Reach out now to generate coverage of your Lights On Afterschool event!

For most afterschool programs, and for the afterschool field overall, Lights On Afterschool is the most visible time of the year. It’s a time when we use social and mainstream media to share the wonderful, fun, educational activities afterschool programs offer and the many ways they support students, families and entire communities.

Media coverage amplifies the reach of your Lights On Afterschool events – meaning you get more “bang” for all the hard work you put into organizing your event. So if you possibly can, take a little time to tell local media what you are planning and invite them to cover your event.

The Afterschool Alliance has published a wealth of resources to make it easy to reach out to local media. See the section called Most Important Steps, which demystifies the process of engaging media. It’s not too late to start! Here are the key steps to take:

Identify your key messages. The Afterschool Alliance uses three key messages: Afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and give parents peace of mind in the hours after the school day ends and before they return home from work. Your messages may be similar – or not. Use what works best in your market.

Identify powerful messengers. Who do you want to speak to the media about your program and your Lights On Afterschool event? It may be afterschool providers, parents, students, program graduates, supportive elected officials or business leaders, or someone else.

Think about the outlets that might cover your Lights On Afterschool event. This may be broadcast or cable TV, radio, a daily or weekly newspaper, a newsletter, an ethnic or faith-based media outlet, a city or school system website, a Patch, or something else.

Use your social media channels. Use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and other channels to share news about your event – in advance and afterward, when you have great photos to share. Think about blogs that would publish information about your event, beforehand or after it has taken place.

Make it easy for media to cover your event. Offer to send photos and a news release to journalists who can’t attend. Offer to connect with a local TV station via Skype if they can’t come to you. Or offer to bring a student, parent and program director to a local TV station to do a “live shot” in the early morning about the Lights On Afterschool you’ll be holding later that day.

Engage media as a partner. You may want to invite a local TV reporter or anchor to emcee your event or invite a local radio station to broadcast live from it.

Generate coverage after the event. You can write a letter-to-the-editor afterward, telling readers about why you held a Lights On Afterschool event and what activities took place at it.

Lay the foundation for ongoing relationships. Thank media for any coverage they provided. If you had a conversation with a reporter, editor, producer or other journalist who was unable to cover your event, reach out afterward to set up coffee or lunch to discuss how she or he might cover your program in the future.