Media Tips: Getting Coverage for Your Awareness Month Event
How to Become Media Savvy in One Easy Lesson
Good media coverage should be a priority. If you want to let your local community know about your upcoming Awareness Month event(s), use the media to help spread the word. Here's how:
1. Update your media lists of local newspapers and radio and television stations.
- Call each news organization on your list to check phone and fax numbers, and mailing and e-mail addresses.
- Verify the names of the television anchor who does the most work for your community, as well as the news director; the public service director; and the assignment editor.
- Ask if the TV station would be interested in airing public service announcements (PSAs).
- Get the names of the education and feature writers for your local papers.
- Don't forget local radio stations-many of them run public service announcements.
2. Invite a local news anchor or reporter to participate in your program, whether that be taking a touch tour or attending the awards presentation for an art show. (If you have an awards program, you might ask the anchor to be a presenter-the station will be more apt to cover your event if its staff are involved in it.)
3. Find out all deadlines for submitting materials. Focus your publicity efforts on events that offer good visuals.
4. Two weeks before your celebration date, send out a media advisory to people on your news media list. (If you've found out local newspaper and magazine deadlines are earlier than this, of course you'll need to step up your publicity efforts.)
5. A few days later, call the people on your list to be sure they received your media advisory and invite them to attend your Art Beyond Sight Awareness Event.
6. Fax or call your key media contacts the morning prior to (or a day or two before) your event, as a reminder.
7. Have enough visuals - colorful books, interesting backdrops, a diversity of students and teachers - to ensure interesting photo opportunities for the press.
8. Please! Please! After the event, send a personal note to thank the media for their attendance and coverage.
Adapted with permission from the National Education Association.
