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Entering a new journalist

If the journalist submitting the enquiry isn’t already logged in Civi, you’ll need to create a new individual. 

A display of the New Individual screen.

  • In the menu bar, go to Contacts > New Individual.
  • Fill out the Contact Details section – make sure you include the Name, Current Employer (media outlet they belong to), Job Title, Email and Phone.
  • Email and phone should be set to Work.
  • Scroll down to the Address section.

Screen shot of the address section of a new contact.

  •  
  • Select Work as the primary location for the contact.
  • Check the Use another contact’s address and, from the drop-down menu, select the media outlet you chose for their Current Employer above.
  • Check Set this organisation as current employer.

Does this journalist need to be added to the Media Release distribution list? You can add them during this process:

Screenshot of adding a contact to a group.

  • Scroll down to Tags and Groups.
  • Under Groups, find and select Media::COTA Media Release
  • Save your new contact.

Logging an enquiry

If you have just created your new contact, you’ll be taken to their Profile page after saving. Otherwise, search for your contact and select their profile.

Go to Activities > New Activity > Media Enquiry.

Screenshot of the New activity tab.

Screenshot of the Add Media Enquiry screen.

Complete the form with the details of the media enquiry:

  • Added by and With Contact will be automatically filled out with your name and the journalist’s name. If there are multiple journalists involved, you can add them in here.
  • Assigned to – who dealt with the enquiry?
  • Subject – keep this brief, but make sure you include the employer in this field.
    When generating reports, the employer isn’t displayed; placing a note in the subject ensures the media outlets making requests will be clearly visible.
  • Campaign – if this is related to a campaign we have been involved in, eg ATFA, enter those details here.
  • Activity status – select Completed.
  • Details – outline the enquiry and what action was taken.
  • Attachments – you can upload any documents (eg media releases) here. If these are stored on the server or Sharepoint, you can place an address in the Details section instead.

Finding past media enquiries

To search for past media enquiries, go to Advanced Search > Activities > Activity type > Media Enquiry.

  • You can add extra filters as needed to narrow your results.
  • In the top section, Views for Display Contacts > Advanced Search View showing Employer will include the employer (media outlet) in search results

Sending media releases

A group, Media::COTA Media Release, has been set up for journalists as a distribution list for our media releases. To view this list, search Groups > Media::COTA Media Release.

To add a journalist not already on the list, navigate to their profile and select the Groups tab. In the Add to a group drop-down, search for and select Media::COTA Media Release.

There are two ways to add these contacts to your media release mailing.

Method one – sending to the whole list

  • Start a new mailing (Mailings > New Mailing (with Mosaico))
  • Create your email using a template provided, or design your own.
  • Once you’re ready to send, select Media::COTA Media Release from the Recipients drop-down menu.

Method two – sending to select individuals

Screenshot of selecting individuals from a list.

  • Search for Groups > Media::COTA Media Release.
  • Select the individuals you would like to send the media release to.
  • Under Actions, choose Email – schedule/send via CiviMail. This will import your contacts into a new mailing template.
  • Lay out your email in Mosaico and schedule as usual.