RNLI Press Officer
Volunteer Salcombe Lifeboat Station
Volunteer Salcombe Lifeboat Station
The RNLI take communications, public relations and the media very seriously. A media story about a rescue can generate as much and more coverage than any investment lead advertising.
Twitter, Facebook, Google and other search engines and social platforms have created a thirst for news and opened up vast sources of information. A picture is also worth a thousand words. The introduction of video cameras as part of the RNLI crewman's kit has given the RNLI the opportunity to share the lives of crewman in pictures and sound all over the world, at the touch of a button.
Twitter, Facebook, Google and other search engines and social platforms have created a thirst for news and opened up vast sources of information. A picture is also worth a thousand words. The introduction of video cameras as part of the RNLI crewman's kit has given the RNLI the opportunity to share the lives of crewman in pictures and sound all over the world, at the touch of a button.
Each RNLI lifeboat station is appointed a volunteer Press Officer to manage the media output generated by rescues, fundraising and general operations.
As a crew member from a media background I was almost handed the position by default, and this year I will be joined by newly appointed Press Officer Matt Davies, also a crew member.
The main duty of a Press Officer is to react to information gathered before, during and after a rescue. To collect this information together into a press release conforming to RNLI standards, and spread this across every possible output channel to obtain maximum coverage. Simultaneously the reputation of the RNLI, the station and each individual crew member is paramount to our operations. So a Press Officer must also act as a guardian.
The main duty of a Press Officer is to react to information gathered before, during and after a rescue. To collect this information together into a press release conforming to RNLI standards, and spread this across every possible output channel to obtain maximum coverage. Simultaneously the reputation of the RNLI, the station and each individual crew member is paramount to our operations. So a Press Officer must also act as a guardian.
I work closely with local media, forming relationships between reporters and the station, ensuring news stories are fed quickly to them and come with the necessary components to form an article of great public interest.
The RNLI have a valuable network of support for their front line Press Officer. Each volunteer RNLI Press Officer undergoes formal training in gathering information, film and photo editing, press release writing & house style, social media and television interview techniques.
As an RNLI Press Officer you are part of a wider network of regional and national Public Relations teams who provide both professional support, and the contacts to take a a breaking news story national on the major news networks.
The RNLI have a valuable network of support for their front line Press Officer. Each volunteer RNLI Press Officer undergoes formal training in gathering information, film and photo editing, press release writing & house style, social media and television interview techniques.
As an RNLI Press Officer you are part of a wider network of regional and national Public Relations teams who provide both professional support, and the contacts to take a a breaking news story national on the major news networks.
The RNLI have many output channels including a central press center where news stories, photos and video can be uploaded. This is followed closely by the national new agencies, the success of the recent BBC TV series Real Rescues is largely down to the presence of the press center and the tireless work Press Officers carry out to document rescues.
Photo above: Screen shot from rnli.org.uk 24 August 2012. Photo by Nigel Millard, RNLI. Linking to press release
On a station level as a freelance web developer I have been able to develop a dynamic station website that is closely linked to our social network platforms. With updates to rescues and uploads of press releases being distributed using a series of apps that spread the feed across Twitter, Facebook and through RSS and email.
