HOW TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE MEDIA ADVISORY
A media advisory alerts reporters about a newsworthy item they should cover that is coming up soon. The trick is to get journalists interested enough to attend your event without giving away the big news. Writing a good media advisory is an important skill not just for press conferences, they can also be used to get reporters to rallies, panel events, or any other newsworthy aspect of your work.
Here are the basics your media advisory must include:
Brief, compelling headline.
Hook - what is the reason for the news conference or event? You want to get reporters interested enough to attend without giving away what the big news is so they will show up (virtually or in person).
Location, date, and time of the news conference, rally, webinar, etc.
Speakers’ names and titles, if applicable.
Contact information - email address and the best phone number for the person assigned to respond to media inquiries.
Registration or log on link (if your event is virtual)
Extra credit: Consider including online calendar links in the advisory to make it easy for reporters to get your event on their google calendar, Outlook calendar, etc. You can use a free tool to create these online calendar invitations.
KEEP IT SHORT
Your media advisory should be very short - keep it to a half page, if at all possible.
MAKE YOUR SUBJECT LINE COUNT
Reporters’ inboxes are super crowded so you need to put a lot of thought into making the subject line of the email sharing your media advisory stand out. Include the words “media advisory” and keep it short and to the point, including the date of the news conference, panel, rally, etc., you’re promoting.
INCLUDE THE FULL TEXT OF YOUR MEDIA ADVISORY IN THE BODY OF YOUR EMAIL
Include a short note and paste the media advisory right in the body of your email. Don’t include attachments - you can link to other information from your email if you need to.
PERSONALIZE YOUR OUTREACH EMAILS TO KEY REPORTERS
Your email is far more likely to catch a reporter’s attention if you personalize your email and your message to them - that means including their first name early in your subject line and also personalizing your short note above the media advisory.
SEND YOUR EMAIL SEVERAL TIMES
You should assume that reporters will not necessarily see your first (or second email) and plan to send your media advisory to them more than once in hopes of catching their attention. Personalize your follow up emails to any key reporters. Suggested timing is to send the first media advisory out a week before your event, then again two days before your event, and for the final time the morning of your event.
