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Working with the Media
This guide provides information on how to understand
and work with the three primary media venues—television,
radio, and print.
- Understanding the news media.
From
the media’s point of view, the three most
important elements in a good story are action, people,
and substance. Match the media’s need with your
message and ensure that the information is provided
to them in a timely manner. In order to develop appropriate
media activities and messages, ask yourself:
- What goal(s) do you want to accomplish in your
event?
- Who is your target population?
- What messages must be developed and conveyed
to influence your target audience to make the
desired changes?
- What role do you want the community to have?
- What types of media outreach would be efficient
and cost effective for accomplishing the
above?
- Tips for Success
- Look for ways to tie in with national events
and campaigns.
- Take the event on the road by co-sponsoring
a series of similar events in different communities.
- Consider having a radio or TV station co-sponsor
the event, which would highlight the
station’s
commitment to the community and generate
free publicity for your event.
- Use the event to attract both media and public
attention. Use it on all publicity-related
materials, from invitations to media kits, buttons,
and banners.
- Allow plenty of planning time when selecting
your date and time. Select a time when your
most important audiences will be available and
when conflicting events are not taking place.
- Types of News Media
| Medium |
Characteristics |
Deadlines |
| Television |
--Highly visible medium; visually portrays the importance
of your message
--Graphics often used in segment
--Stories are brief (30-60 second segments) |
--Day before fo rbreaking news
--By 10am for the 6pm
news
--3 to 8 weeks in advance for an in-depth story |
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| Radio |
--10-15 second sound bites
--Be aware of
tone and firmness of voice when responding to questions |
--Allow several days notice
for public events |
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| Newspaper |
--More in-depth treatment of a subject
--May
use direct quotes from press statement or news release |
--Daily AM: 2-3pm the day before
--Daily PM: early AM the day of issue
--Weekly: 3-5
days before issue goes to press
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| Magazine |
--A highly visible medium; visually portrays
the importance of your message
--Graphics often used in
segment
--Stories are brief (30-60 second segments)
--Targets specific segments of the public
--Explains more complex health/behavior
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--6 to 8 weeks before publication goes to press
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| Internet?? |
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- Event Calendar
Before the Event
Track your Media
Relations
Track your media contacts (i.e., phone conversations,
press releases sent) by having all contact information
(name of media contact, organizations, time,
date, and topics discussed) on a simple form.
Prepare a News Release
News releases should include in 1-2 pages, the five “W’s”:
WHO is involved; WHAT happened; WHEN did it happen;
WHERE did it happen; WHY or HOW did it happen? The
lead paragraph should answer these questions in one
of two sentences, especially since most reporters
decide whether or not to read the rest of the release
based on the first paragraph, and print editors tend
to cut the article from the bottom up. The second and
third paragraphs should include a colorful quote that
reporters can use in their articles. (see Sample Press
Release section)
Feature press releases can be 3-4 pages in length;
an attention-getting heading is important.
Your news release may target specific groups, such
as people of different age groups, ethnicities,
or genders.
Prepare Media Kits
The media kit is a collection of information prepared
for the media to be released on the day of the
event. Examples of materials that might be included
in a media kit are:
- Statistics on physical activity in your state, county
or city
- Information on your organization and its physical
activity programs
- Fact sheets and other resources from this booklet
- Business cards so the media can contact your agency
about physical activity issues
- Brief one-page biographies of key agency officials,
event participants, and/or spokesperson
- Photographs (most newspapers prefer black and white)
and camera-ready graphics, such as
charts and logos
Other Planning Tips
Before the Event
- Write an opinion piece of letter to the editor
for your local paper.
- Contact the reporters who cover community events
and pitch it as a feature story.
- Call community calendar reporters at area newspapers,
TV, cable, and radio stations, asking
them to place a calendar notice.
- Two weeks in advance, hand deliver or mail invitations.
- Two or three days in advance, call editors and
reporters and ask if they plan to attend.
- The day before the event, call media again to
politely remind them.
Day of the Event
- Set up a media sign-in table and distribute media
kits to those who attend.
- When the reporters arrive, set up interviews with
the key people, and escort media to
the appropriate spokesperson.
- Issue name badges to promote better communication
between media and individuals.
- Assign someone from your agency to take black-and-white
photos to accompany articles in newsletters
and other publications.
After the Event
- Send a news release immediately to any reporters
who were unable to attend.
- Send follow-up letters to editors of local newspapers
thanking the community and informing
them of your success.
- Write a follow-up article for community publications.
Illustrate with photos of the event.
- Ask media for their photos of your event.
- Media Advisory Outline
A media advisory is a document sent to the media
(radio, television, newspapers, websites, etc.)
in advance of an event. The goal is to give adequate
notice to the media outlet so that it will plan
to send a reporter and/or photographer to the event.
Unlike a press release, which you hope will be quoted
word for word, a media advisory does not need to give
many details. Instead, give just the facts and perhaps
a sentence or two to spark the interest of media
editors, producers, or reporters. The media advisory
should appear on your organization’s
letterhead.
Elements of a Media Advisory
| Date |
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| Contact |
[name, address, phone of contact person at your agency] |
| Headline |
[ex. Injury Prevention Event to be held] |
| What |
[Describe your activity or program in a brief paragraph] |
| Who |
Host |
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Keynote Speaker |
[State, city, or community leader]
[Title] |
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Master of Ceremonies |
[Name and title] |
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When |
[Date and time of event] |
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Where |
[Location, street address, city, state, zip] |
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Adolescent
& Child Targets for Health Foundation, Inc. 
