Crafting a media advisory to engage journalists Media relations toolkit Engaging the media to elevate sexual violence prevention Coverage in local, regional, and national media is important — news coverage across formats keeps communities and leaders up to date on key issues and informs public understanding. When sexual violence prevention practitioners engage the media, it is an opportunity to elevate sexual violence prevention, connect with new audiences, and increase your organization’s credibility and recognition. What is a media advisory? A media advisory, also sometimes called a media alert, invites the media to an upcoming press conference, film screening, high-profile event, or opportunity for an on-site interview. For example, an organization could use media advisories to inform press contacts that a spokesperson will be on-site at a court case to provide expertise on sexual violence and prevention. The advisory tells the press when and where the event is and provides details and context about why the event is important. An effective media relations plan involves reaching out to reporters in a variety of ways to increase your visibility in your community, inform and educate audiences about why prevention matters, and serve as a source for the media. Proactive outreach to journalists can help you build relationships with journalists, which in turn can help you inform and shape news coverage about your issue in the long term. For a range of ways to engage journalists to elevate sexual violence prevention, please see Moving toward prevention: A guide for reframing sexual violence.1 How are media advisories different from press releases? A media advisory is like an invitation — it provides just the crucial information about a specific event and reaches the journalists most likely to attend your event. A press release, on the other hand, can be more general and may have a wide national release. Media advisories are also usually shorter than press releases (one page or less in length) and do not include quotes. How do I distribute a media advisory? It is best to send out a media advisory twice – about a week before the event and then again the day before the event. Send the advisory to your local press contacts via email and follow up by phone. How do I write a media advisory? See next page for a sample media advisory. Sample media advisory Contact: [Name] [Telephone number/email] **MEDIA ADVISORY** [Headline] Location – [Brief blurb about the event. You can think of this as the invitation part – asking members of the press to join you. You can also choose to omit the opening paragraph and begin with the information below.] WHAT: [Reiterate what your event is – open house, news conference, etc.] WHO: [Describe who will be at the event – speakers, representatives from your organization, notable public figures] WHEN: [Date and time of the event] WHERE: [Location of the event] You may also include additional information such as the bio, past interviews, and areas of expertise of the spokesperson. References 1. Berkeley Media Studies Group, & National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (2018). Moving toward prevention: A guide for reframing sexual violence. Retrieved from https://www.nsvrc.org/moving-toward-prevention-guide- reframing-sexual-violence © 2018 National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Berkeley Media Studies Group, a program of the Public Health Institute. All rights reserved. www.bmsg.org • www.nsvrc.org