THIS I BELIEVE: ON MOTHERHOOD
PUBLICITY FOR LOCAL MEDIA
THIS I
BELIEVE
On Motherhood
E D I T E D BY D A N G E D I M A N W I T H
J O H N G R E G O RY & M A RY J O G E D I M A N
This I Believe, Inc.
2424 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 259-9889
fax (502) 259-9890
Publicity in Newspapers (including online local news sites):
Whom to contact: Features Editor, Features Writer, Features Journalist, Features Reporter – the person you
are looking for could use any of these titles. Go to the newspapers’ websites and look for the staff directory.
There, look for the keyword “features.” If there is no features reporter, try arts and entertainment, books, or
local interest. If you are still unsure, you can call the front desk and ask who writes feature stories and what his
or her email address is.
Also, don’t forget about your alma mater. This is a noteworthy story for your school’s alumni journal or
quarterly.
How to make contact: Email. Most editors and writers don’t take phone calls for pitching stories. An email is
a better way to make the first contact. Here is a sample email you may use as a template:
I am writing to let you know that I live in the XXX area and I am featured in the new book, This I
Believe: On Motherhood. Based on the acclaimed public radio series, this collection features 60
essays that offer a compelling portrait of the diverse range of beliefs and experiences related to
what is perhaps the most powerful and complex of human relationships, the mother-child
bond. These essays were drawn from more than 100,000 submissions made to the This I
Believe radio show and website (www.thisibelieve.org) over the past seven years.
I think the readers in our community would enjoy a feature about my essay being published in
this collection. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to set up an interview. In
addition, This I Believe, Inc. founder and editor Dan Gediman is also available for interviews
about this book and the public radio series.
Attached to this e-mail you’ll find a copy of the essay, a .jpg image of the book cover, and a
press release about the book. If you would like additional details about This I Believe or if you
would like a review copy of This I Believe: On Motherhood, please contact This I Believe at
admin@thisibelieve.org or call (502) 259-9889. You may also contact them to inquire about
permission to reprint my essay.
I hope you feel your readers will enjoy knowing that one of the essays in this book is from our
own community. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Be sure to include the following attachments: your essay, book cover image, and press release
What will happen: After you make contact with the reporter, one of three things could happen:
•
The reporter or editor responds, wants an interview with you, and prints a great story about you, your
beliefs, and being in the book. (Hooray! This scenario is what you’re hoping for!)
•
The reporter writes a piece from the information you gave him or her and you are pleasantly surprised
when you open the paper or go online to your news site. (Unexpected positive results are so rewarding!)
•
The reporter or editor, for whatever reason, does not receive your email or chooses not to follow your
story. (Sometimes media people dismiss a real jewel of a story. But that’s okay. It’s not personal.)
This I Believe, Inc.
2424 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 259-9889
fax (502) 259-9890
Publicity with Local Radio Stations
Whom to contact: Morning show host or local interest show host. Look for a staff list on the station’s website.
We’ve had great success at catching the interest of local university stations, too.
How to make contact: Email. You can also call to follow up with them. It is our experience that radio hosts
are often doing more things in the station than hosting a radio show, so sometimes a call is a good way to follow
up after you send an initial email.
I am writing to let you know that I live in the XXX area and I am featured in the new book, This I
Believe: On Motherhood. Based on the acclaimed public radio series, this collection features 60
essays that offer a compelling portrait of the diverse range of beliefs and experiences related to
what is perhaps the most powerful and complex of human relationships, the mother-child
bond. These essays were drawn from more than 100,000 submissions made to the This I
Believe radio show and website (www.thisibelieve.org) over the past seven years.
I think the listeners in our community would enjoy hearing a piece about my essay being
published in this collection. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to set up an
interview. In addition, the founder of This I Believe and one of the editors of the book, Dan
Gediman, is also available for interviews.
Attached to this e-mail you’ll find a copy of my essay and a press release about the book. If you
would like additional details about This I Believe or if you would like a review copy of This I
Believe: On Motherhood, please contact This I Believe at admin@thisibelieve.org or call (502)
259-9889.
I hope you feel your listeners will enjoy knowing that one of the essays in this book is from our
own community. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Be sure to include the following attachments: your essay and press release
What will happen: After you make contact with the station, one of three things could happen:
•
The host or producer responds, wants an interview with you, and asks you to come to the studio to read
your essay and discuss being in the book. (Hooray! This scenario is what you’re hoping for!)
•
The host airs a piece from the information you gave him or her and you are pleasantly surprised when
you turn on the radio. (Unexpected positive results are so rewarding!)
•
The producer, for whatever reason, does not receive your email or chooses not to pursue your story.
(Sometimes media people dismiss a real jewel of a story. But that’s okay. It’s not personal.)
This I Believe, Inc.
2424 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 259-9889
fax (502) 259-9890
Sample Press Release
DATE HERE, 2012
For Immediate Release
Contact: Your Name Here
Your Email Address
Your Telephone Number
– or –
Mary Jo Gediman, This I Believe, Inc.
maryjo@thisibelieve.org
(502) 259-9889
This I Believe: On Motherhood
Local Author in New Book by Popular Radio Series
In the 1950s, Edward R. Murrow’s radio program This I Believe gave voice to the core values
and treasured beliefs of Americans around the country. Fifty years later, the popular update of
the series, which has been featured on NPR and now continues on Bob Edwards Weekend on
satellite and public radio, explores the beliefs that people hold dear today.
A new collection of 60 This I Believe essays has recently been published by John Wiley &
Sons. And there’s a local connection to the book.
[Add a paragraph about you, your experience with having your essay selected for the book,
and a bit about your inspiration for initially writing the essay.]
This I Believe: On Motherhood is an inspirational compilation of original essays on the theme of motherhood.
This collection shares the personal stories of sixty essayists (both older and younger adult children, as well
as biological mothers, stepmothers, and adoptive mothers) who explore the unique bond that can be at
once loving, constructive, painful, and nurturing. With personal insights and wisdom, This I Believe: On
Motherhood offers a compelling portrait of the diverse range of beliefs and experiences related to what is
perhaps the most powerful and complex of human relationships.
This I Believe: On Motherhood can be purchased at major online retailers, and will be in
bookstores in early April. All proceeds from sales go to support the non-profit organization
This I Believe, Inc.
About This I Believe
This I Believe, Inc., is an independent non-profit organization engaging people in writing and
sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. More than 100,000 of
these essays, written by people from all walks of life, have been collected by the organization
since 2005. Most of these essays are archived in a This I Believe Essay Collection on the
organization’s website (http://thisibelieve.org), and the group broadcasts essays weekly on
public radio. This is the seventh book of essays published by the organization.
This I Believe, Inc.
2424 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 259-9889
fax (502) 259-9890