WORKING WITH THE MEDIA

Collaborating with the media fosters positive relationships and makes it easier for journalists to do their job. UR maintains a list of campus experts and provides contact information to the media upon request.

• Campus experts list: If you have an area of interest beyond your field of study and would like to be added to our list of experts, please contact us.
   
• If a reporter calls you: Please let UR know if you've been contacted by the media. We monitor media coverage as part of our overall public relations efforts. We can also help if you're unsure how to answer a question from the media or if you need advice on how to prepare for a media interview.

PLEASE NOTE:  All media requests for a response on behalf of the university or outside your area of expertise should be passed along to University Relations.

• Data and records requests: All media requests for records should be submitted in writing to the Office of University Relations.
  
  
• Have a story idea? As the primary contact for the media, UR distributes articles, news releases and public service announcements. We can't share what we don't know…so, if you have story idea, please contact us. The main criteria for forwarding an idea to the media is that it's timely and of interest to a majority of people in the given audience.

PUBLICATIONS & PROMOTIONS

If you’d like to create posters, flyers, newsletters, or brochures, please contact UR as part of that process. We are responsible for assuring that all print materials are consistent in look and message. Maintaining these standards is important to effectively marketing the campus.

• Creating a publication? UR offers planning and creative services (writing, editing and graphic design) on a time-available basis. Contact us for more information.
  

• Looking to promote an event? UR also offers strategic planning, advertising and marketing services on a time-available basis. Contact us for more information, and be sure to check out our Guide to Promotions.

UNIVERSITY RELATIONS STAFF

GUIDE TO PROMOTIONS

Planned promotion is a key to success for any event – even the most well-planned events will falter if nobody knows about them. With proper notice, UR can help your promote your event through the following:

• Campus web announcements. Lead time: 1 week.
• Media coverage. Lead time: 3 weeks.
• Paid advertising. Lead time: 4 weeks.
• Purchasing t-shirts, pens, and other promotional items. Lead time: 4-6 weeks.
• Evaluating your promotions and developing strategies for improvement.

THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PROMOTE YOUR EVENT
Here are some ideas for promoting your own event:

• Put it on the events calendar (contact Samantha Kimball)
• Post it on the monitors (contact Matt Warming)
• E-mail faculty, staff & students (brb-staff, brb-students)
• Post flyers on campus & community bulletin boards
• Use sidewalk chalk
• Make table tents or tray liners for the cafeteria
• Use sign posts (contact maintenance, ext. 5259)
• Stuff campus mailboxes 
• Ask professors to make in-class announcements
• Create and distribute posters
• Ask local grocery stores to stuff bags with your flyers
• Offer incentives for attendance (prizes, extra credit, food)
  
  After the Event:

• Send thank-you notes
• Assess the effectiveness of your promotions
• Promptly process payment for print or ad services
• Remove outdated postings from bulletin boards
• Set the date for your next event and put it on the events calendar (contact Samantha Kimball)