Communication Channels: How to Get the Word Out

Media Outreach
An overview of how to conduct effective media outreach, including step-by-step advice on how to identify and target your audience, reach out to the media, and evaluate your results.

Media Relations (Traditional and Online)
Puts the media relations skills introduced in the previous media section to use by providing dos and don’ts for interviews as well as sample press releases, media alerts, proclamations, and other helpful tools. In addition, this chapter provides a tutorial on how to write an optimized press release and distribute it online.

Social Media
Social media has expanded the way you can do outreach to your community. Learn about helpful resources and how to develop a social media strategy that works with the resources you have.

Partnerships
Step-by-step instructions and examples on how to maximize outreach efforts by developing partnerships, including suggestions for different types of partners, activities for potential outreach and ideas to gain community involvement.

Media Events
Provides guidance on what type of news constitutes an event and gives suggestions on how to plan an outreach event or press conference, including event ideas, and what to do before, during, and after the event.

Paid Advertising
The overall goal of an advertising strategy is to reach your audience and change behavior or attitudes. This chapter will provide the principal steps to reach that goal.

Public Service Announcements
Gives an overview of what public service announcements (PSA) are versus advertisements, and provides tips and hints about how to place a PSA.

Promising Practices
An overview of Promising Practices with real life examples. Provides a system to submit your agency’s lessons learned, what you tried, what worked and what didn’t.