| Strategy |
Advantages |
Limitations |
| Advertisements (newspapers and magazines) |
- good at attracting attention
- reaches your target audience
|
- costly to design
- costly to run in paper/magazine
|
| Public Service Announcements (PSAs) |
- “free ads” on air
- good tool for public education
|
- often aired at odd hours (low audience; prime time goes to those who pay)
- if station produces ad, often done in cheapest way: one person talking, no editing, no slides or music, no film or tape.
- if you produce PSA, it must meet quality standards of station
|
| Public Service Advertisements (newspapers) |
- could be more attention getting than an article
- good as supplement to article for publicity for event
|
- must run a week to be effective (if it only runs a few days, some people may miss it)
- costly (generally 25% off regular price of newspaper ads)
|
| Calendar Listings |
- good for reminding people of date, time, place of events
- use Art on Art for good coverage
|
- primarily good for event publicity; not for general PR
- only give who, what, where, when
|
| Website Profile |
- good for providing people with in-depth information on your event
- provide a FAQ and save on calls
- provide way to buy tickets online or connect with box office
- can use lots of graphical images
- low-cost, fast, and easy to update
|
- requires web page design expertise
- requires computer hardware and software
|
| Interview Shows |
- free publicity
- allow you to clarify issues in more in-depth way (1/2 hour vs. a one minute PSA or short article)
- provide public forum for your issues
- allow you to speak for yourselves (represent yourselves) rather than rely on interpretation of reporter
|
- limited audience
- usually produced cheaply; appeal of “talking heads” limited; many people tune out after a short time
|
| Video or CD |
- visual presentation of issues, facts, and resources
- good stimulus for discussion
- experiential visually
- adds variety and interest
|
- expensive (possibly)
- need people to present the tape
- need equipment
- need people to put it together
|
| Banners |
- eye-catching
- adds to feeling of event or festivity
- create sense of community involvement
|
- must see that banner is delivered and taken down at proper times
- each town has own stipulations
- can be costly to produce
|
|
|
|
| Press Packets |
- give media background information on group and issues
- could lead to more in-depth story
|
|
| Newsletters |
- good for networking
- in-depth information
- provide forum for community people
- act as clearinghouse for information
- consider sending electronically to save money
|
- costly
- time consuming
- need a staff
- need submissions
- must remain lively and relevant
|
| Press Coverage at Meeting |
- informs those who didn’t attend meeting of decisions/proceedings
- keeps issues/events before public eye
- more in-depth than press release
- useful for raising public opinion
|
- possibility of misquotes
- interpretation of reporter may differ from your own
|
| Press Conference |
- calls attention to a situation
- useful for announcing findings, publication of facts, results of studies, clarification of an action, making announcements or demands; brings out the press; makes an event out of your news
|
- difficult to find right time of day to hold so all press can attend and meet that day’s deadline
- difficult to get the press to come unless something very important
- could be a lot of effort for little return
- place is crucial
|
| Columns or Regular Features; Article Series |
- provide in-depth public education on issues
- provide forum
- keep your group/issue in public eye
|
- difficult to convince media to do
- need enough information to generate several articles
- weekly deadlines
- takes lots of person hours
- takes a lot research
|
| Photos/Artwork |
- good way to bring visual attention to issue
- attention-getting
- could be used as filler
|
- could be costly
- photos may not be returned
- may send out more than get used (cost effective?)
- need to meet papers’ standards
|
| Brochures, Handouts, Mailers, etc. |
- direct mail ensures you reach intended audience
- are a tangible reminder for people
- can be more eye appealing/attention-getting than articles
|
- could be costly
- often thrown away
- some people have an antagonism to mailings
|
| Posters |
- attract attention
- additional exposure
|
- need people to post
- location of poster important (or may not reach audience)
- costly
|
