Now that you've written your story of impact...
...think strategically about how to make it seen by as many eyes of possible. Here are ideas to get you started.
Share your story with us
at the National Center for Media Engagement.
- Add your narrative to our Public Media Maps tool. You’ll attract national attention for your work by sharing your story with PBS, CPB, and other national stakeholders through this interactive map. Each month, we feature several submissions on mediaengage.org and publicmediamaps.org.
- Share links to your story on your station’s Facebook page, website and Twitter feed. Create a buzz around your good work.
- Ready to begin? Submit your story here.
Share your story within your station.
- GM's and other managers look for examples of how the station serves its community. They can use your story in communications to the general public.
- Include it in your station's internal newsletter. Help staff understand that it's not just your story, but theirs. Encourage them to retell it in their own way.
- Promotions and development staff continually need content for newsletters to members. This is a great place for a story of impact. Also, suggest they share it with volunteers and board members.
- PR staff may want to adapt the story into a press release. Depending on the activity and impact, others around the state or country will want to hear about your work.
Share your story with community partners.
- Use the story to acknowledge the time and energy your partners invested. They'll feel good about their efforts and be more likely to continue it.
- Your partners want to demonstrate their good work, too. Suggest they post the story on their Web site or include it in a newsletter to members.
Hint: Focus your story on activity your partner participated in significantly and include a quote from the partner. They are more likely to pass it along if they're a major player in the story.
Share your story with funders and underwriters.
- Funders want to help people and make a difference. A story that demonstrates impact on their community helps them feel good about their investment and compels them to continue it.
- A story encourages a funder to care more deeply about an activity. It may even help him or her feel ownership in the project and a stronger connection to the station. Funders who feel this way tend to contribute to future activities.
Hint: Create a story around an activity the funder really cares about-the program they funded directly, the event they attended or the piece that triggered their interest initially.
