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WRITING AND DISTRIBUTING A MEDIA ADVISORY
A media advisory is a simple way to inform local media about an upcoming press conference,
briefing, or other event, such as your organization's activities celebrating National Alcohol
and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month).You can distribute this document
to media in advance of your event to provide print, broadcast, cable, and Internet reporters
with the basic details about your event and where and when it will be held.
The purpose of a media advisory is not to tell the complete story, but instead to entice media to
attend your event to learn more. If your event will feature a photo opportunity that local media
may wish to pursue such as the finish line of a fundraising race, you may want to include a line
in your advisory highlighting the photo opportunity to encourage media attendance. Both print
and broadcast media have a need for compelling visual images in their stories.
Writing a Media Advisory
As you prepare for your Recovery Month event, refer to the media advisory template at the
end of this fact sheet, which can be customized as needed. You may use this template as
the basis of your media advisory, making sure to edit it as necessary (particularly updating
all placeholders that have been highlighted in bold and listed in brackets throughout the
advisory) to customize it for your event. Electronic versions of these materials and other
templates are available on the CD-ROM included in this planning toolkit, as well as on the
Recovery Month Web site at www.recoverymonth.gov.
When writing your media advisory, keep it short (no more than a page). The most essential
components are the details of the event: what it is, where it is taking place, and the day
and time it will begin and who is participating (mention local civic and policy leaders, etc.).
It is crucial to include a contact name and telephone number that media can call in advance.
You may wish to include local statistics about the number of people in your state who have substance
use disorders, while stating that the impact is much greater when children and families of
people with these disorders are included; family members need recovery support services as well.
To obtain localized information, contact the Single-State Agency (SSA) in your state, which
is listed in the SSA Directory included in the “Resources” section of this planning toolkit.
Inquire about both public and private patient census information, and ask about services
that are available in the state for affected family members. More state-related information is
found in the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, published
by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. This survey is available through SAMHSA's Web
site at www.oas.samhsa.gov, where state substance use data
reports also are available.
Distributing a Media Advisory
Following are some suggestions for successfully distributing your advisory.
Place it on the “daybooks” and in “week-ahead” columns. “Daybooks” are daily listings of all activities that media are invited to attend: they are not read by the general public. In contrast, “week-ahead”
columns reach a wider audience because they are published in local newspapers and business publications. Both of these tools can help you spread the word about your event.
Look up newswire services (e.g., Associated Press and Reuters) via the Internet (search engines
will pull up the information) and call the local bureaus in your city or state and ask for the name of
the daybook editor and that person's fax number. Fax your advisory and ask the daybook editor to
place it on the newswire's “daybook” the week before, the day before, and the day of the event.
(Some media services, such as PR Newswire, charge for posting such information, so you may
wish to inquire first.) Also, call local newspapers and business publications that feature upcoming
activities, asking them to place the advisory in their “week-ahead” columns or calendar listings to
encourage community members to attend your event.
Create a media list. Send the advisory to local media outlets in your community one week before your
event. To do so, you should develop a current media lista fundamental tool that organizes information
about reporters. Your list of media outlets must be accurate and up to date to effectively reach reporters
with your story. This list also can be used when distributing your press release, which will contain more
information about your event. A press release template is included in this planning toolkit.
Here are some tips on creating a media list:
- Check your local library or bookstore for media directories of daily and weekly newspapers,
television stations, radio stations, newswire services, Internet news outlets, magazines, newsletters,
and business trade publications in your community. Examples of media directories include Bacon's
directories, the Yellow Book, and The Gebbie's Press All-In-One Media Directory. Use the phone
book or the Internet to supplement your list.
- Once you have developed a list of phone numbers and addresses, call each outlet to verify the
information and to determine which editors and reporters, such as health reporters, are the most
appropriate for your news.
- Using the information gathered above, create a list with the name of each media outlet, its address,
telephone number, fax number, and the names and titles of specific reporters or editors who cover
substance use disorder treatment and health-related issues. Today, most reporters and editors prefer
information to be e-mailed to them, so secure an e-mail address when possible. When calling to verify
contact information, you also should ask about the best time to call each reporter about your event
(i.e., how far in advance/what time of day).
- Include specialized media on your list, such as African-American, Hispanic/Latino,
or other minority newspapers or radio stations. Other specialized media include
university/college newspapers; television, cable, and radio stations; small community
papers or neighborhood newsletters; and publications produced by local organizations,
such as businesses, hospitals, women's centers, health care clinics, professional
associations, mental health organizations, churches and other faith-based institutions,
drug stores, and local civic clubs.
Follow up. After you e-mail or fax the media advisory, contact reporters by phone to
determine their interest in attending and/or covering the event. This type of personal effort
often can make a difference in generating media interest.
You are encouraged to share your plans and activities for Recovery Month 2005 with
SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, your colleagues, and the general public
by posting them on the official Recovery Month Web site at www.recoverymonth.gov.
We would like to know about your outreach efforts and community success stories
during Recovery Month. Please complete the Customer Satisfaction Form enclosed in
this planning toolkit. Directions are included on the form.
Please send any of your organization's Recovery Month promotional samples to:
Office of the Director, Consumer Affairs, SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse
Treatment, 1 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd Floor, Rockville, MD 20857.
Sample Recovery Month materials are available electronically on the CD-ROM enclosed in this planning toolkit. For additional Recovery Month materials, visit our Web site at
www.recoverymonth.gov or call 1-800-662-HELP.
[Please adapt as needed for your event.]
[Date]
Media Advisory
[Name of Business] Holds Forum to Address the Importance of
Offering Employees Access to Alcohol and Drug Treatment Programs
-[State/Local] Businesses Help Improve Community by Increasing Access to Care-
An estimated [number] of people in [state/community] suffer from substance use disorders, yet many
cannot afford quality care. To address this, [business name] will host a community forum on [date] to
discuss the business and societal benefits of businesses offering substance use disorder treatment services and support to their employees.
The forum is part of the 16th annual observance of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery
Month (Recovery Month), a nationwide celebration of those in recovery from substance use disorders.
[Business name] will address this year's Recovery Month theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery:
Healing Lives, Families, and Communities,” by discussing how investing in effective treatmentand
referring workers and their family members to these treatment and other recovery support services
can help get community members and their families into recovery together and enable people in
recovery to lead productive, healthy lives.
[Business name] also will discuss ways other local businesses can provide access to treatment
programs through their workplaces.
WHO: [participants]
WHEN: [date and time]
WHERE: [address of location]
CONTACT: [name and phone number of primary contact for event]
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