Free and Easy Publicity
from LEAVEN, Vol. 33 No.
3, June - July 1997, pp. 54
by Deborah Wirtel
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Publicity is a great tool
for La Leche League Leaders but it can be a concern, too. Some Leaders
may think publicity will cost more than their Group can afford; others
may think the writing involved in publicity is beyond their abilities.
Relax. For the most part,
publicity is free and readily available. With a few helpful hints, it
can be easy too.
What is publicity? Publicity
can be as simple as word of mouth or a poster displayed in a neighborhood.
It can be a listing in a calendar or a press release written by a Leader
or Group member.
Word of mouth publicity comes
from mothers who attend Group meetings. A mother who has gained a good
impression of La Leche League will bring her friends to meetings. Word
of mouth might also come from family members of breastfeeding mothers
or the staff at your health care provider's office. La Leche League's
growth in its early years depended heavily on word-of-mouth publicity.
A meeting notice displayed
in public areas is another way to publicize your Group. Some places
to consider include public libraries, grocery stores or places of worship.
To get the word out to new and expectant mothers, target your efforts
in areas these women may frequent: health care facilities for pregnant
women, babies and children; child birth education classes; maternity
or children's clothing stores; preschools. Remember to get permission
from the store, school or office where you plan to place your notice
and check with your Group's District Advisor about the content of your
display.
Getting meeting information
in a locally published newspaper can reach many people quickly. Press
releases, photo press releases and meeting notices in the calendar section
of newspapers are often free and open to anyone able to get the information
to the newspaper office by the specified deadline.
Large city daily papers may
have weekly neighborhood sections that target the audience your Group
serves. A call to the editor of your neighborhood section helps assure
that your publicity does not get lost in all the big city news.
Calendar sections, also known
as activity or meeting sections, print the basic information that readers
need to know about events. Each newspaper has specific requirements
for submissions to these sections. It's always a good idea to call and
find out the deadlines and what kind of information is needed.
These simple rules make preparing
a press release easy and painless:
The main element of a press
release - the lead - includes the 5 Ws: Who, What, Where, When, and
Why.
-
Who - La Leche
League of Anytown;
-
What - whatever
you are publicizing (monthly meeting, fundraiser, baby fair);
-
Where - location
of the event;
-
When - time of
the event;
-
Why - explanation
of what La Leche League is or what this event will accomplish.
Sometimes a How is
used as well, to round out information. If you're publicizing your monthly
meeting, the How might explain the four topics in the series
of meetings or that Leaders are available at meetings to answer breastfeeding
questions.
A press release is always
written in "inverted pyramid" style. That means all of the important
information - the 5 Ws - is placed in the first few paragraphs; the
information is fleshed out in the rest of the release. This allows the
newspaper editor to edit your release from the bottom up. Even if everything
except the opening paragraph or two are cut when space is limited, readers
still get all of the important information.
A line such as "For more
information, call Lucy Leader (phone number)" at the end of a press
release usually will not be cut, even if other information before it
is. Editors do realize the importance of a contact person.
Press releases publicizing
your monthly meeting can be pretty dry if you use only facts. A catchy
opening line or paragraph can grab the readers' attention. If you find
lively openings hard to write, let co-Leaders or members read your release.
Someone may have an idea on how to jazz up what you are writing. Information
on press releases and other publicity can be found in the LEADER'S HANDBOOK,
pages 129- 137.
Photos are always eye-catching
and can many times say more than words on paper. Pictures showing activity,
such as photos from a recent fundraiser, auction or baby contest look
good in newspapers. Along with your photo, send a short paragraph from
which the caption can be written. Include the 5 Ws when you describe
what is happening in the picture and what you are publicizing.
With just a little time and
effort invested in publicity, a Group can increase the number of mothers
attending meetings and help LLL grow.
Sample press release
News contact: Lucy Leader
555-1234
For immediate release
What's Best for Babies
We all want to do what's
best for our babies and breastfeeding can be a part of doing what's
best. Mothers wishing to find out more about breastfeeding are invited
to attend a meeting of La Leche League of Anytown June 1, 1997, 7:30
PM at Anytown Town Hall.
La Leche League of Anytown
is a breastfeeding support group for new and expectant mothers. La Leche
League of Anytown offers meetings, education and support. La Leche League
Leaders of Anytown are also available by phone for anyone who needs
more information.
La Leche League International
was founded in 1956 by seven mothers who wanted to help make breastfeeding
information and support more widely available to other mothers. Today
La Leche League International is in 66 countries throughout the world.
To find out more about La
Leche League of Anytown, call Lucy Leader at 555-1234.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:32:04 UTC 2007.
