Your promotion and publicity strategy will depend on the audiences you hope to reach. Whether you are trying to recruit participants or draw attention to the issues you've selected as a focus for your advocacy, you will need to contact media sources in your area. Local libraries will often be able to provide you with a media directory; you can also contact other youth-serving agencies to see whether they are willing to make their own media lists available for your event.
Creating a newsworthy event is the first step in attracting publicity for your community meeting. A public event that brings together a wide range of prominent officials and influential community leaders can often attract the attention of local newspapers, radio and television stations. The results of their discussions may form the basis for the next day's headlines-especially if they can agree on a constructive and innovative next step they can take together.
This meeting is more likely to attract coverage if it is tied to a broadcast of the PBS series itself and promoted by your local public television station. Including a well-known local person as moderator can also help draw media coverage as well as the participants you'll want for your meeting. And if you can persuade local newspapers or commercial radio and television stations to support your efforts as local sponsors (for instance, by running stories that explore juvenile crime in the week preceding your meeting), you can build a foundation for an event that can have a significant impact on your community.
When you contact the local media, don't stop with the reporters who cover the crime beat. Also keep in mind editorial page editors, possible op-ed pieces, letters to the editors, and feature stories that could run in local newspapers and magazines, as well as locally produced TV talk shows, community newspapers, city papers, college newspapers, neighborhood weeklies and community newsletters.
Write and send media advisories and press releases approximately two months prior to the event. Be sure to keep them brief and use simple clear language. Although it seems elementary, starting with the "what, when, where, and why" is always a good rule. Include the names and contact information of spokespeople who would be available for interviews. Develop and implement plans to follow-up on the information you send out. Attracting coverage requires a lot of telephone work!
