Overview
A Media Advisory is an announcement about an event that media are invited to attend. Use a Media Advisory to alert local media about your upcoming event or grand opening.
You want to pitch your event to the proper media channels (print, tv, radio) so they will announce and / or cover your event.
Details
The goal in creating and distributing a Media Advisory is to get the media to announce or cover your event thus driving awareness of your event and, ultimately, traffic to your event.
Write Your Media Advisory
The first step is to write your Media Advisory. It’s a simple one-page document listing the who, what, when and where of your event. It includes an attention-grabbing headline…think about why the media should care and what to cover your event.
Here is a Media Advisory Template for you to use.
Compile Your Media List
You probably know the key TV, radio and newspapers in your local market that you can target…the ones you use, and most importantly, the ones your customers and potential customers use.
If not, here are a few tools to help you compile your list.
Don’t forget to add online-only publications. Many cities have The Patch, Daily Candy and various other sites that are only online for readers.
Once you have your list of media outlets you want to contact, you’ll also want to identify where to send your Media Advisory, and to whom. Many “Contact Us” pages tell you the appropriate person. For TV and radio stations, it may be simply the News Editor or News Desk. When in doubt, call to ask for the appropriate person or department.
Distribute Your Media Advisory
Once you have your list, either email or fax your media advisory ONE to TWO DAYS prior to your event.
Follow Up
Once you’ve distributed your media advisory, call to follow up and see if they have any questions you can answer and if they’ll be attending.
For events, also see Media: Calendar Listing for getting the word out.
Photo Source: flickr.com/photos/sis/5908569
