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Make the Most of the Media
The power of the press is a mighty force and our best tool to "talk the walk" all over town! Local stations and newspapers are constantly on the lookout for interesting and heartwarming community stories. As dedicated supporters of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, YOU are a great story!
We’ve got great examples from VisionWalk events all over the country.
- John Corneille of Chicago contacted his local paper and scored big with a story in the Sunday edition’s Lifestyle section. View the story here.
- 2007 Triangle VisionWalk Team Captain Jim Moran works at FOX affiliate WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina. He secured an on-air interview with Triangle VisionWalk Co-Chairs Reston & James Mattox the week before the walk on WRAL.
- Lee Corso, college sports announcer for ESPN, recorded 15-second and 30-second Public Service Announcements for the 2007 Orlando VisionWalk. Several radio stations played the spots for free.
Consider contacting local media and offering yourself and/or your family as a story. These human-interest pieces typically run in the Health and Lifestyle sections and are very effective public awareness tools. Ready for your 15 minutes of fame? Here’s how to do it:
- Look in the local paper (or check their website) for the name and contact information of a health editor or reporter.
- Offer yourself and/or your family as a story. Think about what makes your story unique such as:
- You are the Walk Chair, Business Chair, Chapter President, etc.
- Anything to do with children (Youth Team Captain, Youth Honorary Chair, parent of an affected child)
- Your Team is raising thousands of dollars
- You are part of a guide dog team
- You or a loved one are affected and hold high-profile or interesting job such as a lawyer, doctor, teacher, etc.
- Ask for assistance from your Event Manager. FFB Staff has lots of experience in pitching news stories. He or she would be happy to coach you prior to the pitch on what kind of message to leave on a reporter’s voicemail as well as some questions a reporter may ask.
- Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up! One initial phone call or email is not enough to guarantee a story. Follow up 3-5 days later so the reporter knows you are serious. This follow-up should continue until you receive a response ... similar to sponsorship!
- Provide a stock press release for the reporter. This has all the pertinent information about FFB and the Walk day schedule of events. Your Event Manager can provide this document.
- Send the reporter a thank you note or email for their time and consideration whether they have agreed to run your story or not.
Questions? Please contact your local Event Manager or Lynn Hacker, National VisionWalk Director, at 800-683-5555 or LHacker@FightBlindness.org.
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