Working with the Media to Promote Teen Pregnancy Prevention

FIELD NOTESMAKING IT HAPPEN116Getting professional help withmedia workPublic relations and advertisingfirms can be invaluable. If youplan to launch a long-term mediaeffort, select a firm early on andstick with it over time. Itsresources, relationships, andadvice will be very helpful. Tomake the relationship productive,however, you must know whatyou want from them before youbegin working together. Thesetips can help.1. Write down exactly what youneed before you talk with apublic relations firm. This canbe formal (a “Request forProposal” or RFP) or an informalmemo. Include:• your goals for public relationsand media work• the amount of money youhave available to spend(choose a number less thanthe true maximum).• your desire to have donatedcreative services and a discounton production costs• the time frame in which youwant the work to be done• the person at your organizationwho will be the liaisonwith the firm• key deadlines that are nonnegotiable2. Take your RFP or list of needsto two or three firms and seewhat they can offer you. Askto see samples of past work—for both paying and pro bono(non-paying) clients.3. Ask the firms to send you abrief proposal of what theywould be able to do for you.Be sure it responds to the needsyou have identified.4. Ask to meet with several firmsin their offices to get a feel forthe way they work and theirmix of clients. Consider thefollowing to help you knowwhich firm is right for you.• Do you like the style thatthey have used with otherclients?• Do you trust that the peopleyou have met understandyour message and yourgoals?• Did they seem eager to winyour business?• What benefit might theydraw from working with you(e.g., added exposure, creativechallenge)? It’s better towork with a firm that mightget something out of therelationship, too.• Small firms may be moreeager to get exposure andmake a name for themselves,so they may view workingfor you as a chance to makea splash on a compellingissue. However, small firmsneed to pay the bills, so youmay end up as a lower priorityat deadline time.• Larger firms may have morestaff to devote to your work,and might assign a juniorperson to take charge ofyour account. This can benefityou because they maybring added enthusiasm andrigor to the work. Larger firmsalso have access to databases,clip services, and ahost of other resources thatthey can tap for your project.However, pro bono projectscan get lost at larger firms,so be sure to invest time instaying on top of the work.5. Ask other nonprofits in yourcommunity about their experienceswith local firms, and getsuggestions from them onthings to watch out for.