So, listen to this hypothetical scenario. Boss comes in and says she has booked an
internationally acclaimed Dance Choreographer to come in and do master classes with
our dancers with disabilities and we’ll be doing a final performance open to
the public. Questions that should
already be going through your head are:
When, Where, Who, What, Why (my last input is cost?). At that point, you maybe have no answers
except that he’s coming within the next two months. SO:
Important piece of information here.
Know your media deadlines for your city, i.e. appropriate magazines, TV,
Radio, PBS stations, local newspapers, and online calendars. Media deadlines are timeframes set by each
media organization as to when you must have your information to them to enable
them to post to their readers and listeners.
Important Step: You
should already have a media list comprised of emails, websites, and phone
numbers of who to contact to find out their media deadline schedule.
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| Hard at work! |
When I started out researching a media list of contacts for
VSA Texas, I looked at the existing media list for Austin and then looked up
all the publications, TV Stations, Radio Stations, on line Community Calendars.
After, I expanded my research to include other cities where VSA Texas has
events, workshops and classes.
Saying that this doesn’t take a little work is not exactly
truthful. You must be diligent in gleaning
information from each of the media outlets you are interested in. If you can't find deadlines for a certain
organization online, call them! Mention you're a nonprofit and see how they can
help you promote your event.
Next Step: Make
yourself a non-complicated spreadsheet (can be in Excel or if you're more
comfortable, on paper with a ruler and pencil) with a timeline guide so you can
plot out the deadlines for your Press Release, PSA and any other form of
communication you want listed for your hypothetical choreographer.
To sum up: A
checklist
1.
Include contact information on every press
release or PSA you send out. This means name of person, phone number and email.
. Do not give multiple contacts as it only confuses people.
2.
Provide in the first paragraph the details: who, what, when, where, why , and
what the costs may be
3.
In your press release, write a personable
paragraph or two about event- Don't be afraid to be creative! Be clear in what
you want to say and engage your audience.
4.
Don’t forget your sponsors information (if you
have a sponsor). That includes website, facebook information, etc.
5.
Always include the correct address of the event.-You’d
be surprised how obvious details often get forgotten! The year is also
especially important, especially for annual events.
6.
Proof read, proof read, proof read.
NOW- if you find you haven’t been supplied all of the above,
or you are getting conflicting information, I remind everybody
they have a specific timeframe! I usually stretch the truth about their deadline
to give me some breathing room to meet the publications deadline.
It comes down to getting your information, making your
deadline chart and keep reminding everyone who is planning the event how
excited people will be when they learn of the great dance opportunity (or
whatever your own event is!). Think of
it like your own “The Field of Dreams-” if you build it, they will come-but if
they don’t know about it, they won’t.
Thanks for your time today everyone! I hope my tips are helpful in your own planning, media-related or otherwise!
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