TIPS FOR REACHING OUT TO THE MEDIA

Outreach to the media – whether to reporters at local community newspapers or to editors at major daily publications – holds the promise of great rewards for your service-learning program, your organization and, ultimately, your community. Even if your outreach is to a small-town paper or a low-watt radio station, the impact can be significant.

There is an abundance of ways in which to garner media attention for your activities and for the benefits of service-learning. This tips sheet should help you get the word out about your service-learning activities. If you stick to a few general rules and spend a little time preparing, the results will be great!

Plan Ahead for Success

• Think about your story. What are your messages? What is the story you want to tell? What are your most salient points that will interest reporters?
• Decide who you are trying to reach. Who are your audiences? Which media outlets reach the audiences that you want to share your story with?
• Be able to identify timely opportunities. If certain “hot” topics in the media pertain to your activities, make sure your voice is included in the media coverage. Examples include citizen service, community/business partnerships with schools and issues surrounding youth academic performance. The “hot” topic could also be an event, such as National Volunteer Week.
• Consider the tools you have to accomplish your outreach. Ways to communicate with the media include: press releases, media advisories, newsletters, speeches, special events and press conferences, editorial board meetings and opinion essays. (see template materials for examples of some of these).
• Think about your spokesperson. Choose one or two people who can speak effectively to the media. It is a great idea to prepare a student to speak about your activities. A shift from the norm, youth are appealing interviewees.

Get to Know Your Local Media

• Identify the education reporters at local news outlets. Students and teachers can send information and photos to reporters at their local papers to bring attention to their service-learning activity. Students can send hand-written invitations to reporters to visit their schools and witness their activities in person. Contact the photo desk at your local newspaper and invite a photographer to take pictures of your activities.
• Meet with editorial boards. Explain to editors what service-learning is about and how it affects the community. Be prepared with statistics and examples.
• Don’t just focus on the major daily papers. Weekly and smaller daily local papers will be more receptive and will be more likely to write longer pieces or to do a series of articles. Have spokespeople or examples from all of the smaller areas. The reporters will be interested in how service-learning affects their audience.
• Contact your local television stations’ news assignment editors, too. There are more shows than the 6 p.m. news that spotlight education and community events, including community programming, morning news shows and special art and education programming.

How To Pitch A Story

• Develop a concise, creative press release. This serves as your initial point of contact with the media. Be creative and succinct, as you have a brief opportunity to grab the reporter’s attention with the release. The release should be created at least a week in advance of the event or announcement, and should clearly convey the who, what, where, when, why and how.
• It takes more than a press release to get your story published. Follow up, ask if the reporter needs more information, has any questions, would like a spokesperson to talk to, or would like to visit your program site.
• Have one person be the reporters’ continual contact. Reporters are more likely to remember your program if they hear from the same contact every time.
• Know your topic. Be prepared and confident. Know the pros and supposed cons of service-learning. Know who is in support of it as well as what groups are against it. Know the opposition’s position and be prepared to answer questions from that position. Know the ins and outs of your program, and be able to articulate them concisely. Do your homework before you call the reporter.
• Do not get discouraged with a lack of coverage. Discover another local angle and try again. Do not personally be discouraged if a reporter is nonchalant or uninterested in your pitch.

Understand the Reporter’s Perspective

• Gather the facts, convey the information. A majority of stories are to inform audiences on a topic. Thus, collect information and assist the reporter in passing it on to the public.
• Position the experts. Interviewees – students, teachers, community members – offer quotations and perspectives for the reporter’s story and serve as experts and educators, helping reporters to make sense of the facts.
• Give it heart. Reporters love human interest stories. Emphasize the personal aspect of your activities. Have students talk about their experiences connecting with others and their feelings about service-learning.
• Make it easy for the reporter. Help the reporter meet deadlines by being accessible, respecting deadlines and providing timely information.

Achieve Name Recognition

• Write opinion editorials (“op-ed”). As an influential member of the community, your opinion counts. Write an op-ed explaining to the community why this program is important, and how students, families and the community will be affected. An op-ed is also another great opportunity to get students involved as spokespeople and important, yet often not heard from, voices on community issues.
• Have your service-learning friends write letters to the editor. After an event or after a story appears in the paper, have your advocates write letters to the editor for all of the local papers. This will help emphasize word of mouth as well as build momentum for the service-learning field.