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Press

If you do not exist in the media, for all practical purposes you do not exist.
(Daniel Schorr)

Press should be one of the first things you think about for any event as the press coverage will often reach many more people than the event itself, build your members� confidence, and increase your organization�s credibility. Every time you do something really interesting, a press release should at least go out to the local papers, the local Associated Press (AP wire) writer, radio, and TV. Also try alternative media such as Pacifica (see www.pacifica.org), E Magazine (an environmental magazine), the Center for Environmental Citizenship�s newswire: Earthnet News, and Threshold.

First make a list of local, alternative, and national media outlets. You�ll want the news and education desks. For important events, fax out a press advisory early on (a week or two before). Send out your first press release three days before, following up with a phone call to pitch the story and make sure they saw it. On the day (or night) of an event, call to see if they are covering it. If they forgot about it, fax them another copy of your press release.

Many computers come with fax modems, which allow you to program your computer to automatically send your word-processed press release to all of your media contacts. Fax modems are cheap and very useful.

A press release should clearly include the reasons for the event, your demands, when, where (and how to get there), who will be there, quotes from your members, list two or more spokespersons (who will be easily accessible by phone) and be double spaced.