hide.
• If it is a large group, arrange everyone on steps, or ask the front row to sit or kneel, rather than lining everyone up in a row. If required, ask them to turn to the side as this allows them to stand closer together.
• If you are focusing on one person, it is better to take a close-up photograph rather than a full-length one from far away.

Image: (c) Courtesy of Peter Holding

• Invest in a tripod to keep photos sharp in lower light.
• The tripod can also give access to new angles such as over an edge and up in the air.
• Be purposeful in choosing your composition and what will appear in the frame.
• Think about what the content of the image communicates. For example, a photo of an empty church communicates that it is inactive.
• Plan ahead and scout locations for photo taking.
• Think about what photos you need to take to convey the right message: choose events/moments to photograph that include plenty of people, action and emotion.
• Always be aware of your background. Are there people wandering around who are going to interfere with the shot?
• Is there enough light?

Image: (c) Courtesy of Peter Holding

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• Are there any unsightly signs, radiators or paintwork behind your subject?
• If in doubt, take your picture outside but make sure people are facing away from the sun and be careful of shadows on faces.
• Ask people to remove sunglasses or hats as they may obscure the faces. The Bishop’s mitre is excluded!
• Inside buildings, avoid taking photographs of people or other subjects against brightly lit windows or bright lights. 
• Safety shots: make sure you take several photographs at a time, especially in dark places or with groups of people. The more you take the more likely it is that you will end up with a decent image.
• You may also find that people relax more after the first photograph and will therefore be smiling more naturally on the second or third image. Check that everyone visible has his or her eyes open!

• Are there some attractive information displays or boards describing the Christian faith and the church community that meets there? Find more information about this on our Signage page here.
• Do you show the impact of your community work anywhere? Try to keep anything you introduce fresh and in good condition. People are not going to be interested in what you were doing five years ago and materials can quickly look old and dilapidated.
• Do you have some easy to read materials about your particular church’s history and heritage?
• Is there a simple guide to the parts of the building for people who are unfamiliar with church buildings?
• Do you offer anything for children to do, such as a trail or activity sheet?
• Do you have a simple visitor card, readily accessible, for visitors to leave their contact information, including email, with tick boxes for their preferred contact method and what they might be interested in joining in with, so you can follow up? These can be left in the pews along with your offering envelopes, with pens or pencils.
• Does your noticeboard say who to contact in an emergency and the address of your church? If relevant, include the OS grid reference and WhatThreeWords for the emergency services to find your location easily. Your noticeboards must also include safgeuarding information. Find more information about this on our Signage page here.

• Do you provide clear ways to donate, such as a contactless payment system and offering envelopes including Gift Aid declarations, and do you illustrate where donations will be spent and the impact this will have? Find more information about this on our Giving pages here.
• Think about your printed materials in services: In what condition are your service booklets and pew sheets? Have they seen better days? Does the design and content of your pew sheets echo both the content and branding on your website, social media and in your email newsletter?
• Publicising events can be a good way to welcome in new members of the community. Try to think about what would appeal to the wider community – to people who would rarely consider entering a church building. Perhaps they would come to your art or craft show, or your Christmas tree festival sponsored by local businesses. Parents may be interested to know more about the Mothers' Union, for which the diocese sustains a chaplaincy and offers a Clergy Pack. Families with young children may be drawn to connect through a 'stay and play' baby and toddler group, Messy Church, Forest Church or Muddy Church, or a youth offering for tweens and teens. You can reach out to our Intergenerational Mission team for guidance and information about all of these and materials for publicising them.

• Churchyard maintenance can, surprisingly, be a great way to connect with people who might not consider coming to a service; many people appreciate their local church as a beautiful building, green space and environmental asset at the heart of their community. They enjoy being part of a team that cares for the churchyard. Try putting a well-designed notice on church and community noticeboards appealing for new volunteers. The following organisations have programmes that help to rally the community behind your churchyard maintenance: 

• If you want to focus on the wildlife and natural habitat as well as the heritage of your churchyard then Caring for God’s Acre may be able to assist you with a Churchyard Taskforce visit.
• If you want to join many of our churches in becoming an EcoChurch, then visit A Rocha's website where you can find out everything you need to know about getting your first 'Bronze' accreditation.
• If you need a working party to help blitz the churchyard but volunteers are in short supply, you could try offering it as a project for offenders taking part in Community Payback. They will consider gardening work, decorating work and other simple tasks. Call their regional office on 0121 2734053 and they will take details of the project and assess how they can help.

• Christmas cards - creating an attractive Christmas card using a photo (with permission!) of your church exterior in the snow or the interior decorated for Christmas, or children's Christmas artwork, for example, can be a great way to get other people to publicise the church; even better if it includes Advent and Christmas service times on the back!
• Deliver some hand-signed Christmas cards to people in the community, particularly newcomers.
• Other publicity materials include:
  • Leaflets, flyers, cards and posters;
  • Banners, signs and noticeboards (see our section on Signage);
  • Parish magazines - distributing these can be an opportunity for church leaders to meet new neighbours; you may be able to share the cost (and content) with your Parish Council or community centre.
• If possible, use your church branding consistently across all of these materials; include a tagline that describes your church, such as 'An inclusive church, welcoming all' or 'Sharing God's word in this place' - this might be something you want to debate with your PCC!
• Besides these print materials, don't foget the importance of having a physical presence such as a stall at a local fete, bazaar or country show, keeping up your social media presence, updating your page on AChurchNearYou.com, keeping your website fresh and current, and - most effective - word of mouth.

• Format: Is this a feature film or for a television programme? Will the church be used for just a small part in a larger production, or is the church itself the main feature?
• Audience: Which television channel is this intended for and who is the target audience?
• Category: If filming is for TV, will the programme be a drama, a news programme, documentary, a soap opera or sitcom? Or will it be used for advertising either on TV or in the cinema?
• What do you know about the time of day it is anticipated to be broadcast? The scale of the fees you will be able to charge will be determined to some extent by the category. The potential for damaging or insensitive material will also vary across different genres. 
• Content: Any television company has to abide by programme codes concerning content. Even so, this leaves possibilities for material to be transmitted, which may show the parish, the Church or the Christian faith in a bad light. Knowing who is involved when it comes to actors or presenters will also give a clue to the type of treatment that is to be used. Programme makers are not in the business of deceiving you and will be only too happy to share their intentions since this enables them to get the best out of what is a collaborative project.

• Ask for a synopsis of the storyline in any drama or sitcom. This will give you an overview of the finished programme, and allow you to judge whether it is beneficial or harmful to the church.
• Access: Think about where vehicles will be parked. Do you need to ask your neighbours for their views? Do you need to remind the film crew to speak to other people who may be inconvenienced by the filming?
• Script: If filming is likely to be lengthy, with a lot of action centred in or around the church, you may also want to see the actual scripts. It is important for you to see what is going to be said and in what context to the church building. This will help you gain an understanding of how the finished film or programme will look.
• Advertising: The name and nature of the product or item to be advertised should be obtained, with a copy of the script or advertising copy. Find out what role your church building or surroundings will play concerning the product.
• Location: Will filming be inside or outside  the church? If on church grounds, the church’s permission is needed for anything to be done. Filming of a church or any other building from outside the site boundaries requires no permission. 

• Time: Ask how long the church is required. Broadly speaking, a news item where the subject is a Church of England matter and the editor simply needs a church as a background should not take more than half an hour. However, a feature film or drama will need to light and possibly rig the church before f ilming could start. They may also need to bring in additional portable buildings. Film crews will often measure filming durations in days. Be clear with them what you consider to be a day as they may over run or need to film late into the evening or at night.
• Fees: Time and type of filming are the two main factors determining a location fee. Drama attracts the largest budgets. With documentaries or current affairs, budgets are much smaller and the time involved is likely to be comparatively short, a matter of hours. Consider the amount of electricity likely to be used during the production. 
• Permission: Permission for filming as far as the parish is concerned is a matter for the incumbent and PCC, or in an interregnum, the PCC and churchwardens. Diocesan permission would be needed for any works to the church, usually in the form of a faculty. Minor works may not need a faculty.  If loose furnishings are to be moved, permission may be gained from the Archdeacon. If in doubt please get in touch with the Archdeacon’s office.

• Equipment: Lighting is the main item of equipment and there may be a need for some short-term scaffolding inside or outside the church. Therefore, it is helpful to talk to neighbours about the plans. However, do insist that the production company do this. It is not your job to do their public relations for them! Be prepared to insist on equipment to protect the internal fittings of the church and the grounds. Ask them to avoid taping cables or other materials to the interior or exterior. Make sure that all fire precautions are followed. Both the church and the film company will have a responsible person for this. You must also carry out your own fire risk assessment. It is desirable to have a written risk assessment taking account of all equipment, sets, facilities, special effects etc.
• Agreements: Contrary to what might be expected, f ilmmakers actually welcome clear site rules and will have members of staff to deal with site logistics. If they like a location then they will work with your stipulations.
• During or after the shoot: It is advisable that someone is present during the filming. If it is a day-long shoot or longer, two people may be needed. They will need to know what agreements are in place and the contract agreed with those filming.

• Insurance: Speak to your church insurers to ascertain what additional cover is needed. You must insist that the PCC is indemnified and insured against damage or accident. The church insurance policy may not cover such matters. Ascertain whether the film or TV company will underwrite any risk. If not, either make sure you are covered by the church’s own insurance, or else write it into the contact that the film company takes on its own insurance for the job. Where news is concerned and all that is required is to use the church in the background for a report, the time is usually extremely short and a fee would not normally be offered. It will mean through that your church is featured in a news report – again check the content beforehand. In addition, it is a good time to get to know your local TV reporter and tell them about what is happening in your church. Consider asking for an upfront returnable deposit, in addition to up to 50% pre-payment of the fee for large-scale productions.
• Records: Make detailed notes afterwards for future reference. Film companies are likely to return to a good site, and experiences will be invaluable. Do be sure to watch out for your church appearing on the small or big screen and use the occasion as a way to reach out to the wider community.

• Inspections: Carry out a walk-around inspection of the condition of the church before the crew sets up. Take many photos – particularly if there are areas of the church, or condition of certain fittings, which could be disputable at the end. If you would like moveable objects placed back where they were originally located then do say at this point. Inspect for condition and damage immediately at the end of filming and report issues promptly. Staff are often only working on a production for the duration of the filming. Check also to ensure all non-fixed items left in the church are still present and where they need to be located.
• Church services: If a church cannot be used for services or other activities because of the filming then you will need to adequately reflect the inconvenience for you and your church community in the fee.
• Animals: If animals are to be used within the church consider the precautions needed if dealing with a species that is not house-trained.

• Attribution (BY) - Licensees may copy, distribute, display and perform the work and make derivative works and remixes based on it only if they credit the image owner.
• Non-commercial (NC) - Licensees may copy, distribute, display, and perform the work and make derivative works and remixes based on it only for non-commercial purposes. 
• Public Domain (CCO) - Content that has been placed in the public domain for anyone to use, distribute and edit without any need for credit. Public domain images are really useful because no one needs crediting. Visit www.creativecommons.org to read more. 
• Here are a selection of high quality public domain images sites you can use:
  • www.unsplash.com
  • www.freelyphotos.com
  • www.pixabay.com  
  • www.pexels.com  
  • www.splitshire.com

• PRS for Music Church Licence: As an agent for PRS for Music, CCLI tailors coverage for churches to host live music performances, concerts and recitals on their premises*.
• While music played during regular worship services (known as Acts of Worship) does not currently require licensing, the PRS for Music Church Licence™ covers your church for other music performances, such as during socials and outreach events and film soundtracks.
• When combined with the PPL Church Licence you will also be covered to play commercial music recordings on formats such as CD and MP3.
• Why does copyright affect your church? Churches are increasingly using technology to create, distribute or display songs, service sheets and content. Copyright owners should be fairly compensated for the copying of their works.

* In some circumstances detached church halls need to be covered separately   Check the Playing Music Licence Manual produced by CCLI for further information.

• Editing photos and creating graphics and video for social media does not require expensive editing software. There are some great online tools.  
  • Pixlr - Perfect for quick photo editing, improving the brightness/contrast, and there’s also an app version so you can edit on the go: www.pixlr.com
  • Canva - Make high quality graphics for social media and more on Canva. It provides easy to follow templates, icons and fonts to easily make something that will catch people’s attention: www.canva.com 
  • Kapwing - more advanced software for editing audio and video for social media, includes automated subtitling and AI voice-overs! https://www.kapwing.com/