There are many cycles when I am constantly sending releases and news to the media. If my department has a particularly busy run schedule, newsworthy assessment of the incidents quickly follow. There are other cycles though when alarms settle down and the flow of information to the media takes a brief hiatus. To avoid being out of sight, out of mind, I make sure that my department, especially in the local community newspapers, has placement at least twice a month. One way I do this is with news “fillers.”
Fillers are news briefs that include captioned photos, short quizzes, or under 300 word safety articles and tips.
Here are some reasons that “fillers” work -
1. Because they are so short, editors often rely on them to “fill a hole” on a page. A 100-word brief on when to install a new smoke detector battery always stands a much better chance of being published than a 650 word story on the same topic.
2. Briefs help portray your department’s firematic knowledge and community minded spirit.
3. They appeal to readers with short attention spans and can be skimmed quickly.
4. They’re easy to write and distribute without having to pitch editors. You can usually submit briefs to editors at a variety of non-competing publications at the same time. Editors don’t expect exclusivity on these items and usually don’t care if they appear in other publications.
It’s important to stay in the public’s mind for them to know that their tax dollars are being constantly rewarded with outstanding fire and EMS protection and advice.
Also on The Fire PIO…
- Austin, Texas IRS Plane Crash – Virtual JIC Critique – March 5, 2010
- Is Reading a Workplace Crime? – April 7, 2010
- The Media is taking a Free Ride using our resources – March 18, 2010
- Hard copy vs. electronic news releases and stories: two different sets of rules to follow – February 4, 2010
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