STRATEGIES FOR GAINING COVERAGE OF CAMPUS EVENTS

Journalists are asked to cover many events a day. The key to getting them to select your event is to put together an event that is accessible, newsworthy and offers a photo opportunity for photographers.

Below are several hints to help you draw media coverage to an event:

• Big names are often big draws. Ask prominent elected officials or university staff to participate in your event;

• Hold the event in a unique location that offers photo opportunities. For example, instead of holding an event in a campus conference room, hold the event in front of the student union or in another high traffic area. Use posters and visuals to state your key messages.

• Respect media deadlines and try to hold events between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

• Journalists will likely not be able to spend more than thirty minutes at an event. Make your event short, or ask the journalists to come during a specific block of time.

To promote your event, issue a media advisory 4-5 days prior to the event. After the advisory is issued call the journalists on your media list to encourage them to attend. The day before the event, send the media advisory again or call journalists to remind them to attend. Be aware that many journalists will be unable to commit to attending an event until the day before or even the day of the event.

A press release that highlights the main features of the event should be given out to journalists during the event. It should also be sent via e-mail or fax to key journalists who were unable to attend the event in person.

What’s a daybook and why does my event need to be listed on it? A daybook is a listing of all events taking place during a given day. Assignment editors frequently check daybooks to determine what events they are going to send reporters to cover. Daybooks are often managed locally by the Associated Press (AP) bureau. You should call your local AP to find out how to submit events for the daybook. To locate the number of your local AP bureau visit www.ap.org/pages/contact/contact.html. Your campus public relations office may also be able to give you helpful advice on how to get an event listed on community daybooks.