Types of Events
There are a variety of different kinds of events that can be used to promote brain injury awareness. Types of events include:
- Conferences with workshops, presentations, and exhibitors.
- Books signings by authors who write about brain injury.
- Prevention seminars for parents.
- Prevention seminars for caretakers of the elderly.
- Radio and television spots.
Public Service Announcements
Contact your local radio and television stations about their policies regarding public service announcements (PSA). Most radio and televisions stations will give free time to non-profit organizations. Public service announcements are an effective way to increase awareness about brain injury. These 10- to 30-second spots should be professionally taped, and should be targeted at your specific audience. The more professional your PSA is, the more likely it will be aired.
Media Tips
If you are holding an event, use your local media to report and promote the activity. Here are some great ways to use the local media to ensure that you get the word out about your event:
- Calendar listing – list your activity or event in the calendar sections of your local publications.
- News and press releases – Write a release heralding your event, and be sure to include who, what, when, where, and why in the story. Be sure to include the contact name and a phone number so the publication can get in touch for more information.
- Personal opinion articles – Have an expert submit an article to your newspaper’s Op-Ed page, or ask them to submit a letter to the “Letters to the Editor” section.
- Radio/television appearances – Contact the producers of your local radio and televisions stations, and ask them if your expert can be interviewed. When you meet with the producers, be sure to have several different interesting angles in mind.
- Media alerts – Invite the media to attend your event one week before it occurs. Make the alert interesting enough to make them want to attend, and be sure to include all the pertinent information such as where the event is happening, when, and why.