MEDIA KIT
AMERICA IN BLOOM
Make the most of the good news!
Your town’s participation in the AMERICA IN BLOOM program is good news. Make the most of it. Local newspapers, radio and television shows, even bloggers are your best allies in this mission. The more people know about your town’s participation in AMERICA IN BLOOM, the more likely they are to participate. The more people involved in your municipality’s program, the more newsworthy it becomes and the more coverage you’ll have during the entire run of the competition.
The trick is to get the media to sit up and take notice from the start. Once you have their attention, keep it! In fact, consider asking a media professional to be part of your “In Bloom” committee.
Put some life into your publicity!
Throughout the summer, on-air mentions, public service announcements and updates of interesting activities will build awareness of the competition and your community’s involvement. Having a website dedicated to your efforts is a great way to communicate. You might also consider creating a Facebook page where people in your community can tell about their efforts. Organize a launch, a project or an activity that will generate community participation and use the bulletin board to announce it, report on its success, or both.
As you know, strong local coverage is even more important. Good media coverage takes persistence, some hard work and a little imagination. Good media coverage demands an interesting and involving focus.
At the end of this document you’ll find an example of one of the many press releases AMERICA IN BLOOM distributes to the media.
Here are some points to consider:
Media 101
The first step is basic. Use any media and publicity connections and advantage you have to get coverage, but don’t limit yourself to just people you know. Make a list of every source you can think of including churches, service clubs and other groups that can reach people and promote participation. You can even upload videos of your events onto This is a “good news” story about local community involvement and the interest generated by the program’s friendly competition. It should be carried by all media. The local activities build a sense of community while boosting civic pride and environmentalawareness.Participation can impact everything from tidiness to tourism, from creating a healthier community to building a stronger local economy.
Find champions and ask for advice
Identify a decision maker in each media who likes and understands the program and its benefits, someone who is likely to run your material. Ask what information and materials they need for the best possible coverage. Be sure to ask how far in advance they need your materials.
Always, always follow up
Was the material received? Can they use it? If material isn’t used try to find out why. When anything about the program is carried, even if it’s something you didn’t submit, phone and thank whoever was responsible (if it’s positive). If it’s not positive, ask for equal time.
Get out and SELL the story
It’s a great one! It’s local. It’s about community involvement and shared effort. It comes with a really big pay off for everyone who participates, the satisfaction of making where you live and work a better place.
If that isn’t enough to get the media’s attention, point out that the story comes with a national and an international sidebar. AMERICA IN BLOOM is a program which promotes urban beautification and participation based on similar competitions that have been a huge success in countries around the world for more than 60 years.
Remember that even bad news can be turned into good news. One year, someone stole one of the hanging baskets in Oberlin, OH. The newspapers and television ran the story and as a result, more people stepped up with donations for their program and offers to help. Not only that, the newspaper funded an “incredible backyard makeover” contest.
Give them what THEY need to tell your story
When it comes to beating out other news items, an interesting and appealing photo opportunity (one that can also be easily described on the radio) is often as important as having a good story.
What would be really special would be to have a local launch and other events in your community. Having the local media cover your activities will boost awareness and participation and, with enough good ideas and high participation levels, HGTV – Home & Garden Television, NPR, and other national media could key into the stories on a national basis. They might pick up a feed from a local affiliate that includes your local launch activities!
Keep the coverage going
Supplying a weekly update of activities can keep up interest and awareness as the competition moves through the summer months toward the final judging. To be successful, make things happen to stay in the public eye. If a story breaks by chance, or is developed by the media, that’s a bonus.
Draw up a plan. Establish what should be given to the media, such as press releases and publishing activities in each week of the program. Remember imagination, hard work and persistence are a big part of getting good media support.
While getting the word out about AMERICA IN BLOOM is serious business, it doesn’t have to be all hard work. The more imagination you bring to this planning stage the less work you’ll have to do and the less persistent you’ll have to be. Good stories sell themselves.
Go ahead and brainstorm. When it comes to getting in the news, a little silliness never hurts. Think of as many interesting ideas as you can to keep the media and their audiences interested, then pick out the best ones and make a list.
Before you start here’s a tip: Don’t just think about traditional media. Think of ways to get more people involved in AMERICA IN BLOOM. Develop an idea that involves enough people and you’ve got your media story for the week. After all, isn’t getting more people involved one of the reasons behind all the promotion, publicity and coverage you are trying to generate?
HERE ARE A FEW SUGGESTIONS:
Places of worship have congregations and weekly bulletins. Most have gardens and landscaped areas. Nominate a committee member to oversee the activity and challenge them to compete in a special inter-denominational “Churches in Bloom” program that their congregations can organize and sponsor. Ask them to promote AMERICA IN BLOOM in their bulletins, even in sermon titles (i.e.; Lilies of the Field, Seeds of Change, etc.).
Flower-filled window boxes are a great way to beautify all kinds of buildings. A local group could sell window boxes as a fundraiser (religious groups or scout troops are two examples) or have a service club sponsor AMERICA IN BLOOM by giving somethingaway (for example, seed packets or potted plants) at a shopping center or community event.
A Boy Scouts’ Clean-Up Day could target a problem area supported by municipal clean-up crews, the police or the firefighters.
Service clubs or the local business association could sponsor a flower day to mark the halfway point of the contest by giving away a fresh cut flower or plant to passers-by or store customers.
Schools can have contests for poster, banner, and/or logo designs.
Depending on the level of participation and number of projects, a map showing all the planned activities could be produced for the media and put on display in public areas.
Community colleges and camera clubs could be involved in producing video and photographic records of the contest for exhibiting in schools and libraries, on YouTube and Facebook. This visual history could grow from year to year as part of local and national record.
AMERICA IN BLOOM should have a presence at community events such as parades, street festivals, etc.
Don’t forget the little things
Ask the local media to use no-cost or low-cost opportunities to promote AMERICA IN BLOOM. Television stations could identify the program by using the logo as a graphic at station breaks. Broadcasters could make reference to the program when giving the day’s weather forecast. The local newspapers could make the logo, or a reference to the program, a part of their weather and gardening pages.
All these media have time and space for public service and charitable announcements and AMERICA IN BLOOM. The many benefits your involvement and activities bring directly to the community certainly qualify for consideration and strong media support.
Transit advertising, bus shelters and outdoor signs also carry public service work. What a great PR gesture for these businesses to donate unsold space and production to promote the contest.
The media you want to promote AMERICA IN BLOOM have bills to pay. Give them some ideas that promote the program and provide them an opportunity to sell some advertising support around it. They will come up with ideas of their own once you plant the seed. Work with them and any local supporters to deliver awareness that works for everyone involved.
Get a local camera store to run a “Before and After” Photo Contest.
Tip sheets. Publish a weekly guide to participants on the kind of things they should be doing, what the judges will be looking for, plant information, etc. A local newspaper could sell small ads around the tip sheets to cover the space costs.
Printing and distributing a clip and save “Countdown Calendar” a few weeks before the judges arrive could be handled the same way either in the newspaper or on air.
For radio, suggest a phone or email registration challenge for a “Best Bloomin’ Street” or “Plant a Tree in Your Yard” promotion. Their sales force can package and sell to advertisers at a special promotional rate that includes prizes from local businesses and everyone wins!
A zanier radio station could be convinced to run an “UgliestGarden in Town” Photo Contest with prizes donated by local landscapers. The garden’s owner, or an irate neighbor, could enter and both could win.
Makeover contests can be sponsored by the newspaper along with a local nursery and landscape designer.
Make the most of the good news and have fun doing it. Everyone involved in building awareness for the contest is performing an important role. The local media know this and will respond to your enthusiasm.
Use the Internet and Social Media
Create a website that describes your activities. It's a great way to engage sponsors and solicit volunteers.
Use Facebook, YouTube, and twitter to quickly share your message.
ONE MORE THING:
Please let us know how you promote AMERICA IN BLOOM and send us links to the articles about you, or videos on YouTube and other places.