Tips for Working With the. Media TO PROMOTE EYE HEALTH PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Transcription

1 Tips for Workig With the Media TO PROMOTE EYE HEALTH PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

2 Media Guide Tips for Workig With the Media To Promote Eye Health Programs ad Evets The media have a eormous ifluece o our society by shapig public opiio ad eve chagig it. Thus, the media ca play a vital role i educatig Americas about ways to lead loger, healthier, ad more productive lives. This guide is filled with useful iformatio that you ca use to develop media materials to raise awareess about eye health i your commuity. Healthy visio programs beefit whe the media help deliver health-related messages to the public. As you carry out your ow commuity-based program, you ca develop positive workig relatioships with prit ad broadcast professioals ad orgaizatios i your commuity. These relatioships will be importat i makig the media your ally, ot your adversary. The iformatio that follows will help you geerate ews media coverage for your program. Three key steps are: Outlie your program objectives Develop a media list Use the media to help implemet your program Be proactive. Most media outlets will ot search you out you eed to go to the media. By beig proactive, you ca create more opportuities for yourself ad your program to be featured i the media. Media Guide 1

3 Outlie Your Program Objectives Always have clear objectives i mid before you approach members of the media to promote your program. Questios that may help you determie what you wat to accomplish iclude: Do you wat to chage public attitudes? Do you wat to fid fudig sources for your program? Do you wat to ifluece local leaders? Do you wat to get people to participate i a activity? Your aswers to these questios will determie your messages ad the media aveues most effective i coveyig them. Follow a methodical approach as you create your pla for promotig your program o healthy visio. Imagie yourself beig iterviewed by a media represetative who is reportig o your program. Take time to thik about what you wat to chage, the people with ifluece who may implemet that chage, ad how you may get your message to the people who ca make chage happe. Your objective should be specific, measurable, ad achievable. For example, cosider the followig questios ad possible aswers, ad the write your ow aswers i the spaces provided i the ext sectio. Media Guide 2

4 What do I wat to accomplish? Thikig too geeral: I wat every perso i our commuity to have a eye exam every year, appropriate visio correctio, comprehesive visio preservatio treatmet, ad ay ad all resources eeded to live comfortably with the best level to which his or her visio ca be corrected. Thikig too vague: I thik people should be cocered about their visio. Thikig just right: I wat to raise awareess i our commuity about the importace of usig regular professioal eye health services appropriate to each perso s age ad other risk factors. My thikig: I wat to Whom do I eed to reach with my message i order to accomplish my objectives? Develop oe message for each audiece: Service providers: Eye care ad other health professioals. Decisio makers: Local busiess leaders, govermet officials, school admiistrators, teachers, ad coaches. Caregivers: Parets, gradparets, ad faith commuity members. Recipiets: Parets, gradparets, childre, ad patiets. Media Guide 3

5 Where, whe, ad how ca I reach my target audiece with my message? Televisio: Local access ad local ews programs. Radio: Iterview, public service aoucemet, ad commetary. Prit: Opiio editorial (op-ed), story, iterview, ad local agle. Meetigs: Kiwais, tow coucil, ad PTA. Other: Health fair or commuity evet. Regardless of what you wat to promote, your aswers to these simple questios will guide your activities toward makig the media a parter. Media Guide 4

6 Develop a Media List Cotacts To Cosider Use the Media Iformatio Cotact form o the ext page to develop a up-to-date media list that icludes: Local ewspaper, televisio, ad radio ews reporters who cover health, commuity ews, ad other stories of iterest for or about your target audiece. Editors at associatios, faith commuities, ad other ewsletters/ewspapers that target your audiece. Hosts ad producers of local televisio ad radio ews programs. Radio ad televisio persoalities. Public service ad advertisig directors at televisio ad radio statios, ewspapers, ad magazies. Others who are iterested i your message. Tips for Creatig Your List Ask people you kow at local associatios or advocacy groups for copies of their media mailig lists. Check your local library for the trade ad commuity publicatios that list local ad regioal media. Compile a list of ames, addresses, telephoe ad fax umbers, ad addresses for members of the media you wish to cotact. Makig ad Maitaiig Cotacts Begi makig phoe calls. Itroduce yourself as a commuity leader takig a atioal program ito your commuity. Metio that you will be sedig out iformatio about eye health evets ad ews o a regular basis ad would appreciate coverage. Ivite the cotacts to call you whe they are workig o stories about visual impairmet. Media Guide 5

7 Offer to provide backgroud materials, additioal statistics, iterviews, ad other iterestig perspectives. Follow up with a persoal letter that icludes your busiess card or cotact iformatio. Keep remiders o had, such as keychai magifyig glasses or magets, to sed to people i appreciatio for coverig your program ad to maitai awareess of healthy visio. Keep a record of your media cotacts. Media Guide 6

8 Media Outlet Media Iformatio Cotact Form Cotact Name ad Title Address/ Phoe ad Fax Ne xt Steps Not es Media Guide 7

9 Use the Media To Help Implemet Your Program With a media pla, motivatig messages, ad a up-to-date media list, you are o your way. Here are some tips o how to commuicate successfully with the media: Prepare Factsheets ad Backgroud Materials Reporters will ask for factsheets or backgroud materials o your program. Have these materials ready before you make the first cotact. Factsheets, brochures, ad other sample materials may be used as hadouts at commuity fairs, cofereces, ad briefigs. The materials may also be icluded i iformatio kits ad mailigs. Check aroud your commuity i public buildigs ad with vedors for opportuities for evets ad areas to display sample materials (e.g., libraries, ewspaper ads, bulleti boards, local restaurats, ad commuity ceters). Create a News Release A ews release, also kow as a press release, is a short ews story set to prit ad broadcast reporters. It alerts reporters about somethig oteworthy so they ca produce a story for local ews, cable ews, or the radio. Localizig the cotet of a ews release is importat. The more relevat a story is to a audiece the more iterestig it will be. Media Guide 8

10 Wheever possible, use words that covey the ewsworthiess of your evet, such as biggest, logest, ad first but always remember to be hoest. Keep seteces short, with o more tha two ideas per setece. Thik of ways to iclude a local celebrity i your program or evet, such as by askig him or her to serve as guest host for the evet or receive a award. Metio this perso i your lead paragraph to attract people to read o. Cosider brigig i a spokesperso for your program. This might be someoe who has had a persoal experiece with visio loss that makes a compellig story ad relates to the visio objective your program addresses. For example, this could be a worker who lost his or her sight to a accidet, a perso who was affected by eye disease, a perso with a family member who was affected by eye disease, or a perso who discovered low visio rehabilitatio services. Do t forget to thik about what will make a great picture i the paper. For example, a celebrity readig a large-prit book to a child could be a captivatig photo. You ca use the guidelies that follow to create your ow ews release or use the sample ews release o page 11. Lead Paragraph For this iitial paragraph, aim to aswer all of the followig questios i oe or two seteces: Who is sposorig your evet or story? What do the evets mea to the reader? Whe ad where will your evet take place, or whe was or will this iformatio be made public? Media Guide 9

11 How ca the reader participate? Why is this evet or iformatio ewsworthy? Subsequet paragraphs should build o the lead paragraph. For each, be sure to stick to the poit ad keep it short. There should be o more tha five short paragraphs followig the lead ad it should total less tha two pages. The iformatio that follows briefly describes what you wat to accomplish with each paragraph ad how you ca accomplish it. Secod Paragraph Why is your program or evet importat? Expad o the lead paragraph by givig more specific details. Third Paragraph What are you tryig to publicize, demostrate, or accomplish with your story or activity? A quote from a orgaizatio spokesperso or supportive celebrity fits well here, as it persoalizes the story ad coveys excitemet. Fourth Paragraph How does your evet fit with your orgaizatio s missio? Iclude authoritative iformatio, statistics, data, or research that supports your story. Fifth Paragraph Wrap up with where ad how to obtai more iformatio, get tickets, or sig up to participate. Media Guide 10

12 Sample News Release Note: A ews release may also be referred to as a press release. For Immediate Release [Date] Cotact: Orgaizatio Name: Telephoe: [HEADLINE Newsworthy Evet] [SUBHEADLINE Reaso this is importat i your commuity.] [Your orgaizatio] is [provide a brief outlie of your activities/evets or outreach effort] o [date] to educate residets about [use the program objective that your evet addresses]. Activities will iclude [add more specific time ad legth of evet]. [State] has [use local statistics to explai why this issue is importat i your commuity]. This problem is likely to become a major public health cocer i [State] as the baby boom geeratio ages. [Your orgaizatio s ame ad/or evet] is aimed at iformig [commuity s or State s] residets about who is at higher risk for [state how this evet will help to address the program objective that cocers you]. The eed for eye health educatio programs i [commuity or State] is urget, said [spokesperso] of [your orgaizatio]. Through our [evet] we hope to make people aware of how early detectio ad treatmet ca prevet visio loss. The leadig causes of [this program objective] are [state what the causes are]. Curretly, large umbers of [target populatio] Americas are affected by [this problem], ad these umbers are likely to icrease i the ext three decades. This evet supports the Healthy Visio Program, the atioal prevetio iitiative sposored by the Natioal Eye Istitute (NEI) withi the U.S. Departmet of Health ad Huma Services to reduce visual impairmet amog all people i our Natio durig this decade. [Your orgaizatio, if applicable] is a member of the Natioal Eye Health Educatio Program, a Partership established by NEI to coduct eye health educatio programs throughout the coutry. [Isert iformatio about activities beig udertake by your orgaizatio ad/or resources available to people i your commuity who may wat to have a eye exam.] Media Guide 11 # # #

13 Sed a Media Advisory A media advisory is a oe-page aoucemet of a upcomig evet set to reporters a few days before the evet. It is shorter tha a ews release. The objective is to get o the schedule of stories to be covered the day of the evet. Like a ews release, a media advisory will aswer the questios who, what, whe, where, how, ad why. A sample media advisory template is available o page 14. After you have set the media advisory to reporters: Follow up 2 days i advace with a phoe call to the assigmet desk at each media orgaizatio to be sure the advisory has bee received. Ask if ayoe has bee assiged to cover your evet. Ask whether more iformatio is eeded or whether a iterview is desired. Kow which spokespeople are available for iterviews. Set aside a aesthetically pleasig area of the evet where reporters ca coduct iterviews. Kow the time that visually iterestig activities will take place, such as a award ceremoy or keyote speaker s presetatio. Kow exactly where the reporters ca park to get ito ad out of the evet quickly. Kow what equipmet will be available for the media at the evet, icludig electrical outlets, audio feeds from the podium, ad lightig. Call the media early o the morig of the evet to see whether your story is o the assigmet schedule for that day. Ask what time the reporter(s) will be there. Let the media kow that you will have someoe available to greet them, take them to the media area, ad assist them with settig up. Media Guide 12

14 Provide a media package cotaiig the ews release ad materials, such as photos of key people, speeches, ad attedace iformatio. I short, make coverig your evet as easy as possible. Eve if a bigger story breaks the day of your evet, you ca still ecourage the media to cover your story by: Droppig off the media package or sedig it by courier. Faxig or ig key iformatio about the evet. Havig your spokesperso available after the evet for phoe iterviews. Media Guide 13

15 Sample Media Advisory Template Cotact: Orgaizatio Name: Telephoe: For Immediate Release [Date] News Advisory [Headlie/Title] What: Describe what is takig place. Why: Describe why this is importat. Whe: Provide the date ad time. Where: Provide the address/locatio of evet. Cotact: Give cotact iformatio for the perso i charge or a website address where additioal iformatio ca be foud. Evet Highlights: List ay specific evets or highlights takig place, icludig the date, time, ad locatio. # # # Media Guide 14

16 Hold a News Coferece The same priciples for developig a ews release ad gettig the media to cover your program apply to holdig a ews coferece, coductig a editorial board meetig, or writig a op-ed or a letter to the editor. Keep i mid that media represetatives are very busy. Oly hold a ews coferece if you have a good reaso, such as: You have somethig truly ewsworthy to aouce, such as a ew program, a importat achievemet, ew statistics or research, or other iformatio importat to may people i your area. A local official or celebrity will be at the evet to help make the aoucemet. Get o a Editorial Board Meetig Ageda A editorial board is a group of staff writers ad editors who meet regularly to discuss importat issues i the commuity. You have likely read ewspaper editorials i which a publicatio edorses cadidates ruig for public office. The decisio to edorse a politicia is geerally made after the editorial board has met with all of the major cadidates. If your issue is importat to the commuity ad has public policy implicatios, you may arrage a meetig with the board to talk about your cocers. Perhaps the board will write a supportive editorial. The ewspaper s op-eds usually appear o the left side of the editorial page, ext to the guest op-eds from commuity leaders ad letters to the editor. Media Guide 15

17 Whe you meet with the board: Be prepared to tell the board what you wat as briefly as possible. Brig media kits, such as the oes you develop for a evet or story. Create talkig poits based o a speaker s guide or write some of your ow. Brig oe or more people with you who ca speak about the issue from differet perspectives. Prepare a draft op-ed article to leave with the board as a suggestio of what you are tryig to say. Write a Opiio Editorial (Op-ed) Op-eds ted to focus o issues that are of great importace to the broader commuity, such as commuity health ad safety, pedig legislatio, ad public policy cocers. Guest op-eds from commuity leaders or experts o a particular issue appear o editorial pages, usually positioed to the right of the editorials writte by the ewspaper. Promiet commuity leaders sometimes have their ow op-eds published. You may be able to work with a eye care professioal to draft a op-ed that will appear i his or her ame. Whe you write a op-ed, stick to the rules for ews releases: Build o the lead. Stick to the poit ad keep it short o more tha five short paragraphs followig the lead, which is about 1.5 to 2 pages, double-spaced. Aswer the who, what, whe, where, how, ad why of your positio up frot. Use statistics, data, or research that supports your positio. Media Guide 16

18 Use quotes from published stories that support your opiio (be sure to give appropriate credit to the author ad publicatio). Close with a call to actio, somethig specific that people ca do to support your positio, such as votig for pedig legislatio, callig their represetative, gettig a comprehesive dilated eye exam, or helpig someoe else get oe. Sed a Letter to the Editor May letters are writte to the editors of ewspapers every day, but few are published. To icrease the chaces that your letter appears: Determie the ewspaper s policy about letters to the editor. Follow the rules for writig a op-ed make your poit, stick to the poit, ad keep it short. Tie-i with somethig curret that will make your letter ewsworthy, such as a story that was recetly i their paper. Keep it relevat a curret hot topic or local issue may stimulate more iterest. Use facts to support your positio. Offer a solutio or actio that ca help. Make sure you are available ad prepared to aswer questios if a editor calls. Idetify yourself. If you must ask for aoymity, explai why. Media Guide 17

19 Take Advatage of the Iteret Create a Iteret marketig pla. Miimally, this pla should iclude a clear descriptio of your program or evet, idetify the target audiece, ad describe how you will promote what you are tryig to do. Here are some ideas: Use your ow website. Be sure to iclude descriptive keywords that search egies ad directories use to match your site with people who are lookig for iformatio that you ca provide. For commuity orgaizatios without websites or techical support, may Iteret service providers offer free web hostig ad eve have olie programs that help you put up a simple website. Submit your site to search egies ad directories such as Google, MSN, ad Yahoo. Egage i viral marketig. This approach facilitates ad ecourages people to pass alog a message. You ca do this by: v Postig to friedly listservs ad developig your ow listserv where you ca iclude a Tell-a-Fried butto o all pages. v Usig social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, ad LikedI. v Addig a sigature file o all outgoig s. Make sure to list your website address i all covetioal marketig efforts, such as commuity caledars ad flyers. Suggest lik exchages with like-mided sites, icludig sites to which your target audiece already liks. Thik about olie advertisig by usig olie discussio sites, such as Iteret forums, ewsgroups, web rigs, ad message boards. Add your evet to all olie commuity caledars. Ask friedly sites to list your evet. Post to lists ad ewsgroups. Use other orgaizatios websites, if you ca, to promote your program or evet. Remember to iclude your cotact ame, phoe umber, ad address. Media Guide 18