AASA Back-to-School Media Outreach Tips
You may use the following tips to engage your local news media and generate
interest in the materials in this toolkit.
Tip 1: Generate Story Ideas
 Use the talking points in this toolkit to pitch story ideas to reporters:
o When you call a reporter, always ask first if he or she has a few
minutes to talk. If not, arrange a time to call back.
o Try to tailor your pitch to what you know about the reporter’s
interests. The more you know about a reporter and news outlet,
the more effectively you can target your pitch to their interests.
Look for opportunities to link your story to issues that have been
covered recently or to local or national events or trends.
o Make your pitch brief but interesting.
o Offer background materials and sources the reporter can contact
for more information.
o If the reporter turns down your pitch, don’t be afraid to contact
him or her again in the future with a new angle or a new story
idea.
 Ask local reporters for feedback on the type of information they would
like to receive that would be helpful in their education reporting.
 Invite education reporters and editorial boards to a briefing to discuss
issues relevant to your school district.
Tip 2: Create a Media List
Create a list of the key reporters, editors and producers that handle
education issues for newspapers, magazines, radio stations and TV and cable
outlets in your geographic area. Online media directories such as
www.newslink.org allow you to search news outlets by type and geographic area.
AASA research shows that most Americans get their information about
public education from local newspapers and local television. Therefore, it is
important to include your local media outlets in your media outreach.
However, for maximum impact it is important that your outreach efforts
target not just local news outlets but state and regional outlets as well.
Tip 3: Cultivate a Relationship With Reporters
Maintain contact with your media list and establish your credibility as a
reliable source by periodically pitching story ideas and offering helpful
background information.
Back to School 2012: Telling the Good News ● Sept. 2012 ● www.aasa.org
Tip 4: Distribute Press Releases
Press releases are an important component of an effective media outreach
plan. Send press releases to your media list to share newsworthy information
about your district. Tailor the press release in this toolkit and distribute it to
your local media contact list. Follow up by calling key media contacts and
reinforcing the information in the news release.
Tip 5: Distribute an Op-Ed
Opinion-editorials, or op-eds, are used to influence opinion leaders and sway
public opinion. To raise awareness about an issue in your district, submit an
op-ed to your local newspaper. Generally, you should not submit an op-ed to
more than one newspaper, as most newspapers will only accept exclusive
submissions. Contact each newspaper’s editorial page editor to find out the
paper’s op-ed submission policies.
Tip 6: Meet With an Editorial Board
Editorial board meetings provide an opportunity to influence the editorial
position of a newspaper and rebut misinformation about public schools. The
start of school can be a good time to meet with an editorial board to discuss
your district’s goals and initiatives for the coming year. Call your local
newspaper, say that you would like to set up a meeting with the editorial
board, and explain what you would like to discuss with the editors. Meeting
with an editorial board does not guarantee that you will influence the paper’s
editorial position, but it can help raise the editors’ awareness of important
local and national education issues.
Back to School 2012: Telling the Good News ● Sept. 2012 ● www.aasa.org