Bridget
Bobel is a senior at Ball State
University in Muncie, Indiana, pursuing a degree in Public Relations.
A seven-year pageant veteran, she competed for her first time in the
Miss Indiana America Program in June with the title of Miss Southern
Heartland. She has used her public relations knowledge to promote her
platform, "The Power of Reading: Promoting Literacy in Today's
Youth," around the state. Her experience includes internships with
Rolls-Royce Corporation in the employee communications department and
in the promotions department of WNOU 93.1 in Indianapolis. She also
traveled to Atlantic City to watch her sister, Betsy, Miss Indiana 2000,
compete for the crown while covering the story for her local newspaper.
In
a world where presentation is everything, pageants and public relations
harmonize nicely. In public relations, professionals serve as advocates
for their clients. They do this by building relationships with representatives
of community and public interest groups and those in print and broadcast
journalism
In pageants, contestants serve as advocates
for their platforms. They do this by building relationship with representatives
of community and public interest groups and those in print and broadcast
journalism.
See a connection?
There is more to pageants than glitz and
glamour. In the Miss America Organization, for example, each contestant
is required to have a platform which she promotes. All across the country,
young women between the ages of 18 and 24
are spending countless hours working to raise asthma-treatment awareness,
to keep the arts in schools, or to increase literacy levels, among others.
How do these women let the public know
what they’re trying to accomplish? Through public relations.
What television station wouldn’t love
to cover a story about a young woman who raised $10,000 for AIDS awareness
through a golf outing she organized? What newspaper wouldn’t jump to
feature a contestant who worked tirelessly to help homeless veterans
get back on their feet?
The more publicity contestants have when
promoting their platforms, the more community support they will have.
This support equals credibility in the interview. When the judges realize
that a contestant has extended a huge amount of effort to get the community
involved with her platform, they will see that she truly loves what
she’s promoting.
Public relations is such an important
part of the pageant world that it would be hard to win a pageant without
it. So, how do you achieve good public relations?
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Making
solid connections with your community starts with building bridges
to businesses and the media.
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The Basics of Platform
PR
First
of all, write a press release explaining your platform or what it is
you are trying to accomplish in your pageant system. Explain why what
you’re doing is important. Send it out to area newspapers, television
stations, and magazines.
Secondly, always
be an advocate for your cause. Plan an open house so the community can
get to know more about your platform or your goals. Be sure to invite
the press to events like these.
By developing
this positive relationship with the press and the community, they will
learn that what you’re trying to do is more than competing in a beauty
pageant; they will see that you’re working tirelessly to make a difference
in the world.
When the glitz
and glamour of a pageant does occur, it doesn’t happen spontaneously.
It takes hours of meticulous preparation on behalf of directors and
contestants before the stage can light up and the crown can be placed
on the winner’s head.
Guidelines for Directors
It’s easy for directors and contestants to simply assume that the community
is conscious of the upcoming pageant because those involved in the planning
and organizing of the event have it foremost in their minds. But that
assumption would be one reason why your event may not attract the attention
it deserves. Just as a pageant winner needs to let the community and
media know what she is doing with her title, the pageant organizers
must do the same thing.
Directors
must keep the community aware of dates and deadlines for the pageant.
They can do this through an effective media kit that contains press
releases, backgrounders (an explanation of the pageant’s history), and
biographies (information about the current queen). When the media knows
everything about the pageant, they will be more likely to cover the
event.
For any pageant
to be a success, it has to have excellent public relations. With poor
public relations comes lower attendance and less interest from potential
contestants and the community. An excellent way to excel at public relations
is through promotion.
Sponsorships and Promotions
Promotion is what makes the wheels of pageantry spin. American businesses
spend millions of dollars each year promoting pageants because they
have found that they are the greatest form of advertisement in the country.
There are several
ways a pageant can go about obtaining sponsorships. For example, the
contestants can be solely responsible for finding community donations.
They can easily go to their local beauty shops, clothing stores, and
food establishments to ask for assistance in their quest for the crown.
Remember not to ask only for a monetary donation; some businesses would
much rather give away a service, such as free tanning or make-up consultation.
Be careful when going to chain restaurants or stores. It can be hard
and time-consuming to gain the upper management’s approval of a donation.
This type
of sponsorship is great for the contestants because, let’s face it,
competing in pageants isn’t always cheap. Many women wouldn’t be financially
able to compete if it weren’t for the donations they receive from businesses.
When getting
sponsorships like this from the public, remember to practice good public
relations. Always write a thank-you note for the contribution, no matter
how large or small. Better yet, write a letter of appreciation to the
local newspaper, listing all the people and businesses that donated.
If possible, also list them in your advertisements in the pageant’s
program book.
When effectively
using public relations, pageants can be a huge success. Using the same
principle, contestants have a better chance at winning their desired
title. Either way, public relations is too important to overlook when
becoming involved in the pageant world.
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Getting
Media Attention
A veteran journalist who works in the pageant industry suggests
the following points to obtain media attention:
1
Get to know the people who decide what goes into the publications
or programs you are targeting. Make a phone call and find out
which editor or producer would handle your type of events or platform
issues.
2
Send each contact a personalized letter of introduction. Then
follow up with a phone call and ask them what types of stories
they are working on that you might be a source for.
3
Ask your contacts in print media if they would accept an opinion/editorial
piece you have written on whatever issue you feel strongly about.
4
For
events coverage, make sure to direct an announcement listing to
the calendar editor. That way, you are sure it will land on his
or her desk and receive the attention you deserve.
5
Follow up to request coverage of your event separately by contacting
a local or state editor and requesting a reporter or photographer
be assigned (regional newspapers especially are always looking
for good human interest photographs).
6
Don’t be afraid to use your network of friends. If you know someone
who knows someone working for a media outlet, get that person
to call their media friend on your behalf.
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