National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD):
A How-To Guide For Media Outreach

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Establish a spokesperson for your organization

This will allow one person to be the voice of your organization and the cause you are promoting when doing interviews. Make sure this person is familiar with your organization, the mission, and the purpose of your National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day event/activity. They should also be comfortable speaking to reporters and doing television and radio interviews if needed. Creating talking points will help the spokesperson relay key messages.

Create a media list

Create a list of local newspapers, TV and radio stations to contact in your area. Go online or call the station or publication to find out who the health editor or reporter is. Your organization's communications department may already have a list of local media, so be sure to check with them first.

Let the media know about your event

Pitch your event no later then one week in advance. Start off by sending a media advisory via fax or e-mail to alert reporters to the event. A day or two before, send a press release that explains the event. Template press releases are available at www.womenshealth.gov/hiv/NWGHAAD/. Be sure to follow-up with a phone call.

Pitching tip: make sure you briefly state who, what, where, when, and why to keep the reporters attention. The quicker and simpler the pitch is the better.

In your press release, consider including county- or state-level health data that illustrates the need to bring attention to the impact HIV/AIDS has on your community. Quick Health Data Online, a free and easy-to-use statistics database, is a great resource and is available at www.womenshealth.gov/quickhealthdata

Let other organizations know about the event

Submit information about your event and National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day to local organizations that send newsletters to employees or members. Local businesses, grocery stores, health clubs, retail stores, faith-based organizations, women's groups (i.e. the Junior League) and various associations may have newsletters they could include information in. Make sure to check the submission dates in advance to ensure the National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day information is timely.

Utilize community calendars and Web sites

Encourage local newspapers and TV and radio stations to post your event in their community calendars and on their Web sites. Be sure to look for submission rules and procedures to ensure your event is posted correctly and in a timely manner.

Create a press kit

Create a press kit (it could be a folder or CD) that includes fact sheets, bios of key spokespeople, women's health and HIV/AIDS information as it relates to your event and other useful materials about your organization and the upcoming event. Send the packet of information to reporters and have the kits available on the day of your event. Fact sheets for National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day are available at www.womenshealth.gov/hiv/NWGHAAD/.

Follow-up with the media

Make sure you follow-up with any media that attended the event and wrote a story. This will encourage a lasting relationship between you and the media, which will be handy for future activities or events. A post-follow-up can include a quick e-mail, phone call, or thank you note.

Current as of February 2008