Our mission is to coalesce, inspire, and support the …Our mission is to coalesce, inspire, and support the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education.

Our mission is to coalesce, inspire, and support  the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education.  

This toolkit serves as a guide for Head Start programs to help you spread awareness through the media about the life-changing power of Head Start. Getting airtime on local media is one of the most effective ways to communicate Head Start’s value to new audiences.  

Looking to get started with your own media outreach efforts? Here are seven steps for successful engagement with the media. 

7 Steps to Spread Head Start Awareness Through the Media 

1. Gather resources The most important thing to do before reaching out to any potential media outlets is to gather all the resources and information that will help you in conveying what your program has to offer. These resources may include:  

● Background information on Head Start’s model and its history.   

● Fact sheets, flyers, and marketing materials. See NHSA’s website for resources.   

● Statistics on the local and national impact of Head Start. See NHSA’s National and State Fact Sheets for the latest data.   

● Pictures and interview samples, if you have them.  

● Biographies of potential interviewees.  

● Talking points and suggested questions, essentially an outline of the main message you want to get across in an interview. 

Why this is important: Preparation makes the best pitches possible. Have everything ready and all the information at hand so producers/editors don’t have to dig for a compelling story. If members of the media feel like they have to do extra legwork for your story, they will likely pass on it. 

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Our mission is to coalesce, inspire, and support  the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education.  

2. Develop your message 

Take a moment to think about the main message you want to get across in the story. In other words, if you were to write a headline for your story, what would it be? What is the main point you want the audience to learn?  Then, write down several details that support your main point. These should be both facts or statistics that demonstrate the impact of your program and also a story or two that bring it to life. For tips on crafting your message and tailoring it to specific audiences, view NHSA’s Head Start Language Playbook. View NHSA’s Head Start Explainers for summaries of research supporting your points about Head Start’s positive impact on children and families. 

Why this is important: Preparation is key to successful communication. While you certainly won’t be able to script your story, having a well-thought-out goal in mind will help ensure your main points get across. 

3. Identify potential media outlets After you have gathered your resources and developed your main messages, it’s time to identify the target media outlets in your local area—the television stations, radio stations, newspapers, community blogs, and other communications channels that focus on your community.   Once you have selected the relevant media outlets, next identify segment producers, program directors, or editors at those outlets. This step might take a little legwork because titles for those roles vary by outlet. Start with an internet search or a direct phone call to the outlet, asking for the producer or editor’s contact information so you can make your “pitch” through email.  Why this is important: It’s all about the audience. Knowing your area will help ensure you find the best the viewing audience for your message. Similarly, identifying and reaching out to the correct producer for the segment you’d like to air is important because it will improve your chances of successfully landing a story.  The most direct way of finding out who’s in charge of what programming is a phone call to the directory or news desk. Don’t be intimidated—there’s no need to pitch your idea to the person at the directory or news desk who answers the phone. Simply ask for the name and email address for the segment producer/director/editor or the reporter who covers the education or community services beat.   

Tips to consider 

Emails are the most effective way to pitch a story.  

Producers and reporters work in loud and distracting newsrooms, so they are more likely to read a well-written pitch than listen to a story idea over the phone.  

An informative, to-the-point email is the surest way to get a response. 

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Our mission is to coalesce, inspire, and support  the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education.  

4. Reaching out to media outlets Once you have obtained the email addresses of the producers or reporters who might be most interested in your story, it’s time to connect with them through a brief, well-written, and persuasive email.   The key elements of your pitch 

➔ Subject line: The email should have an eye-catching subject line like, “Bringing Head Start Awareness Month to (insert outlet name here).” A subject line can make the difference in whether or not your pitch gets off the ground. Some producers get flooded with emails daily, so a catchy subject line stands out in a crowded inbox. 

 ➔ Introduction: The body of the email should have your organization’s logo in 

the header, before the introduction. Then in the introduction, make sure to state your name, your organization, your title, and a brief overview of your organization.  

➔ Why: After the introduction portion of the email, it’s time to get into WHY you’re reaching out. In this section state why your story should be featured by the outlet. Producers want to know why your pitch matters to their audience, and why the story is timely. The bigger the impact you can express, the more likely your pitch gets accepted. This is your chance to explain Head Start’s impact and why the greater community would be interested. 

 ➔ Explain the story: In the next paragraph, suggest a vision for the story’s 

narrative. Provide talking points and suggested questions for an interview segment, including an interviewee biography, pictures, testimonies and media sample that will add to the story.  

 ➔ More information: Conclude the email by attaching any FAQs, flyers, and 

other marketing materials that show the data on how Head Start is impacting your area. Producers like to see numbers, so make sure to include a quantifiable impact that Head Start is having locally. 

 Why this is important: Producers and reporters work on tight deadlines and often don’t have the bandwidth to fully explore your story idea. Make it easier on them by sharing the resources you’ve gathered for developing the story. Share the main messages you created that can serve as an outline for the story, or at least influence the narrative the producer or reporter pursues. 

 Afterwards, don’t forget to follow up!  After you’ve pitched your story idea, the best way to follow up with members of the media is through email.   Forward your initial email, so all the resources and information are in the email chain, and draft a brief, 2-3 sentence email reminding the reporter or producers of the main idea for your story, why it matters to their audience, and why it matters now.  Why this is important: Follow-up phone calls are not necessarily more effective, and may even have a negative impact, as reporters and producers are typically flooded with more inquiries than they could possibly respond to.  

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Our mission is to coalesce, inspire, and support  the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education.  

5. Landing an opportunity 

Great job, your pitch was accepted! Now what? The next step is preparing for the interview. Don’t be intimidated by this process because you’ve already done the research to prepare. Use all of your gathered resources and talking points as your study guide. If the producer or reporter indicated he or she was interested in a specific narrative, focus on reviewing your messaging that supports that main point. Continue to study those talking points until you feel completely comfortable with them.    Why this is important: In order to leave the audience with the takeaways you want, you need to know your message inside and out. While you may not be guiding the interview, you are in control of the information you choose to share. Being 100% confident in the material will help you find opportunities during the interview to discuss it.

6. The interview 

On the day of the interview, there’s one big thing to keep in mind… try to relax! You’ve already done the hard part in your preparation, and now it’s just time to have a conversation.  ➔ Try to get plenty of rest the night before the interview so you look and feel refreshed. Drink plenty of water and 

utilize whatever calming techniques work for you, such as exercise or meditation.  

➔ First impressions go a long way! Make sure to show up to the interview location a few minutes early, with your best fashion foot forward. Choose clothing that fits well and is not too revealing or distracting. You are representing your organization and the Head Start community, so make sure to present yourself professionally, in both your behavior and appearance.  

➔ During the interview, remember to relax and stick to your talking points. On the rare occasion that the interviewer goes off script and asks a question you weren’t prepared for, stay calm and guide the conversation back to your main message and supporting talking points.  

 Why this is important: Relaxation and poise are key to a successful and engaging interview. Think of the interview as a dance with a partner: the interviewer is the lead and you are the follow. You want to be as comfortable as possible during the interview so you can engage and follow your partner’s lead.  Since you pitched a specific story idea to the producer/reporter, the likelihood of the interviewer getting off-track and asking a question you are unprepared for is slim. If you do find yourself in that situation though, don’t be afraid to guide the conversation back on-track to your key messages with a transitional phrase like, “it sounds like you’re asking about ____.” 

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Our mission is to coalesce, inspire, and support  the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education.  

7. Post-interview 

After the interview, take the appropriate steps to be courteous to the outlet and send a follow-up email thanking the producer and/or interviewer. Provide your contact and social media information to keep a line of communication open for future initiatives.  If you misspeak or were misquoted in a print interview, you can email the reporter with the correct information, and hopefully the error can be fixed. If you misspeak during a live interview, don’t panic. Reach out to the producer via email and explain your error. Often, the news outlet will publish the interview on their online news platform, and the producer may correct the error there.  If possible, make sure to take pictures and videos of your experience and confirm with the producer where you can obtain a copy of or link to the interview. Then you can amplify it on social media, in emails to your community, in a post on your website, and maybe in a training session for other Head Start advocates. 

. Why this is important: Following up immediately after the interview is crucial for continuing the relationship with the producer or reporter and building momentum for future stories. Showing gratitude for their time and interest goes a long way, so be courteous in the aftermath of the interview. Relationship-building takes time and varies from person to person, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t hear back from the producer right away.   The best way to land a follow-up story is not by pestering the producer with periodic check-in emails, but by going through the pitch process again. Develop your next message and put in the same level of preparation to make it happen. Just as producers likely won’t do the digging for your initial story, they also won’t dig for your follow-up story.  

You’ve mastered the tools to effectively pitch a story, now use them again for the follow-up! Hopefully, your relationship with the producer grows and the process gets easier over time with repetition and familiarity. 

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