UNIVERSITY COALITIONS for GLOBAL HEALTH

In the following sections you will discover the steps for creating your media strategy.

Media messaging: This is the story you want to get across to the public. Provide a local angle and focus on only two to three core messages that you want to convey.

Create a Media List

One of the first steps in developing a media strategy is to create a media list. This requires research to obtain the names and contact information for the media outlets in your area. Create a list of personal contacts at each newspaper, radio and TV station.

Media lists should include:

• Daily and weekly newspapers
• Local and special interest publications
• City and regional magazines
• Television and radio stations
• Internet outlets
• The reporter(s) covering your issue
• Reporters contact information
• Deadlines

Tip: Consider purchasing media directories from state press associations or ask the press office at your state capital if you can have a copy of their listing of news outlets with reporters coving your issue.

Get Media to Your Event

Getting media to come to an event can be a difficult process, but the more you build a relationship with the media outlets, the more press you will gather at events.

Day of the Event… There should be a press greeter – someone who welcomes the press and gives out a press kit. Display any visuals that you have in a prominent location. Be confident and professional when delivering your message.

Daybook – Listing of events and programs that reporters keep for each day of the week
The Press Kit, assembled in a nice folder, should include:

• A press release
• A statement from an event speaker
• A fact sheet about the issue
• An agenda for the event with the speaker names, titles, brief biographical information and contact information
• Your contact information
• Photos, if available

Media Timetable

2 – 3 months before: Contact large national media outlets with a press advisory and phone calls to reporters (ask them to put it in their day books)

1 month before: Send a press advisory and make a phone call (ask them to put it in their day books) to all media sources on your media list.

2 weeks before: Send a press release to all media outlets that expressed interest in covering the event. Follow up on phone calls and press advisories from weeks prior.

1 Week before: Continue to build relationships with the journalists/reporters who may cover your event. Give them a quick phone call to check in and see if they have any last minute questions.

2 days before: One more phone call – get commitment from those who hadn’t previously committed, remind others.

Morning of the event: One final call – check in.

During the Event: Have a media point person that hands out press kits, organizational cards and contact information for follow-up. Get card or basic information from every media person there. Ask whether and when the story will air/run.

Follow-up… Send a press release to those reporters who didn’t come and touch base with those who did. React to media stories with letters to the editor.

The Press Release

The purpose of a press release is to summarize your story, help the reporter state your message correctly and provide background information and quotes. You should distribute the press release at your event and fax it to all contacts on your media list who do not attend.

A press release includes the following elements:

• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: These words appear in the upper left-hand margin, just under the letterhead.
• Contact information: Skip a line under “for immediate release” and list the name, daytime and evening phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the person who can best answer questions.
• Headline: Skip two lines after your contact information and use boldface type. The headline should be short and include action words.
• Dateline: Include the date you will be sending the press release in the first paragraph. You can see this in the beginning of most newspaper articles.
• Lead Paragraph: The first paragraph should contain the relevant information to your message such the five Ws.
• What?
• Where?
• Who?
• When?
• Why?
• Text: This is where your story should fully develop. Write your story for the reporter. It should be concise (one page is best) and include quotations and background information.
• Publish release on organizational letterhead.
• Release should be double spaced and one sided – no longer than two to three pages.

Tip: In some cases, information you provide may require time to process. In these instances, you can “embargo” the information. An “embargo” means that a reporter may read the information before your release date, but cannot make it public until the date and time noted. The terminology to use is “HOLD FOR RELEASE – EMBARGOED UNTIL (DATE AND TIME).”

The Press Advisory

The purpose of a press advisory is to inform the media in advance about an event and entice them to attend. It is a shorter version of the press release.

Using a press advisory:

• Send the press advisory to your media list twice. Sending the advisory one week before the event allows you to make calls to reporters to “sell” the event and the value of doing a story on your issue. Re-sending the advisory helps to keep it in the reporter’s mind.
• If you do not know specific reporters, send advisories to “Assignment Editor” at television stations and newspapers and to “News Director” at radio stations.
• Send advisories to wire services (such as the Associated Press and Reuters) for inclusion in their “daybook” listing of events scheduled that day.
• Even if you know a reporter or news outlet is not likely to attend your event, send the advisories anyway.

Press advisories include:

• Brief headline describing the event
• Print “MEDIA ADVISORY” in the top left corner of the page
• Provide your contact name, phone number and e-mail
• Highlight the date, time and place
• Give a brief description of the purpose and format of the event, who will be speaking, and if there will be photo opportunities
• No longer than one page. Indicate the end of the page by placing a “-30-“ or “###” which are universal end symbols used by news outlets.