SENDING
YOUR NEWS RELEASE
Table
of Contents:
Follow
Up!
Message Points
Partnerships
News Conferences
When you are ready to submit your release to the media,
be sure to deliver the material approximately four to six
weeks in advance for monthly publications, ten to 14 days
for weeklies, and five to seven days for dailies. A day
or two before the event, call the media with a polite reminder.
Also, consider faxing the release the day of your Sertoma
event. Keep in mind local media deadlines.
Make your distribution list as broad as possible and ensure
that you have the correct name and title of the contact
person, i.e., news director, program director or news editor.
You do not want to miss any media outlet that might use
your announcements. Keep your list updated.
Identify the specific persons to receive your release by
reading the local publications and researching radio and
television to determine which reporters cover which types
of stories. If the release promotes an event, also send
your release to the calendar listing personnel. If you live
in a large city where the newspaper includes "zoned
editions" or "neighborhood news," send to
that calendar listing contact as well.
Pay attention to calendar listing deadlines (usually at
least two weeks prior to the publication date). Some publications
require that you e-mail or fax a weekly notice prior to
your event.
When e-mailing a news release as an attachment, summarize
your message in a few bullets within your e-mail message
- just a few bullets in an e-mail message can be more effective
than a prize-winning release. Depending on the media sources
in your community and their virus protection, they may prefer
text rather than an attachment. E-mailed releases are acceptable
and often preferred, although faxes are also welcomed by
the media.
Follow-Up!
Follow up with a personal phone call to ask if the reporter
has received your e-mail or fax regarding Sertoma. First,
ask if he/she has a few moments to speak with you -
the media representative may be working on a deadline. Ask
if you may provide additional information, photos, etc.
(initially, less is more). Inquire whether the publication
will be able to run the article. If not, ask for suggestions
on how to make the release of interest to them now or in
the future, or whether there is a different contact within
their media outlet to whom you should have directed the
release. Was there a particular reason they could not use
your story?
Thank the news reporters with a handwritten thank you note
when they provide good coverage.
Message
Points
In planning your activity and your news release, develop
message points - a few carefully prepared, concise and memorable
thoughts that closely align with your business objectives,
differentiate you from your competition and include a call
to action for your target audiences. These are the thoughts
you most want your audience to remember. [Message points
also provide focus tools when you are being interviewed.
If you state your message points initially, the reporter's
questions will go back to these message points.]
Partnerships
Many times the media will focus on prominent people in the
community. Seek out a public official, celebrity or poster
child for your campaign. Ask the mayor or some other official
to sign a proclamation endorsing your event and promote
that.
Establish relationships with governmental and tourism agencies,
such as the city council, Chamber of Commerce and Convention
& Visitors Bureau. Invite representatives to speak at
your meetings, and consider joining the Chamber. If you
have an annual event, get listed in these calendars and
co-op on media coverage.
News
Conferences
The trickiest approach to publicity is the "news conference."
This approach should be reserved for major stories only.
Its purpose is to provide a direct, face-to-face presentation
of facts and a chance to ask questions. If you plan a conference,
make sure to have the appropriate club or project leaders
on hand to handle specific questions. Keep the conference
moving at a reasonable pace. And keep it brief. What is
most important is to ensure you provide something the media
can take back with them, preferably a good story, complemented
with a media kit. Be sure to include good photographs. Incidentally,
a conference requires advance planning.
