One World. One Sisterhood.

Circle of Sisterhood Foundation Media Relations Guide for College Campus Supporters

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One of the most important things you can do for both your Circle of Sisterhood event

or program AND for the Circle of Sisterhood as an organization is to practice effective

media relations. Whether on campus, in the community, or even at the inter/national

level, grabbing the media’s attention will create a buzz around your involvement

with Circle of Sisterhood, while also creating more attention and awareness for this

important cause. In essence: publicizing your good works to the media is great for you

and for the Circle of Sisterhood!

What we want to offer here are the five vital steps of a framework for great media

relations. Effective media relations will have a trickle-down effect on other forms of

public relations, too. Use these practices with each event or program that you conduct

representing Circle of Sisterhood, and you are sure to generate more participation in

your events, more donations, more awareness about your involvement with us, and

more general awareness of our worthy cause.

Media Relations Best Practices

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Gather a thorough Media Contacts list.

Having your contacts ready to go is the first important step!

CAMPUS MEDIA

Your campus publications and other news outlets are the obvious firsts – create a relationship (if you don’t have one already) with a reporter or writer who might specifically cover student organizations or Greek life, and make sure they’re on your list!

COMMUNITY MEDIA

The sure-fire way to keep all of your local/community media in the loop is to first make sure you’re aware of ALL of the major news channels, radio stations and newspapers in the area – then, research them online and make sure you have the most updated contact person.

• The email address for the News Desk at a television station is the best contact for television media.

• The Program Director or News Desk is the best contact at your local radio stations.

• The writer who is most associated with philanthropic topics in the community is the best contact for newspapers.

Sometimes, the best way to keep up with these contacts is the old-fashioned way – you may find it’s most effective to pick up the phone, call the News Desk for any of these type of media outlets, and ask for the contact email for someone related to philanthropy.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Just like you have someone managing your social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or other accounts) to communicate with your audiences, there is someone at each of these television & radio stations and newspapers managing their social media. You can communicate with them via your own social media by making Facebook posts and/or tweeting to get their attention – if they reply be sure to retweet, share the post, or any other form of social media content re-generation. You are practicing good media relations in that way as well!

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You may also have a well-known blogger in your area – someone who has become known on campus or in the local community for maintaining an interesting blog with a large audience. Just make sure the content that they include in their blog and the things they are writing about are appropriate and aligned with the Circle of Sisterhood message and values. It is easy to contact these writers, so be sure to include them in your list of contacts!

Use your resources.

Once your contacts are updated and ready to go, utilizing the resources provided by the Circle of Sisterhood Impact Program manual is the best way to create effective materials. Examples of press release templates and public service announcements (for television or radio) are included for you to use.

An important note while using these resources is to PERSONALIZE them! These are provided as starting points – it is up to you to make them effective based on your location. You should also provide high-quality photos each time you send a release to the media – the more content they already have from you, the more likely they are to run a story about you! For example, when sending a pre-event press release, include a high quality photo of your Council or women in your community. Have someone designated to take high-quality photos during the event so that you can send event photos with a post-event release.

* If you have someone taking photos, make sure they’re using a camera/smart phone that will take images of 1MB or higher in size! This is especially important for print media, as they will not be able to use photos that are too small to print at a reasonable quality.

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Make sure you practice effective media relations before, during, AND after your event!

All three elements of media relations are important to getting your message out there – if you don’t grab attention in ALL of these phases, but you follow through on all three, you are more likely to get greater results!

PRE-EVENT

• Send out your pre-event press release with a quality photo of the women/group working on the event and all of the vital details.

• Send out a Media Advisory officially inviting newspaper reporters, TV stations and radio stations to attend and cover the event as it is happening, or to interview/take photos and otherwise gather content in person.

DURING THE EVENT

• Designate a point person to “host” your media contacts while they are at your event. This person needs to be dedicated to working with the media. FYI: media contacts won’t always notify you that they are attending, so you should have someone ready to host and act as spokesperson.

• Utilize the Media Talking Points in your Impact Program manual! Be prepared to speak eloquently about the Circle of Sisterhood and the goals of your event.

POST-EVENT

• Send your post-event press release with the outcome of your event; include funds raised, number of people who attended, quotes from students/community members who attended, and other important information.

• Send high-quality photos and act as your own ‘journalist’ when submitting the post-event release! Again, the more content you already have for them, the higher the chances that they will use your information. If you haven’t caught the media in the pre- or during stages, your post-release is the best bet on getting media placement.

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4 Proof read and edit!

This step seems simple, but it is indeed one of the five most important steps in media relations. A typo or grammatical error can sometimes be an immediate turn off for the media. Utilize resources on campus or the expertise of your fellow sorority community sisters who are journalism majors to proof read and help you make sure your material is 100 percent ready to be sent out!

Maintain your media relationships.

You can help your organization to get more and more coverage and attention from your campus and local media by making sure those relationships stay positive and relevant. Practice cordial and eloquent communication and be prompt and responsive when a journalist or other person from the media contacts you for information or for further help on completing a story.

Also, keep your media list organized and updated for future officers to use!

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Sororities at (insert name of school) join with Circle of Sisterhood Foundation to help girls achieve education around the world.

INDIANAPOLIS – (insert date of release)

The (name of campus) College Panhellenic today announces its event for the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation. The Circle of Sisterhood, through the collective influence of sorority women, supports entities that work to remove barriers to education for girls and women around the world.

(Insert paragraph about the event including details about time, location, ways to donate, etc.)

(Insert name of campus) College Panhellenic joins over 170 other campuses across the U.S. who support the Circle of Sisterhood and their mission to uplift girls and women from poverty and oppression through education. Since its founding in 2010, the Circle of Sisterhood has awarded grants in 17 countries and funded school builds in 3 countries.

(Insert quote from a Panhellenic officer regarding the partnership/event)

Example: “It is our goal to not only raise funds for the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation but to also increase awareness of the issues facing girls and women around the world,” stated (name of person and office held).

“The important work of the Circle of Sisterhood would not be possible without the continued commitment of individual sorority alumnae and campus sorority communities. We are excited for the great work the (name of campus) sorority community will do to create awareness about the global issues affecting women and to raise money to provide opportuinty through education for girls around the world,” states Ginny Carroll, Founder and Executive Director of the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation.

About the Panhellenic Council

(insert information that describes the mission of the campus Panhellenic)

About Circle of Sisterhood Foundation

The Circle of Sisterhood Foundation will leverage the collective influence of sorority women to raise financial resources for entities around the world that are removing educational barriers for girls and women facing poverty and oppression. The Circle of Sisterhood was recognized as a U.S. charity in September of 2010 and since then has had an impact in seventeen countries spanning four continents. For more information, visit www.circleofsisterhood.org

Media Contact:

(Insert name of Panhellenic PR Officer, email address and phone #)

Ginny Carroll – ginny@circleofsisterhood.org or (317)775-9488

SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE