(Note: Our office works with media 365/24/7, the following tips are our advice to the ASU student media. We love working with student media and it is one of the proudest moments in our profession when we see ASU student media move onto to great things. We often publish stories on social media, and share the ASU student media work with broadcasters, administration and faculty. We don't claim to know it all, but we do claim to have had things happen -- both good and bad -- that anyone can learn from. These items below are all thoughts we have had after a question or conversation with someone. Consider them tips to make your media life better, not our rules. Thoughts and feedback welcomed to Doug Tammaro at tammaro@asu.edu. Thanks)
WE WANT TO HELP GIVE YOUR STORIES LEGS
— If you wrote or produced a really good and positive feature story, we want to give it legs. Send us a link, and we might do 42 things with it. We can add it to a bio page, we show it to the athlete so they see it (and they might use to in various ways), it helps them when they are looking for NIL, we add it to links that broadcasters use, etc. Sending us a link to a finished product is an easy way to say thanks to the SID for doing the work while at the same time getting it more juice and eyeballs. Don't feel like you are promoting yourself, you are not. Everyone benefits from this!
WHAT DOES THE YELLOW LIGHT MEAN?
— We love hosting media at events held at Sun Devil Athletics. We don't love calls and emails about items left in press boxes, media rooms or team areas. Check your surroundings before leaving any event and make sure you have everything you came to the game with...take 42 seconds, and remember your phone chargers, glasses, sun glasses (you might have arrived in the day and are leaving at night). You have just spent hours and have worked really hard to produce good material, don't ruin your day 24 hours later by realizing you have no way to charge your laptop or phone. JUST SLOW DOWN BEFORE YOU LEAVE!
WE WANT TO CALL YOU, SO DO THIS PLEASE!
— Put your cell phone in some way on every email you send to a PR person/SID, coach, etc. There is a great chance someone will call you back if they know your number and have easy access to it.
THESE WORDS HELP
— These words go along way towards PR folks: please, thank you and hoping. We say "hoping" as an example to avoid saying I need. Don't start an email or a text saying "I need" and then detailing what it is you want. Give a hello, and ask if possible. What you need might not be what we can provide, but if one asks in a nice way, I bet we try to help as much as we can.
ALWAYS GOOD TO CHECK OUT THE SCHEDULE AND HERE IS WHY
—Before recommending times you are available to interview someone when you request an interview, take a peek at the team/athlete schedule. Saying you are unavailable or available on the same day that person has a game or event is a waste of time. The person wouldn’t do the interview any ways. This seems simple, but it happens a lot. Often we get requests for student-athlete and people aren’t looking at competition schedules. Unless you plan to get someone post game, not many folks are doing interviews on game day. Also, if the team is traveling that week, know every team travels a day ahead for any sport anywhere (unless it Grand Canyon across town). Please check the schedule and build that into the planning. This makes it easier on your end to plan as well!
CHECK THE CHECKLIST
—If you are setting up a photo shoot of any type, or involved in it, by all means take care of your checklist of what you need before. Showing up and asking for a basketball, or uniform or anything is not good planning. Don’t assume what you need is easy to get and someone is going to help you get it quickly. And if you are setting up lights, bring an extra surge protector.
RESEARCH BEFORE ASKING
—Before asking an PR office or SID office about a statement on something someone is reporting, scan the website/social media feeds and make sure it isn’t out there already. One time a reporter emailed us asking for the statement over something that happened that they read on azcentral.com and wanted to know our comments. The comments in the story were pretty much the comments in our release that was put out prior to the azcentral.com story.
HOW TO EXPRESS YOUR NEEDS
—Name exactly who you want to talk to in your initial ask. Don't just say I want to talk to _____ (fill in the blank position...an outfielder, a back stroker, etc.). Know exactly whom you want to talk to and request them by name in the first email/text to the SID. Getting that information up front will speed the process and let us know you did your homework. This will make us more comfortable putting you in front of our coaches/student-athletes with sometimes limited time on both of our hands.
—Let the PR/SID person know how long the interview will take. Is it something that will be like 3 or 4 questions and take about five minutes, or something longer and more in depth and will take longer. Will the interview be on-camera or off camera? If on camera, are you looking to do something standing near the court/field right after practice or are you looking for special attention such as a certain space and extra time to set-up if you are looking to do a sit-down interview.
TRIPOD SAFETY FIRST
— If you are using a tripod with a camera, after you are done 1) take the camera off the top; 2) unplug all your cords; 3) take your tripod down. Your camera can’t be knocked down and broken, no one can trip over a cord and no one can run into your tripod if you do those three things. This will help prevent a long night that shouldn’t have been.
SOS, I NEED WIFI
—Find out by looking around for the wireless password and login. Don’t text the SID thinking you will get quick answer, they could be busy. Chances are it is located on a seat card or in the media room. If you can't find it, we should have made it easier to access. But check around first so you don't waste your time waiting for us to answer a text. It isn't the end of the world to ask and it should be easy to find, but we won't want to slow you down and be waiting on us for a text.
WHEN TO PLAN THAT FEATURE STORY
—When you get to a game, cover the game, but leave a conversation to plan another story for later. PR folks and SIDs will not have time to talk at a game until very late after, so just know that. If you want to chat about a feature or potential story idea, day of game might not be the best time…but we are always there late. We love to chat about potential stories, but before a game is tough.
CAN'T GO? LET US KNOW!
— If you request a credential or a seat and will not attend, please let the SID/PR Director know. That seat/photo spot can be used for someone else. Also, many times workers sit at credential pickup until the last credential is picked up. If you don’t tell them you aren’t coming, that person will sit there for no reason. Please be thoughtful of others with credentials, seating, etc. Imagine if you were the person waiting to see if there was a spot opening or the person at credential pickup.
TRIPLE CHECK THE FACTS
—Do your due diligence when reporting breaking news. Today’s modern media has transcended in a race to be first and not necessarily a race to be right. Double check your facts, confirm with your sources. For topics sensitive in nature, make sure you do your part to get both sides of the story. In many cases, our response might simply be a statement, but make sure you ask first.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, SUCCEED AT INTERVIEWS
—Every coach is different and will react to your questions differently. If you are covering a new beat or a sport you have not previously reported on, read articles on our website, read feature stories from other people, learn the lingo of the sport, try to educate yourself on some of the nuances of said sport, ask one of the SIDs how best to approach the coach with a question. Some coaches are gracious and will take ill-prepared questions in stride. For others, a naïve or ill-thought question can kill the interview, could lead to bad quotes and can cause frustration in all parties.
GET PAST THOSE SURFACE LEVEL QUESTIONS
— "What makes your hometown Ellwood City a special place?” is much better than “What is your hometown?”...“What kind of impact has your sister made on your career?” is better than “How many sisters do you have?”...Instead of “who has made the biggest impact in your career?” asking “Why has your high school coach been such a big role model?"
— Read the bio of every person you are interviewing for a feature, and find a feature article about that person. Instead of asking them WHO had the biggest influence in their life, ask them WHY Coach Jones had the biggest influence. It shows them you did your homework. Don’t ask them where they are from, ask them what made their hometown special. I addressed this earlier…it is that important.
— Try to have your questions prepared and memorized ahead of time. There’s nothing wrong with writing your questions down, but when you are reading your questions directly from a notepad or your Notes app on your phone, some coach may perceive this as you not being prepared or professional. Sometimes the best interactions are the genuine, conversational sort of questions as opposed to cut and dry Q&A’s. Eye contact is helpful.
EVERYONE WANTS TO SUCCEED, HERE'S HOW
—Plan ahead, plan ahead, plan ahead. Never reach out to an SID on the day you’d like to request an interviewing saying you need to talk to someone. In fact, avoid saying “I need” ever. We all need a lot of things. That doesn’t mean we can get them. You WOULD LIKE an interview and we are certainly going to do our part to facilitate that. If you have a big feature story you are working on, we can make it happen, but we probably cannot make it happen if you are asking on the day of your deadline. If you need extra time to do something more in-depth, give us several days notice. It makes it easier for everyone involved.
—Never show up for an event without a credential. If you are picking up your credential at will call, it is perfectly fine and acceptable to email the SID the day prior to the game making sure to confirm where will call is. This also reminds the SID to leave the credential.
—Be prepared and focused. Avoid chatter and noise while you are covering an event. If you are planning your social life during an event you are covering, just go out and get it done. You are not focused and that happens, we get it and understand, can't be perfect every day, no one is. But try like hell to be.
— Clean up your work space in the press box, media room, etc., when done. No other place in the world would you just leave a mess you made. Take five minutes and unwind and toss stuff away, and this is the time to remember your charger cord, sunglasses (because when you got there it was day game but now it is night), car keys or wallet you took out. Basically, the area you work in is not yours, so why leave it worse than when you arrived. And again...forgetting stuff stinks. If you don’t want your stats game book from football or basketball, either recycle or place it back on the media relations table where people get information. Yes, that is an option.
REMAIN CALM, SPORTS ARE FUN
— Don't get frustrated by access to practices being different for different sports. Some of it is for safety and logistical reasons. Getting hit by a tennis ball might hurt a little. Getting hit by a javelin would hurt more. Also never show up at a practice without letting the SID know. It is just not good business for any sport if you are there in a working capacity.
HEY, COACH
— This is up for debate but I am a fan of not calling a Coach by their first name. Pretend you just met Bill Belichick. If you are comfortable calling him Bill, great. But they earned the right to be called Coach. Call them that. This has been a weird Twitter conversation lately, some don’t agree, some do. Here is my friendly advice: don’t argue it on Twitter either. Do whatever you want, but invest your energy elsewhere…but calling them Coach is a nice move rather than a first name, and for those that struggle with when not to use Mr. or Mrs., here is your "out" for a coach.
DRESS TO IMPRESS
— Business casual is a good rule of thumb when showing up for interviews, particularly for games. What you wear is an impression of you, so when you are dressed professionally, you will automatically seem more prepared and should be taken more seriously. When in doubt, dress up. Depending on the sport/event, shorts could be appropriate as long as they are not jean shorts. Think outdoor sports like soccer or beach volleyball.
BOUNDARIES ARE GREAT
—If you have the cell number of an athlete, don't abuse it. But if that athlete does something really well or you saw something on them you really liked in the media world, no one can ever get mad or think you were "crossing the line" if you texted them as a college friend to say congratulations.
YOU PROBABLY SHOULD NOT...
—Tweet a photo of your credential, because there are security issues at play here (seriously, don't do it). Take a picture at the front gate or something. Also chances are someone got denied for that same credential. No reason to have the PR person have to explain why you got one and someone else didn’t. Also, please don’t tweet about your security process. Saying you got through the line quickly or that no one checked your bag isn’t newsworthy. The SID department might be working with security to keep baggage check efficient.
WAS THAT COMMENT NEEDED?
— Never tweet about food or refreshments served at an event. No one cares. You are there to report on the event and the people, not the hot dog. Can you do it for fun? Sure. But complaining you weren't fed while doing your job is a waste of energy. Firemen cook their own food in between saving lives and climbing burning buildings, surely you can go buy a sandwich if need be.
— Don't complain about wireless or your seat location on Twitter. No one cares, and if the SID had a magic button to fix it they would. Instead, ask the PR folks quietly when no one else is around if anyone is having the same issues.
WE WANT TO HELP GIVE YOUR STORIES LEGS
— If you wrote or produced a really good and positive feature story, we want to give it legs. Send us a link, and we might do 42 things with it. We can add it to a bio page, we show it to the athlete so they see it (and they might use to in various ways), it helps them when they are looking for NIL, we add it to links that broadcasters use, etc. Sending us a link to a finished product is an easy way to say thanks to the SID for doing the work while at the same time getting it more juice and eyeballs. Don't feel like you are promoting yourself, you are not. Everyone benefits from this!
WHAT DOES THE YELLOW LIGHT MEAN?
— We love hosting media at events held at Sun Devil Athletics. We don't love calls and emails about items left in press boxes, media rooms or team areas. Check your surroundings before leaving any event and make sure you have everything you came to the game with...take 42 seconds, and remember your phone chargers, glasses, sun glasses (you might have arrived in the day and are leaving at night). You have just spent hours and have worked really hard to produce good material, don't ruin your day 24 hours later by realizing you have no way to charge your laptop or phone. JUST SLOW DOWN BEFORE YOU LEAVE!
WE WANT TO CALL YOU, SO DO THIS PLEASE!
— Put your cell phone in some way on every email you send to a PR person/SID, coach, etc. There is a great chance someone will call you back if they know your number and have easy access to it.
THESE WORDS HELP
— These words go along way towards PR folks: please, thank you and hoping. We say "hoping" as an example to avoid saying I need. Don't start an email or a text saying "I need" and then detailing what it is you want. Give a hello, and ask if possible. What you need might not be what we can provide, but if one asks in a nice way, I bet we try to help as much as we can.
ALWAYS GOOD TO CHECK OUT THE SCHEDULE AND HERE IS WHY
—Before recommending times you are available to interview someone when you request an interview, take a peek at the team/athlete schedule. Saying you are unavailable or available on the same day that person has a game or event is a waste of time. The person wouldn’t do the interview any ways. This seems simple, but it happens a lot. Often we get requests for student-athlete and people aren’t looking at competition schedules. Unless you plan to get someone post game, not many folks are doing interviews on game day. Also, if the team is traveling that week, know every team travels a day ahead for any sport anywhere (unless it Grand Canyon across town). Please check the schedule and build that into the planning. This makes it easier on your end to plan as well!
CHECK THE CHECKLIST
—If you are setting up a photo shoot of any type, or involved in it, by all means take care of your checklist of what you need before. Showing up and asking for a basketball, or uniform or anything is not good planning. Don’t assume what you need is easy to get and someone is going to help you get it quickly. And if you are setting up lights, bring an extra surge protector.
RESEARCH BEFORE ASKING
—Before asking an PR office or SID office about a statement on something someone is reporting, scan the website/social media feeds and make sure it isn’t out there already. One time a reporter emailed us asking for the statement over something that happened that they read on azcentral.com and wanted to know our comments. The comments in the story were pretty much the comments in our release that was put out prior to the azcentral.com story.
HOW TO EXPRESS YOUR NEEDS
—Name exactly who you want to talk to in your initial ask. Don't just say I want to talk to _____ (fill in the blank position...an outfielder, a back stroker, etc.). Know exactly whom you want to talk to and request them by name in the first email/text to the SID. Getting that information up front will speed the process and let us know you did your homework. This will make us more comfortable putting you in front of our coaches/student-athletes with sometimes limited time on both of our hands.
—Let the PR/SID person know how long the interview will take. Is it something that will be like 3 or 4 questions and take about five minutes, or something longer and more in depth and will take longer. Will the interview be on-camera or off camera? If on camera, are you looking to do something standing near the court/field right after practice or are you looking for special attention such as a certain space and extra time to set-up if you are looking to do a sit-down interview.
TRIPOD SAFETY FIRST
— If you are using a tripod with a camera, after you are done 1) take the camera off the top; 2) unplug all your cords; 3) take your tripod down. Your camera can’t be knocked down and broken, no one can trip over a cord and no one can run into your tripod if you do those three things. This will help prevent a long night that shouldn’t have been.
SOS, I NEED WIFI
—Find out by looking around for the wireless password and login. Don’t text the SID thinking you will get quick answer, they could be busy. Chances are it is located on a seat card or in the media room. If you can't find it, we should have made it easier to access. But check around first so you don't waste your time waiting for us to answer a text. It isn't the end of the world to ask and it should be easy to find, but we won't want to slow you down and be waiting on us for a text.
WHEN TO PLAN THAT FEATURE STORY
—When you get to a game, cover the game, but leave a conversation to plan another story for later. PR folks and SIDs will not have time to talk at a game until very late after, so just know that. If you want to chat about a feature or potential story idea, day of game might not be the best time…but we are always there late. We love to chat about potential stories, but before a game is tough.
CAN'T GO? LET US KNOW!
— If you request a credential or a seat and will not attend, please let the SID/PR Director know. That seat/photo spot can be used for someone else. Also, many times workers sit at credential pickup until the last credential is picked up. If you don’t tell them you aren’t coming, that person will sit there for no reason. Please be thoughtful of others with credentials, seating, etc. Imagine if you were the person waiting to see if there was a spot opening or the person at credential pickup.
TRIPLE CHECK THE FACTS
—Do your due diligence when reporting breaking news. Today’s modern media has transcended in a race to be first and not necessarily a race to be right. Double check your facts, confirm with your sources. For topics sensitive in nature, make sure you do your part to get both sides of the story. In many cases, our response might simply be a statement, but make sure you ask first.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, SUCCEED AT INTERVIEWS
—Every coach is different and will react to your questions differently. If you are covering a new beat or a sport you have not previously reported on, read articles on our website, read feature stories from other people, learn the lingo of the sport, try to educate yourself on some of the nuances of said sport, ask one of the SIDs how best to approach the coach with a question. Some coaches are gracious and will take ill-prepared questions in stride. For others, a naïve or ill-thought question can kill the interview, could lead to bad quotes and can cause frustration in all parties.
GET PAST THOSE SURFACE LEVEL QUESTIONS
— "What makes your hometown Ellwood City a special place?” is much better than “What is your hometown?”...“What kind of impact has your sister made on your career?” is better than “How many sisters do you have?”...Instead of “who has made the biggest impact in your career?” asking “Why has your high school coach been such a big role model?"
— Read the bio of every person you are interviewing for a feature, and find a feature article about that person. Instead of asking them WHO had the biggest influence in their life, ask them WHY Coach Jones had the biggest influence. It shows them you did your homework. Don’t ask them where they are from, ask them what made their hometown special. I addressed this earlier…it is that important.
— Try to have your questions prepared and memorized ahead of time. There’s nothing wrong with writing your questions down, but when you are reading your questions directly from a notepad or your Notes app on your phone, some coach may perceive this as you not being prepared or professional. Sometimes the best interactions are the genuine, conversational sort of questions as opposed to cut and dry Q&A’s. Eye contact is helpful.
EVERYONE WANTS TO SUCCEED, HERE'S HOW
—Plan ahead, plan ahead, plan ahead. Never reach out to an SID on the day you’d like to request an interviewing saying you need to talk to someone. In fact, avoid saying “I need” ever. We all need a lot of things. That doesn’t mean we can get them. You WOULD LIKE an interview and we are certainly going to do our part to facilitate that. If you have a big feature story you are working on, we can make it happen, but we probably cannot make it happen if you are asking on the day of your deadline. If you need extra time to do something more in-depth, give us several days notice. It makes it easier for everyone involved.
—Never show up for an event without a credential. If you are picking up your credential at will call, it is perfectly fine and acceptable to email the SID the day prior to the game making sure to confirm where will call is. This also reminds the SID to leave the credential.
—Be prepared and focused. Avoid chatter and noise while you are covering an event. If you are planning your social life during an event you are covering, just go out and get it done. You are not focused and that happens, we get it and understand, can't be perfect every day, no one is. But try like hell to be.
— Clean up your work space in the press box, media room, etc., when done. No other place in the world would you just leave a mess you made. Take five minutes and unwind and toss stuff away, and this is the time to remember your charger cord, sunglasses (because when you got there it was day game but now it is night), car keys or wallet you took out. Basically, the area you work in is not yours, so why leave it worse than when you arrived. And again...forgetting stuff stinks. If you don’t want your stats game book from football or basketball, either recycle or place it back on the media relations table where people get information. Yes, that is an option.
REMAIN CALM, SPORTS ARE FUN
— Don't get frustrated by access to practices being different for different sports. Some of it is for safety and logistical reasons. Getting hit by a tennis ball might hurt a little. Getting hit by a javelin would hurt more. Also never show up at a practice without letting the SID know. It is just not good business for any sport if you are there in a working capacity.
HEY, COACH
— This is up for debate but I am a fan of not calling a Coach by their first name. Pretend you just met Bill Belichick. If you are comfortable calling him Bill, great. But they earned the right to be called Coach. Call them that. This has been a weird Twitter conversation lately, some don’t agree, some do. Here is my friendly advice: don’t argue it on Twitter either. Do whatever you want, but invest your energy elsewhere…but calling them Coach is a nice move rather than a first name, and for those that struggle with when not to use Mr. or Mrs., here is your "out" for a coach.
DRESS TO IMPRESS
— Business casual is a good rule of thumb when showing up for interviews, particularly for games. What you wear is an impression of you, so when you are dressed professionally, you will automatically seem more prepared and should be taken more seriously. When in doubt, dress up. Depending on the sport/event, shorts could be appropriate as long as they are not jean shorts. Think outdoor sports like soccer or beach volleyball.
BOUNDARIES ARE GREAT
—If you have the cell number of an athlete, don't abuse it. But if that athlete does something really well or you saw something on them you really liked in the media world, no one can ever get mad or think you were "crossing the line" if you texted them as a college friend to say congratulations.
YOU PROBABLY SHOULD NOT...
—Tweet a photo of your credential, because there are security issues at play here (seriously, don't do it). Take a picture at the front gate or something. Also chances are someone got denied for that same credential. No reason to have the PR person have to explain why you got one and someone else didn’t. Also, please don’t tweet about your security process. Saying you got through the line quickly or that no one checked your bag isn’t newsworthy. The SID department might be working with security to keep baggage check efficient.
WAS THAT COMMENT NEEDED?
— Never tweet about food or refreshments served at an event. No one cares. You are there to report on the event and the people, not the hot dog. Can you do it for fun? Sure. But complaining you weren't fed while doing your job is a waste of energy. Firemen cook their own food in between saving lives and climbing burning buildings, surely you can go buy a sandwich if need be.
— Don't complain about wireless or your seat location on Twitter. No one cares, and if the SID had a magic button to fix it they would. Instead, ask the PR folks quietly when no one else is around if anyone is having the same issues.