Deliver high quality media coverage for the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, BookTrust.
The position
To create a buzz around BookTrust in the media, positioning us as the go-to organisation for anything involving children’s reading. Alongside, delivering high quality media coverage that delivers BookTrust’s key messages, and builds our profile in the most positive way possible.
Main Responsibilities include:
- To support the Head of Communications & Campaigns in creating and delivering BookTrust’s media strategy
- To develop, deliver and evaluate media plans for all BookTrust campaigns, parent-facing programmes and prizes
- Targeted story generation
- Expertise of media; both publications and individual journalists
- To generate creative hooks and campaign ideas which help to ensure high quality coverage for BookTrust and its key stakeholders
- To review key media and identify possible hooks or conversations that BookTrust could be part of
- Propose ideas and putt together comments/opinion pieces/letters as appropriate
- To develop an in-depth knowledge of consumer and parenting media
- Pitching of stories and ideas
- To develop an in-depth knowledge of BookTrust’s messages, research, evidence and campaigns to inform all press activity
- To work with the campaigns, digital and marketing teams to ensure a joined-up approach
- To create compelling copy for our parent newsletter, working closely with the Children’s Book team and Fundraising team
- To manage our celebrity ambassadors, identifying opportunities for them and ensuring that our relationship is positive and effective
- To develop and maintain excellent working relationships with colleagues, external partners and key media contacts to ensure high quality media coverage
- To deal with all media enquiries in a timely and efficient manner, either responding directly or passing on to the relevant spokesperson within BookTrust
- To arrange interviews and ensure spokespeople are clearly briefed
- To draft press releases, letters to the media, articles to sell in to the media in a timely fashion
- To source stories and write copy for other forums, including the website, blogs, and marketing materials as required
- To research and communicate a weekly briefing of relevant consumer news to all BookTrust staff
- To ensure that all staff are made aware of major press activity and that senior staff are fully briefed on messaging etc
- To display cuttings, produce reports and monitor media coverage as required
- Ensure a clear and concise database of media contacts
- To attend BookTrust events and ensure that the media are briefed, and introduced to relevant spokespeople
- To act as a BookTrust ambassador to the media as required
Required skills and experience:
- Strong creative ability in the generation of appropriate story ideas
- Ability to create profile opportunities by responding to the news agenda
- Adept at communicating key organisational messages using social media
- IT skills including Word and Excel
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills
- Relationship management skills
- Significant experience either as a journalist or in-house press officer
- Experience of managing media campaigns for newspapers, other publications, TV and radio