Building on my experience as a campaigner and press officer, I have developed the concept of “Grassroots PR” to emphasise that anyone can use media engagement for campaigning.
From my experience, I have come to the conclusion that many groups have the potential to vastly increase their media coverage, but may feel that they do not have the expertise or resources to do so.
I have written a ten-point introductory guide to media engagement, published in Red Pepper in 2008.
In addition to providing training in media relations, I take on freelance projects to promote specific events and campaigns to the media, usually for grassroots organisations with limited staff. For example:
- The Fellowship of Reconciliation hired me to promote a UK speaking tour by the Palestinian peace activist Zoughbi Zoughbi in 2007, increasing media interest and setting up interviews with journalists.
- People & Planet hired me to promote their Go Green Week and Redress Fashion campaign to the media in 2008, raising their profile in the process.
- I work regularly with the Student Christian Movement (SCM), promoting their concerns to the media and raising the Movement’s visibility in the Christian press.
In this sort of work, I build on my experience as a professioinal press officer. This includes three years overseeing media relations for the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), where I was responsible for the media liaison around CAAT’s high-profile legal action over BAE’s Saudi arms deals.
If you are interested in hiring me for freelance media or PR work, please email me at symonhill@gmail.com.
