WYOMING PREVENTION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CONSORTIUM - for Wyoming Tobacco, Substance Abuse & Suicide Prevention Programs
FREE, EARNED & PAID MEDIA 
FREE MEDIA
- Establishing a relationship with your local media (newspaper, radio, tv) is important to receiving free articles and promotion for your program's public health platforms. Free media constitutes any type of positive promotion, which may be an article written by staff, a column or guest editorial provided to your program to share information with the public, an on-air interview to share coalition and program goals, objectives and events.

EARNED MEDIA
- This is free media/promotion received due to specific efforts on the part of the coalition, youth group or program to move forward a particular goal or objective.

PAID MEDIA
- This is promotion of a program strategy to address a specific causal area or to move forward a specific program goal.  Paid advertising should have a definite audience, share a specific message and elicit a call to action or change in behavior. Please review the division's protocol to running paid advertising:


 
 
 
HELPFUL DOCUMENTS AND WEBLINKS:
 
 
SAMPLE NEWS RELEASE FORMAT
 
Purpose
A news release is one of the basic tools used in media relations to disseminate information. It provides media with news about something that will happen in the future or something that has already taken place. Use it to release data from a recent survey or study, tout a success story, address a problem or promote an event. The most important thing to remember is it must contain news relevant to the media outlet’s audience.
 
Tips
¨      The headline and lead paragraph should capture the reader’s attention and be self-explanatory, since this is as far as many reporters read before deciding whether or
not they are interested in the story.
¨       Provide a local angle to maximize interest and coverage.
¨       Put key elements in the first two paragraphs.
¨       Be concise. Use short, simple sentences and paragraphs. Eliminate unnecessary words.
¨       Avoid technical language and jargon. 
¨       Do not editorialize or offer opinions unless they are part of a quote.
¨      Don’t use quotes to repeat what has already been said. Use quotes to support your position and offer opinions.