Earned Media: Getting the Press to Work for You

Audience: State and local health departments, NGOs and community organizations, and advocates who are looking for ways to use the news media to tell their story, support or raise awareness of policy issues, and to advance your agenda. Key Points: The session will include a PowerPoint presentation introducing core concepts of earned media, the current state of media, a description of today’s complex media world, and a presentation of best practices and key principles for engaging news media to promote tobacco control messages. The panel will provide real world examples including using data and polling to generate media coverage and the details behind an initiative to pressure changes to baseball’s tobacco policy. Panel members will provide handouts that support the presentation and key resources and tools to advance your earned media efforts. Educational Experience: The panel will include a member of the CDC’s OSH media relations team, the head of media relations for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and a senior member of GolinHarris, a recognized PR firm in tobacco control. These leading experts in media relations (earned media) will discuss the importance of earned media; provide real, actionable ideas for effectively communicating with the media and generating coverage; offer tips to make your events, activities, initiatives and actions more newsworthy; and present insights on how to take advantage of today’s changes in digital communications. Benefits: Audiences will take back actionable ideas to leverage earned media to advance their local agenda and better promote their programs.