One of the best ways to promote an idea, event, or yourself is to build a relationship with your local media. Free press can be granted to you through newspaper, television, radio, and the Internet if you've taken the time to foster those relationships, or if you can bring value to media efforts and the local community. This section provides tips on working with your local media to bring awareness to your cause through press releases, public service announcements, editorials, interviews, and more.
A great way to get your organization's name into the local community is to sponsor or underwrite a local news program, whether television or radio. Make sure the media station (and format) you select is appropriate for your target market. For instance, if you're looking to reach an older crowd, maybe you want to advertise on an "oldies" radio station, which plays songs that were hits in the past. If you want to reach the younger generation, you might look at a Top 40 or hip-hop radio station. If you're looking for a sports-oriented crowd, you'll want to place your ad in front of the folks sitting at home, watching the sports channels.
Tip: An ideal place to advertise is with talk-radio programs. National Public Radio (NPR) and similar “talk-based” formats offer an audience that is already tuned into the discussion, rather than an audience that will be annoyed by another ad that separates them from their music. Underwriting these programs on a local level will also provide you with the opportunity to support a wonderful service in your own community.
A news or press release about a new program or event is a wonderful way to inform the local media and its audience about your latest efforts. Before you do this, however, you must know exactly what your intent is for your news release. Make sure you can answer the following questions:
Who am I trying to reach?
What is my message?
What am I trying to accomplish by providing this message? (For example, are you trying to educate, motivate to take action, or persuade?)
Why should the community care?
Once you've answered these questions, you are ready to begin crafting your release. Below is a brief list of steps to take. We have also provided you a news/press release template and sample to assist you in building your own news release at
http://ideas.dreamscapemultimedia.com/idea-center/media-relations.html.
Basic Format of a News Release
Print the release on your organization's letterhead.
Type "For Immediate Release" and the date along the upper-left or upper-right margin.
Directly across from “For Immediate Release,” include the label “Contact for Reporters” and place your contact person's name, phone number, and email address below.
Next, clearly describe the news event with a short, compelling headline. Center your headline on the page, and display it in bold font. Then, position a short sentence below the headline to summarize the release, and type it in italics or bold font, using a smaller font size.
Begin the first paragraph with your dateline. The dateline identifies where the news originated. Following the dateline, give a one- or two-sentence summary for your press or news release. Include the date, time, and other timecritical information related to your activities. Concisely summarize the who, what, when, where, and why. For example:
Lansing, Michigan – Best-selling author Matt Schoenherr discusses marketing strategies at a twoday Culture of Success event beginning Wednesday, December 12, 2012, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Tickets for the event sold out during the first week of sales.
In the second paragraph, provide a quote from a leader or key person within your organization. The leader quoted should be closely connected with the event, and his role should be clearly identified.
Note: Ensure all quotes add value to your story. Limit the number of quotes captured in your release to one or two people.
Type -more- at the bottom of the first page if your release goes beyond one page. Limit your news or press release to no more than two pages; one page is preferred.
The third paragraph may contain additional details on the event or program, as well as information on its history. This is also the place to include contact information for those who are interested in learning more.
Finally, end your release with information about your company or organization. You can also do the same for a partner or sponsor; however, if you want to list more than two, avoid placing them here. Instead, include the list as a separate attachment. Your goal is to make the news release easy to read and digest for reporters and editors.
General Guidelines
Use short, explanatory sentences.
Avoid the use of jargon. Explain any acronyms at their first appearance, such as, "Public service announcements (PSAs)."
Avoid glorifying or demonizing within your release. Your goal is to report news without driving public opinion about it. Avoid judgment words like "very," "thrilling," "massive," and so on. Your descriptions should be as objective as the lens of a camera.
Link the facts of the project or event to an important issue or need in your local community. Using real-life examples helps make the human connection. Highlight benefits of your work to the community.
Review for clarity and flow, and ensure all words and names are spelled correctly.1
Offer to be available for comment or interviews on your effort. Television or radio news programs are always interested in talking with local experts who can speak to the issues faced by the community, especially during rush-hour radio broadcasts or early morning/late evening TV programming. The broader your topic, the more appealing you will be to these news producers. Contact program producers or hosts, and offer your contribution. If they like your eloquence and topic, they'll gladly put you in front of their audience.
Consider approaching your local media stations (radio, television, newspaper) to discuss the possibility of a partnership to raise community awareness on your issue or industry. With the right spin, you will be able to broaden the awareness in your local market while also sponsoring community discussion at city council meetings, festivals, and other community events. In joining forces, you bring value to each other; your outreach efforts are improved, and the value and local impact of their programming is increased.
Often, radio stations will set aside time in their news schedules for taking public comment on important issues. Begin by calling the news directors of your local radio stations and asking for the chance to offer your editorial comment. (Make sure you have a good sense as to whether they cater to the audience you want to reach.) Focus on local concerns related to your work.
Especially if you're a nonprofit, public service announcements (PSAs) can go a long way to getting the word out about your latest effort. PSAs are often aired on local radio and TV stations, and often placed in newspapers. They often raise awareness of topics important to their audience through funny, emotional, or compelling thirty- to ninety-second productions. As long as the announcement has benefit to the public, and as long as it's not gratuitous self-promotion, the media agency will likely mention it to their audience.
Ever have a vaccination? That's public health. Expect the water from your tap to be safe? That's public health.
Think public health has never touched your life? Think again.
A message from ________________________ 2