Develop media contacts to get the message out, and coordinate media coverage. A strategy for approaching the media could involve developing a press release to announce an event, performance, or other news or publicity item. A key activity in most community event plans is the development and distribution of press releases which contain important information on a particular event being planned or which share important details about a community initiative. Moreover, a press release can be a good tool for sharing success stories after an event has occurred, which continues to keep people interested in your efforts.

A press release answers five questions: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. When preparing a press release, consider the following:

• The press release isn’t the whole story. It just gets the media interested in the story
• Make it no more than two pages
• Provide a contact name and phone number
• Use an interesting headline to get attention
• Fax, mail, or Email the press release, and follow up with a phone call within a few days

A sample press release is provided as:
Creating a Press Release