easy-Speak - Toastmaster Automation! :: easy-Speak - Toastmaster Automation! :: Press Releases for Club Start-up
Author malw Date 11 Feb 07, 21:36 Views 2105
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Description Tips and Examples of Press Releases for New Clubs
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Press Releases for Club Start-up 

Local/regional newspapers and community/network newsletters are a great way to reach a large number of potential guests and members for your new club. You can write an article and submit this to the editor - phone them first to introduce yourself (it's better than just emailing) and to check the deadline dates for printing, or why not invite the Editor to attend your Demo meeting - they might even join!

Editors tend to like PEOPLE stories and SUCCESS stories, so try to include information about how other local TM members have benefitted and ask them to supply a quote or two. Why not take some photos of a local TM meeting and show smiling Toastmasters "in action". It's often good to stress our not-for-profit status and that we welcome EVERYONE - the community benefit is appealing to editors.

Don't forget to include contact details in the article so readers can reach you to find-out more information and include the address of your new club website, if you have one.

You might want to base your article on a specific THEME i.e. confidence for career development, speaking skills for a volunteer project, overcoming nerves for a wedding speech - this adds to the interest of the article for readers. Check if the newspaper has any up-coming FEATURES which would be relevant for your article i.e Recruitment Section, Wedding Fairs, Adult Learning.

Remember:
1) editors often edit articles! So the published article might be shorter than the text which you submitted
2) When your article IS published contact the Editor to THANK THEM; they will then be more likely to publish your next article on the successful CHARTER of the new club
3) Consider including "Information for Editors" (see Spa Article below); this gives background information for the editor, if they want to conduct further research into TMI. Include TMI Website www.toastmasters.org and D71 Website www.d71.org and YOUR CONTACT details

Here are a couple of examples of Articles:

https://easy-speak.org/docs/NewClubs/SouthsideSpeakersArticleJan2006.doc
https://easy-speak.org/docs/NewClubs/SpaSpeakersPressrelease040123.doc