Media coverage can be a great way to increase the size of the audience reached by your activities. Reporters covering World AIDS Day may be particularly interested in your events if they provide a way to localize a global story. Here are a few pointers on reaching out to media outlets.
Many parishes and campuses have several outlets, including student newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations. Think about local community or diocesan print, radio and TV outlets.
There's no need to mention every activity. The community paper may not be interested in table tents in student dining halls, for example, but may be thrilled to cover a candlelight vigil. A student radio host may not be able to cover a live event, but may want to talk with the organizers or plan a show covering the issues.
Examples of what reporters might be interested in can include vigils or AIDS walks, student-organized testing centers, fundraisers or benefit concerts, awareness weeks, or profiles of interesting and influential personalities.
Make sure the events you cover are open to the media — you don't want the presence of a reporter to inhibit presentations or discussions.
And remember: all news is local. Tailor your pitch to each outlet and think about what the audience cares about.
Think about different ways to engage local media. Some reporters will be more interested in covering an event or conducting an interview themselves. Other outlets might gladly accept written articles and photos, or even blogs for their websites.
Before you make your pitch, think about how to ‘package' it. Pick the most compelling and the most visual components of your event to highlight. If you don't know how to send in information, call the "editorial" or "news" department and ask.
When sending a "pitch" or press release, be concise and only provide the basics.
Sources of information.
Several of the websites cited on this page come from external sources. All rights are reserved to the appropriate organization/individual(s) who have published the content.
CRS HIV and AIDS programs are guided by policy from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (Called to Compassion, 1989). The websites cited here come from various sources and may not be consistent with USCCB policy. Inclusion of these documents in this webpage does not imply CRS endorsement.
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