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28 Reading: The Sport of Champions!
Check each media outlet's web site for deadlines, contact information, and other requirements,
or call to get this information. Monthly publications have deadlines 6 to 8 weeks before the
publication date. Most other venues prefer to receive information 10 to 14 days in advance.
While timeliness is essential, it is not a good idea to send your press release too early as it might
be misplaced or discarded.
Most newspapers, radio stations, and television outlets now accept press releases via e-mail or
fax. This saves time and postage. Prepare the press release on stationary if it will be faxed. If it
will be sent via e-mail, you should still write the release in letter style. Do not send your press
release as an attachment, as some e-mail services will not accept them and your message may be
ignored or returned.
If you address a press release to a specific individual, it is important to spell the person's name
correctly. If you send your press release to more than one media outlet, it is not necessary to
personalize each press release. If you use e-mail and are sending the same press release to
several outlets, blind carbon them, or hide the e-mail addresses by using your e-mail software’s
list function. This will prevent a long list of addresses from taking up the first screen of your
message. This also prevents the editor from seeing he or she is not a unique recipient.
Don’t overlook smaller newspapers, specialty papers (such as The Greensheet), and
neighborhood association newsletters. Especially in larger communities, these media outlets
may welcome your publicity and their readership may reach new markets for the library. If you
do not know all of the local newspapers in your community, you will find many of them on
Newslink at http://newslink.org/txnews.html. You may look for local business newspapers,
alternative and specialty journals, college publications, and ethnic newspapers on this web site.
Many communities have Spanish-language or Hispanic cultural publications, weekly
newspapers for the African-American community, and publications for other community
groups. For example, college newspapers will reach married students and single parents. Austin
Public Library regularly submits information about library programs to a publication called The
Good Life. It is aimed at "older" adults but many readers are non-custodial parents or
grandparents who may be looking for children's activities. Ask your local television or radio
station to be a media sponsor for the Texas Reading Club.
Let your Friends of the Library, city or county officials, and staff and volunteers know about the
Texas Reading Club. They will be some of your best sources for word-of-mouth marketing and
may be willing to include information in their church newsletter, company e-mail, or other
publicity venues.
Another outlet for free publicity is the community events or calendar section of media web sites.
Most television stations, newspapers, radio stations, and official city or county web sites have
calendars. Submit information about library programs about two weeks in advance. Submit
information to local cable television stations. Many run community information bulletins.
If you are not currently taking digital photographs, consider doing so. They are inexpensive to
print and you print only what is needed. Many drug stores and one-hour photo labs can produce
high quality prints for less than fifty cents. Many newsletters will accept electronic photographs
to print with a story. They also make great “thank you” gifts for sponsors and donors. Kodak