Public Relations Guide for Rural Housing Organizations (manual

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Media AdvisoryA media advisory tells press outlets about an event in advance so reporters can plan to be thereand editors can plan for a story. Do not assume that the media will pick up on news of yourevent by word-of-mouth or general knowledge. Think of the advisory as being a simple factsheet that will communicate all of the essential information, much like an invitation.It is very important to follow the standard format for a media advisory. Use, in bold, thefollowing headings for your information.- What (event)- Where (place)- Who (speakers, organization)- When (time)Beneath each heading should be a brief summary giving only the facts. The format should notbe a narrative.The advisory should be on your organization’s letterhead with the words “Media Advisory”prominently displayed near the top. The media advisory may be distributed via e-mail or fax.It should be sent out well before the event.Include contact information – for example, “Jane Doe, 123-456-7890,jdoe@communityorg.org.” End with one of the traditional ways to end a press release oradvisory: “-30-“ or “###.” An advisory should never be more than one page. (See the samplein Appendix A.)Be sure that the advisory goes to all news organizations in your area; do not second-guesswhich media will give you coverage. This is not the time to alienate one news organization infavor of another. If appropriate, include any news services that cover your community.CameraDigital cameras facilitate the transmission of photographs electronically as attachments to e-mail messages. This is especially helpful to the media and is by far the fastest way of gettingphotographs to the press. Note standard format preferences and that the quality must be highfor the photo to be published.Offer photos to your media contacts, perhaps especially to those who did not attend an event.A reporter can write an article based on a press release and an interview, sounding as if s/heattended the event and using a photo you provided.According to Sharon Walden of Welch, W. Va., you should always have your camera ready, anduse it often. Sharon believed that the representative of a foundation lifted a five-year limit onthe length of a current grant because she spontaneously used her camera. Sharon took aphotograph of the representative during his visit to her organization and then used it to write a20 Public Relations Guide
follow-up media story. Sharon made sure that a copy of the newspaper article and photographwere sent to the foundation.FlyerA flyer can be used effectively for a message that needs to be communicated quickly and onlyonce. Post your flyers in public places such as shop windows, schools, church bulletin boards,or other community locations. Use discretion about posting them; always get permission fromthe proper authority at a shop, school, or church. Check city ordinances about posting orpassing out flyers. After the information becomes dated, return to the same places and takethe flyers down.Make your flyer colorful. Make it unique. Be creative. Use a graphic that makes the publicwant to read the flyer. You may want to use your logo instead of having to search for agraphic.Use colors carefully; watch your budget to help you decide how much to use color. Black texton colored paper can be much less expensive than a design that requires color printing; even ifyou already have a color printer, using it is more expensive than printing in plain black ink.Usually the decision of whether to use black and white or color is based on how many flyersyou need to make. Using black and white will get you many more copies for your money thanusing colored print.Brief Points on Flyers- Make the headline snappy.- It is all right to leave a lot of white (blank) space on your flyer.- Choose all words carefully; all should be straight to the point.(Duncan 2001)Housing Assistance Council 21
Page 1 and 2: Housing Assistance CouncilPUBLIC RE
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction .....
Page 5 and 6: INTRODUCTIONThis guide is aimed at
Page 7 and 8: A 1999 news article notes the impor
Page 9 and 10: Sharon made every endeavor to stren
Page 11 and 12: For example, at Lee County Communit
Page 13 and 14: - “We help local organizations in
Page 15 and 16: Get the names, titles, addresses, a
Page 17 and 18: “Media relations can make or brea
Page 20 and 21: current community issues, and new m
Page 22 and 23: A headline that grabs attention is
Page 26 and 27: AS THE OCCASION ARISESSpecial occas
Page 28 and 29: Op-Ed PieceThe term “op-ed” com
Page 30 and 31: second PSAs as well (LWV 1994). The
Page 32 and 33: You might be fortunate enough to ha
Page 34 and 35: - Keep your energy level up and be
Page 36 and 37: to be thorough in your coverage, at
Page 38 and 39: Try to choose something that reflec
Page 40 and 41: The Day of the Event- Station one s
Page 42 and 43: How to Announce Your EventLarge cit
Page 44 and 45: address, using the “http://www”
Page 46 and 47: Laszlo & Associates. 2001. Getting
Page 48 and 49: APPENDIX A: TEMPLATESThe following
Page 50 and 51: Photo Release Template[Use your org
Page 52 and 53: PSA Samples[Use your organization
Page 54 and 55: Media Advisory SampleMEDIA ADVISORY
Page 56 and 57: Media Contact Card/Database Entry[I
Page 58 and 59: Fact Sheet Sample #1COMMUNITY ACTIO
Page 60 and 61: Fact Sheet Sample #2 (continued)Met
Page 62 and 63: Fact Sheet Sample #3 (continued)i S
Page 64 and 65: - Free online donations: (Free for
Page 66 and 67: APPENDIX C: CASE STUDIESThe six cas
Page 68 and 69: press events, as when a TV reporter
Page 70 and 71: Housing Development Corporation, Hi
Page 72 and 73: HOUSING ASSISTANCE COUNCILBOARD OF
Page 74:
This guide is aimed at organization
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Public Relations Guide for Rural Housing Organizations (manual

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