Working with the Media to Promote Teen Pregnancy Prevention

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Core message worksheetDesired ResultSpecific Core MessagesSample:Sample:Increase community awareness Most people don’t know that one out of every twoof teen pregnancy girls in this city will be pregnant by the time she is 19.Increase community awarenessof teen pregnancyPromote a higher profile of aparticular prevention programMAKING IT HAPPEN108Change the behavior of teensor parentsPromote youth-orientedpublic policyOtherspot may run free at 2 a.m.).Because the messages areclearly from an organizationwith a point of view, credibilityis only as good as the organization’sreputation.Public affairs work andspecial eventsThese vehicles provide programswith an ongoing way to reinforceTHE 3 MAIN MEDIA CHANNELS• news media• public service announcements(PSAs)• public affairs work andspecial eventstheir messages and put a humanface on what they say in themedia and advertising. Bothinvolve direct contact with audiencesthrough activities such asgiving speeches to communitygroups, writing articles for professionaland communitynewsletters, and offering freeworkshops to schools, businesses,or community organizations. Forexample, a program could kickoff a media campaign with ahealth fair, and then describe itsongoing work in the resultingnews coverage. A successfulspecial event can raise the profileof an initiative. Often thegreater value of special events
comes from news coverage ofthem rather than the event itself.You have a great deal of controlover the message in specialevents because you are deliveringit directly to the audience.Public affairs work and specialevents do not have to be expensive(though they often are).Both require considerable staffor volunteer time to plan andcarry out the activities.Messages delivered in this waygenerally have medium credibility—lessthan news stories(because they are delivered byan advocate with a point ofview), but more than advertising(because the message comesdirectly from a respected organizationor a community event).Another attribute of thisapproach is that public affairswork and special events have afairly narrow reach; only thosewho come to the event or readabout it receive the message.The box on the next page summarizessome of the considerationsinvolved in using variousmedia options.Test and refine yourmessagesBefore you roll out your messages,you need to be sure theaudience is ready to listen tothem. For example, a motherwho is already concerned abouther daughter’s well-being will bereceptive to a message abouttalking to her teen about sex.On the other hand, a messageabout the long-term consequencesof unprotected sexmight not be the right way toreach teen boys because theyoften focus only on short-termconsequences.You also need to be sure thatthe message can be expressedin simple, clear, layperson’s language,particularly if TV or radioare involved. For example, theCatawba County Social Services’Age of Consent Campaignhas a very specific message forolder teen males and adult men:Sex with a minor who is at leastfour years younger is now acrime in North Carolina.Finally, you need to make surethe message is worded andframed in just the right way totouch your audience. A messagemay sound good to you, but youmust let the target audience’sopinion guide your final decisionabout its suitability and power.Message testing will help youreach all these objectives.Testing provides a crucialopportunity to refine your messagesand make them morememorable, attention-getting,and motivating.Testing proved invaluable for theFamily Planning Council ofSoutheast Pennsylvania when109MEDIA
Page 4 and 5: MAKING IT HAPPEN102hours, confident
Page 6 and 7: MAKING IT HAPPEN104campaign to dela
Page 8 and 9: MAKING IT HAPPENkernel from which y
Page 12 and 13: Selecting a media optionOPTIONCONSI
Page 14 and 15: Working with the news mediaMAKING I
Page 16 and 17: MAKING IT HAPPEN114Using the tools
Page 18 and 19: FIELD NOTESMAKING IT HAPPEN116Getti
Page 20 and 21: MAKING IT HAPPEN118• Do not go
Page 22 and 23: MAKING IT HAPPEN120Florida’s six-
Page 24 and 25: MAKING IT HAPPEN122• Create a buz
Page 26 and 27: ConclusionMedia campaigns designed
Page 28 and 29: MAKING IT HAPPEN126Sex Lasts a Mome
Page 30 and 31: TABLE 1 (cont.)MAKING IT HAPPEN128I
Page 32 and 33: TABLE 2Sample media messages for a
Page 34 and 35: TABLE 4Sample facts and stats sheet
Page 36: TABLE 4 (cont.)BRING “BEST BETS T

Working with the Media to Promote Teen Pregnancy Prevention

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