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Prepareathon Promotion Guide
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Table of Contents
Section 1: Social Media Promotion ...................................................................................................... 2
Section 2: Traditional Media Promotion ............................................................................................... 7
Appendix: Communication Templates and Resources ....................................................................... 7
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Prepareathon Promotion Guide
Introduction Congratulations! By holding and promoting your Prepareathon event, you are taking an important step toward preparing for disasters.
This Prepareathon Promotion Guide is designed to work with the Prepareathon Planning Guide and help you make the most of your event. Browse through to find resources and customizable materials to promote your event.
This promotion guide includes something useful for any Prepareathon event. If you are new to social media, use the pre-written tweets and Facebook posts in Section 1. If you have never reached out to reporters in your community to set up interviews or cover an event, read up on the best strategies for getting journalists to cover your activity in Section 2. Even if you have experience in these areas, the customizable materials will save you time.
Instructions and tips are included every step of the way. If you want to go directly to a particular section or document, click on any of the hyperlinks.
How to Customize Promotional Materials The Prepareathon website provides an easy-to-use promotional materials wizard that will customize the Prepareathon logo and digital media assets, such as banner ads and badges, to help you and your team promote your Prepareathon. Visit ready.gov/prepare to see what is available.
Adaptable Promotional Materials
● Key messages
● Pre-written social media posts
● Sample calendar listing
● Sample blog
● Media advisory template
● News release template
● Proclamation template
● Letter to the editor template
● Announcement template
● Sample radio PSAs
Customizable Materials Available on the Prepareathon web site
● Logo
● Poster
● Social Media Post
● Web banner
● Web badge
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Section 1: Social Media Promotion
Overview Social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram are great ways to start a conversation about your Prepareathon. They are also great ways to encourage coworkers, customers, and community members to join in.
This section will show you how to promote your event using social media. You will find tips on holding an effective Twitter chat, Periscope, Facebook, or Instagram Live event as well as pre-written tweets, Facebook posts, and blog language that you can quickly use.
■ Getting Started
■ General Tips
■ Social Media Best Practices
■ Social Media on the Day of Your Event
■ Pre-Written Social Media Posts
■ More Ideas
■ Maintain Interest After Your Event
Getting Started Before you use social media to promote your event, think about your goals and audience. This will help you determine which social media platforms to use (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) and the content you will need. Here are a few questions to get you started:
1. What social media platforms does my audience use?
2. What social media accounts does my organization have? Do I have access to them (including profile information and handles)?
3. Do I need to do any outreach and promotion to grow my number of followers?
4. Who will manage and monitor our social outreach?
5. Am I following my partners and other key stakeholders?
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General Tips If you are not already using social media, it can be confusing to know where to start. Here are some tips that will help you reach your audiences:
■ Create a social media schedule. Write tweets and Facebook posts ahead of time and note when each post will get published.
■ Add images and videos that highlight your event.
■ Start the conversation several weeks before your event. Share event details and actions your audience can take. Use #Prepareathon, so communities across the country can get inspired.
■ Encourage followers to use #Prepareathon with images to show the actions they are taking.
■ Follow FEMA and your partners and stakeholders. Retweeting their relevant tweets is a great way to increase your followers.
■ Mention the @Prepareathon handle in your tweets and Facebook posts, so FEMA can like and retweet your posts.
■ Tag your partners, participants, stakeholders, etc., using their handles. This will help raise your profile among these organizations.
■ Look for National Weather Service (NWS) handles in your region.
■ We’ve also provided you with some sample tweets and posts you can use.
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Social Media Best Practices
HOW MANY TIMES A WEEK SHOULD I POST?
WHAT TIME OF DAY IS BEST TO POST?
WHAT DAYS ARE THE BEST TO POST?
■ 3 days at least ■ 4-5 days is average ■ 6-7 when getting close to
your event
■ Morning rush hour: 7-9 a.m. ■ Lunch time: 11:30-1 p.m. ■ Evening TV time: 7-9 p.m.
■ Facebook: Thursday and Friday ■ Twitter: Monday and Wednesday ■ Instagram: Monday and Friday
HOW LONG SHOULD MY POSTS BE?
SCHEDULING POSTS AND RETWEETS
HOW TO USE HASHTAGS
■ Shorter is always better ■ Twitter: 140 characters ■ Facebook: No character
limit ■ Leave room for hashtags
and URLs Note: images don’t take up character space
■ Facebook once a day ■ Tweet twice a day Look for holidays that align with your message (i.e. Pet Preparedness Month, American Red Cross Month)
■ Look for popular hashtags within your community
■ If you can, use the #Prepareathon hashtag in the post
Use popular weekday hashtags when applicable (e.g., #WisdomWednesday)
K.I.S.S. CONTENT STRATEGY
BUILDING YOUR NETWORK
USER GENERATED CONTENT
It’s best to follow the K.I.S.S. content strategy: Keep It Short and Simple. Engagement typically increases when copy is short and creative.
Build your network of supporters and followers by following and tagging influential voices on Twitter, such as the National Weather Service office closest to you and your FEMA regional office.
To gain permission to use someone else’s photo, simply send them a Tweet or Facebook message. For example, “Hi, my name is [insert name]. Can we use this image on our Prepareathon social media page? Our community would love it!”
Social Media on the Day of Your Event Help people who cannot attend your event connect through pictures and videos. Use social media to inspire them to prepare.
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Do a “tweet-along” to provide people with a visual walk-through of your event.
Use Facebook Live or Periscope to stream a video that will allow people to ask questions and get more information about your event.
Come up with a unique event hashtag that includes your community or organization’s name along with something that shows you are preparing (e.g., #AcmePrepareathon). This helps your community see what you’re doing to prepare. This unique hashtag can be used with #Prepareathon too.
Have someone monitor hashtags and keywords so you can spot and respond to social media coverage of your event.
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■ Promote your unique hashtag or hashtags in all your materials and messages and encourage people to use them, especially on the day of your event.
■ Ask stakeholders and event participants to spread the word and post about the event using the same dedicated hashtag (e.g., #AcmePrepareathon); aim to get the event trending in your community.
■ Consider doing a Thunderclap about your event or creating a microburst (e.g., getting people to push a tweet at the same time about the event with a dedicated event hashtag).
Pre-Written Social Media Posts Below are some pre-written social media posts that you are welcome to use and customize. In the examples below, #Prepareathon and #AcmePrepareathon are used as placeholders. Please replace those with the hashtag you create for your event.
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Join us on [date] to get your community prepared for the next [hazard]. #Prepareathon
On [date], join us to [action] to make sure you’re prepared for an emergency in your state. #Prepareathon
I’m getting involved in Nat’l Prepareathon Day on [date] to promote #preparedness for [action]. #Prepareathon
Join us on [date] to promote [organization (e.g., CERT)] and get prepared for [hazard]. #Prepareathon
Our community will be prepared for the next [hazard]. Will you? Show us what your community is doing to prepare. #Prepareathon
Example: Our community will be prepared for the next tornado. Will you? Show us what your community is doing to prepare. #AcmePrepareathon
Retweet if you’re prepared for [hazard]. We are! #Prepareathon
Example: Retweet if you’re prepared for winter storms. We are! #AcmePrepareathon
On [date], we are [action] to be prepared for the next [hazard]. #Prepareathon
Example: On June 1, we are testing our communications plan to be prepared for the next hurricane. #AcmePrepareathon
This month, I will [action] to make sure I’m prepared for an emergency in my state. #Prepareathon #FillInTheBlank
Example: This month, I will participate in local CERT training to make sure I’m prepared for an emergency in my state. #AcmePrepareathon #FillInTheBlank
Your preparedness partners are expected to complete this “Fill in the Blank” tweet and hashtag.
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Today, we are [action] to be prepared for the next [hazard]. #Prepareathon
Example: Today, we are testing our communications plan to be prepared for the next hurricane. #AcmePrepareathon
Today, I am [action] to make sure I’m prepared for an emergency in my state. #Prepareathon [insert photo].
Example: Today, I am participating in local CERT training to make sure I’m prepared for an emergency in my state. #AcmePrepareathon
Community challenge! See how many people you can get to take action and do a preparedness activity. Share a pic! #Prepareathon
For more suggestions, see Sample Tweets and Posts for Facebook and Instagram in the Appendix.
More Ideas Check out some of these creative ways to engage your audience in a broader preparedness discussion and/or in your event as it is happening.
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Twitter Chat
Scavenger Hunt
Facebook Live
Periscope
Maintain Interest After Your Event After all your hard work, keeping the interest alive after your event is important, especially if you plan to hold another event in the future.
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Share or retweet information about emergency preparedness at least once a month to keep the dialogue fresh.
Use the #Prepareathon hashtag and ready.gov/prepare URL in your posts where relevant.
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Section 2: Traditional Media Promotion
Overview Promoting your event plays an important role in raising awareness and teaching people in your community about the importance of being prepared. This section is designed to help you and your team promote and publicize your drill, activity, or event with local media. In the Appendix, you will find templates that can be easily tailored for your Prepareathon event, as well as basic guidelines on how and where to use them.
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Getting Started
Checklist for Planning a Media Event
Key Messages
Choosing two or three key messages for your event will help to make sure the public receives the appropriate information. When you have a few well-defined messages, event leaders and spokespersons can effectively communicate about the event, and the media will have a better understanding of what you are doing.
These key messages should be woven into all of your promotions—news releases, media advisories, talking points, invitations, newsletters, letters to the editor, or proclamations—to guarantee consistency.
Ask yourself two questions:
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What do I want the headline or lead to be?
What do I want reporters to focus on?
To help you get started, review the Key Messages in the Appendix.
Getting Started A media event that is planned in advance will give you an opportunity to promote your Prepareathon and draw attention to your efforts to prepare your community or staff for disasters.
Getting your event covered by local media requires a good strategy. Deciding how to engage the media should be your first step.
Too busy to plan a media event? At a basic level, you can send an announcement about your event to local community papers and send a letter to the editor.
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Be creative and develop a timeline to help you appeal to local media. Start by identifying a drill or activity that would be of interest to the media.
A successful media event must have a strong visual component and a human interest hook. An event can take place at your business, school, or organization and should highlight the exercise, drill, or other activity you’re undertaking to increase your disaster preparedness. The location of the event should be accessible to the media and create a visual setting for your story.
Think about ways to make your event newsworthy. For example:
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Schedule your event during your state’s severe weather awareness week or other national preparedness initiative (i.e. The Great ShakeOut, Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, National Hurricane Preparedness Week).
Reveal a new local weather app or notification system or announce a push to register more people.
Feature people doing the preparedness action (sheltering in place, assembling emergency supply kits, etc.).
Secure commitments from multiple sectors of the community to do a drill on the same day or at the same time (e.g., schools, houses of worship, local businesses, government offices, etc.).
Shelby County Mississippi’s Prepareathon
Nine counties surrounding Memphis participated in a week-long Prepareathon event with different drills and exercises each day. The results were very positive:
Interviews on The Weather Channel’s AMHQ Weekend and Weekend Recharge
Interviews on local TV stations and news radio
Interviews as part of the national satellite media tour
Interview and story in the Memphis Commercial Appeal
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Checklist for Planning a Media Event Here are more ideas and strategies for getting your event covered by the media:
1. DETERMINE WHAT YOUR MEDIA EVENT WILL BE
Brainstorm ideas for a newsworthy media event that the general public will be interested in. Include visuals.
Consider scheduling your Prepareathon around the time of your state’s severe weather awareness week or another noteworthy event (e.g., the remembrance of a local disaster). This will increase the likelihood that local media (specifically TV and radio stations) will cover your event.
Determine whether your event will include high-profile partners and reach out to them to collaborate on an ideal time frame and location.
Determine whether your event will include a news conference, or whether it will be a photo opportunity with a subject matter expert who is available for on-camera interviews.
Select a location to showcase some type of action that is easily accessible to the media.
Identify important agencies and organizations to include as partner presenters and organizers.
2. LOCK IN YOUR MEDIA EVENT LOGISTICS
Confirm the date, time, and location for your media event.
Avoid holding your media event during the major news cycles (i.e., mornings between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m. in most news markets). In larger TV markets, 11:00 a.m. is a desirable time to conduct an event. This will increase the likelihood of live coverage during the mid-day newscasts, followed by additional coverage during early evening newscasts.
Check community calendars to make sure the date of your event doesn’t conflict with other significant, newsworthy happenings.
Identify a spokesperson(s) who will speak at the event and/or serve as a subject matter expert for media interviews.
Confirm your speakers’ availability and lock in the date and time on their calendars.
Have an initial internal discussion about event logistics. Start thinking about whether you’ll have access to electrical power. Are there specific things you need to plan for when using an indoor versus an outdoor location? Is a podium, microphone, or sound system needed? Are there costs associated with the location? Consider a location with enough parking for media vehicles.
Secure a photographer for your event about three weeks in advance.
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3. DEVELOP YOUR MEDIA AND PROMOTION MATERIALS
If you are doing a proclamation, make sure to start the process at least two months before your event.
Write a news release, media advisory, invitations, or other announcements for your event. Be sure to describe why the event is newsworthy.
Coordinate your social media strategy for your event.
Create brief talking points for speakers. For multiple speakers, divide up the key elements so that each person has something important to say.
Consider having a media partnership (i.e., giving a reporter or station exclusive access to your event). This can sometimes guarantee coverage.
Chatham County’s Prepareathon and Partnership with WTOC-TV
The CBS affiliate in Savannah, Georgia, partnered with Chatham County Emergency Management to promote their Prepareathon telethon on various newscasts. The partnership resulted in over 5,000 residents registering for the county’s alert system in one day.
4. ANNOUNCE YOUR MEDIA EVENT
Identify appropriate contacts to send the media release to and build a media list.
Begin contacting reporters. Send your news release via email two to three weeks in advance to the contacts on your media list. Post a link to the news release on your organization’s website and social media channels.
Ask partners and staff to share or retweet these posts and/or post links and information about the event.
Follow up the news release distribution with personal phone calls or emails to key media and gauge their interest in covering the event.
Give reporters background information to help make their decision to cover the event easier (current hazard threat assessment, bios on experts and key officials participating in the event, etc.)
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5. PRIORITIZE ACTIVITIES FOR 7 - 10 DAYS BEFORE YOUR EVENT
Reach out to key media and ask if reporters, editors, or photographers are interested in setting up a one-on-one interview with a speaker, subject matter expert, or spokesperson before or after your event.
Create a media advisory highlighting the photo opportunities involved to remind news outlets about your event. Distribute the advisory two or three days before your event.
Create an internal event timeline to inform speakers and your organization’s leadership on the flow of events. Four or five days before your event, review the talking points and timeline with speakers and make any necessary adjustments. Finalize event logistics.
Confirm and schedule interviews, photo opportunities, or other components of your feature stories with the reporters who’ve accepted your pitches.
Prepare your spokespersons for media interviews by practicing in advance. Please see the Appendix for interview tips.
Continue talking about your event on social media.
Identify roles and responsibilities and the schedule for the day of your event. Who will be taking pictures, tweeting, coordinating with reporters, etc.?
Address remaining logistical or technical issues and create a schedule for the day of your event to share with your organization’s leadership, speakers, and other crucial participants.
Consider doing a practice run to be sure all of the proper procedures are in place.
Send a news release two to three weeks before the event, but don’t forget to follow up in the days before by distributing your news release again.
Assemble a few media kits for reporters who attend the event. These kits should include the news release, schedule for the drill and Prepareathon event, speaker bios, and background information on the event, local disasters, etc.
6. FOCUS ON THE FINAL DETAILS FOR THE DAY OF YOUR EVENT
Make sure that staging or setup is completed at least one hour before anyone is expected to arrive, including setting up the podium, sound system, tables, chairs, and banners.
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7. MANAGE THE MOVING PARTS DURING THE MEDIA EVENT
Ask your spokesperson, speakers, and/or partners to arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of the event, and provide a quick briefing on the timeline of the event, the topics that will be discussed, photo opportunities, and any other important issues.
If possible, let these participants know which media outlets are expected to attend, and pass along any helpful information about whom they might find themselves talking to.
Appoint a representative from your organization to greet the media as they arrive and to keep track of requests for follow-up photo opportunities/interviews with your spokesperson, speakers, or event attendees after the formal announcement/remarks.
Begin your media event at its appointed starting time.
Invite the media to ask questions before the formal portion of your event ends.
After a few minutes of questions from the media, bring the Q&A to a close and thank the media for coming. Make sure a spokesperson from your organization, a featured speaker or a subject matter expert, is available after your media event to answer any remaining questions, and/or provide one- on-one interviews if needed.
If there is an action or photo opportunity planned following the press conference or formal remarks, schedule it to begin immediately afterward, and you or your organization’s spokesperson should plan to stay at the media event until all of the media are gone.
8. FOLLOW UP
Post photos, information, and/or news stories about your media event on your organization’s website and social media channels.
Send thank you notes to key media representatives who covered or attended your event. Ask for feedback to strengthen media relations.
Ask partners, participants, and staff to share or retweet social media posts, or post the links and information about the event on their own social platforms.
Follow up with reporters who couldn’t attend with a post-event recap in case they would like to do a feature story on your event.
Monitor media coverage to ensure its accuracy; share links to coverage with your organization’s leadership and on your social media channels.
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Appendix: Communication Templates and Resources
Jump to…
Sample Tweets and Posts for Facebook and Instagram
Tips for Effective Twitter Chats
Twitter Photo Scavenger Hunt
Tips for Periscope and Facebook Live
Key Messages
Announcement Template
Media Advisory Template
News Release Template
Letter to the Editor Template and Tips
Sample Live Announcer Radio Scripts
Proclamation for Local/State Government Templates
Sample Blog Post
Sample Calendar Listing
Photography Tips
Media Interviews: Rules of the Road
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Sample Tweets and Posts for Facebook and Instagram Feel free to use the posts as they’re written or customize them. Be sure to always include the Prepareathon hashtag (#Prepareathon) so FEMA can share, like, and retweet your posts.
SAMPLE TWEETS
I monitor weather alerts and warnings with [preparedness tool]. This helps me stay prepared for an emergency like a [hazard]. #FillInTheBlank
Example: I monitor weather alerts and warnings with a NOAA radio. This helps me stay prepared for an emergency like a flood.
Do you have the FEMA app? It’s preparedness at your fingertips! Download it today. #Prepareathon [insert FEMA app image]
ALWAYS have an emergency plan for your family in case a disaster strikes! #Prepareathon
Drills aren’t just for your toolbox. Practice emergency drills with your family regularly. #Prepareathon ready.gov/prepare
Ready, Set, Action! Disasters don’t just happen in the movies. Be prepared today with Prepareathon. ready.gov/prepare
Host or participate in an emergency preparedness drill near you! Find events at ready.gov/prepare #Prepareathon
Visit ready.gov/prepare to learn actions you can take to prepare for emergencies. #Prepareathon [insert “We’re In. Are You?” image]
You still have time to register for Prepareathon. Do it today! ready.gov/prepare
Join millions of Americans participating in Prepareathon. Register today at [URL ] #Prepareathon
A community in action tends to stay in action. Send us pictures of your community taking action. #Prepareathon
Get on the right track to preparedness! All roads lead to the #Prepareathon day of action on [date]. ready.gov/prepare
Prepareathon is finally here. What are you doing to get prepared? Show us using #Prepareathon
Host or participate in an emergency preparedness drill near you! Find events at ready.gov/prepare #Prepareathon
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SAMPLE POSTS
Know your local hazards and take action to prepare. Participate in Prepareathon. Register at ready.gov/prepare #Prepareathon [insert “Count Us In” image]
The Prepareathon website lists activities to help prepare your family for disasters. Which of the activities will you do? Find an activity here: ready.gov/prepare #Prepareathon [insert “We’re In. Are You?” image]
Register now to participate in Prepareathon and provide details about the activities you’re planning. Share the steps you are taking to get yourself and your community prepared. Visit ready.gov/prepare for more information!
We’re glad you’re taking action to prepare for earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and winter storms with Prepareathon. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, snap a photo of your preparedness-in-action moments and SHARE. #Prepareathon
Make sure that you’re prepared for hazards relevant to your community. Being prepared requires simple steps like having three days of food and water on hand. It can make a big difference! Learn what you can do to prepare yourself and your community. Visit ready.gov/prepare #Prepareathon
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Tips for Effective Twitter Chats
What’s a Twitter Chat?
Twitter chats are planned virtual gatherings hosted in real time on Twitter. They’re normally led by a user who wants to start a conversation on a certain topic. The chat is given a hashtag, such as #Prepareathon, to make it easy for anyone to identify and participate. Think about hosting a Twitter chat to share your emergency preparedness expertise and build excitement around your activities. Here’s how to get started:
Choose a Topic
Start by thinking about which hazard is most relevant to your area and would have the greatest impact on your community. Decide who you want to participate in the conversation. For example, you may want to invite your employees and customers to join the chat. Think about specific topic areas to focus on, like signing up for local alerts and warnings or collecting important documents to keep in a safe place.
Know Your Audience
Is your intended audience active enough on Twitter to carry on a lively discussion? If so, think about questions they’d find interesting to best engage them. If your audience isn’t active on Twitter, it may be best to participate in other Twitter chats rather than host your own.
Pick a Date and Time
What date and time is your target audience most likely to participate? If your audience works a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, then lunchtime or early to mid-evening may be best.
Promote Your Twitter Chat
Publicize your chat on your website and social media channels to increase participation. Include the date, time, topics, and #Prepareathon hashtag. Promote your Twitter chat at least one week in advance.
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Set the Format and Moderate
Think of your Twitter chat as a guided conversation with you as the guide. As the leader, you can help structure the discussion by asking specific questions about a topic. Number the questions as Q1, Q2, etc. Ask participants to reply with answers using A1, A2, etc. For example:
Q1: To prepare for a flood, what important documents should you have ready? #Prepareathon
A1: I have my driver’s license, Social Security card, birth certificate, and kids’ medical records and IDs in a waterproof box! #Prepareathon
Each question gets five minutes on average, and chats usually last approximately one hour. Decide on your Twitter chat topic and questions in advance so that you can promote them beforehand.
The Role of the Moderator
The moderator guides the conversation and should have specific tweets and topics ready to post during any lulls in the chat.
Pick a Tool for Moderation
Use Hootsuite, TweetDeck, or another Twitter dashboard that allows you to publish tweets and follow the discussion by monitoring the #Prepareathon feed.
Activities to Promote the Twitter Chat
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Send invitations via Twitter direct message or email.
Include the hashtag in your email signature block.
Ask Twitter followers to retweet the invite.
Advertise on other channels (e.g., Facebook, blog, website).
Promote in traditional places (e.g., office lobby).
Always include the time, date, and #Prepareathon hashtag!
Announce Chat Guidelines
Every Twitter chat has its own rules. The start of a chat is a good time to establish guidelines and the chat format discussed above. For instance, you might say:
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This #Prepareathon chat is a time to discuss emergency preparedness. Please refrain from offensive language and product promotion.
We have four questions: Q1–Q4. Answer questions using A1–A4. Don’t forget to add #Prepareathon to your tweets to be part of the chat.
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Follow Up After the Chat
Thank everyone for their participation. Follow up with a summary of the conversation for those who were unable to join. Please share it with us at @Prepareathon.
Twitter Photo Scavenger Hunt One optional social media activity for your event is a Twitter Photo Scavenger Hunt.
Pass out Twitter scavenger hunt cards at registration. Ask participants to have visual proof points of images on a “bingo card,” which can be similar to the one below—and to also use the #Prepareathon hashtag.
This will help guide social engagement during an event and help create content that you may be able to use for future UGC (user-generated content) posts. This type of activity works best as a competition with small prizes for winners.
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Periscope and Facebook Live: Broadcast Guide
Overview
This document provides tools, tips, and best practices for broadcasting with Periscope and Facebook Live. It also offers points to consider before, during, and after a live stream, as well as ways to build your audience.
About Broadcasting Tools
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Know Periscope’s icons.
Arrow: The arrow is for location. Enable this so people can see where you are broadcasting from. This location feature only shows the region, not the exact address.
Chat Box: The Chat Box icon is to edit chat options. This icon should be gray so that you can maximize engagement.
Twitter: The final icon is for Twitter posts. When this icon is white, a tweet will automatically post to your account, promoting the broadcast. Make this icon white to increase visibility.
Test Facebook Live. Do a practice video before using Facebook Live. Test out live video using the “Only Me” privacy setting. You’ll see the live video exactly as it will appear, but no one else will.
Have help. Have someone else watching and responding to comments from a desktop computer.
Before Broadcasting
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Follow others and participate. Watch and follow other live broadcasts. When you are actively participating with other users, they are more likely to watch and follow you.
Broadcast consistently. If you go live at a consistent time, on consistent days, you create expectation and anticipation. This allows you to build your audience over time. Consistency also affects the algorithm that determines placement on Trending lists and News Feeds.
Pick an engaging topic. Think about which hazard is most relevant to your community and who you want to participate in the conversation. Think about specific topic areas to focus on, like signing up for local alerts and warnings or collecting important documents.
Create a captivating title/description. Create a title or description (for Facebook Live) that encourages a viewer to click on the video. Try using a call-to-action. If you’re interviewing or talking with someone, use their Twitter/Facebook handle. Use any relevant hashtags and emoticons.
Include an American Sign Language Interpreter. Make sure your broadcast is accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing community by securing an American Sign Language interpreter.
Create talking points to cover within a 10 minute timeframe. Have 2 to 3 fundamental talking points that you can cover in 10 minutes. Make the experience feel like more of a two-way conversation. Include time to have a discussion with viewers. One way to get started is to ask your viewers to comment about something before a broadcast.
Pick a date and time. What date and time is your target audience more likely to participate? If your audience works a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, then lunchtime or early to mid-evening may be the best time.
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Rehearse material before going live. Use your talking points as a guide to save time and prepare for your live stream. Think about any questions that may come up.
Tools you may need. Consider the backdrop of the video and what it is that you want to convey. Be mindful of background noise and other environmental factors. And be sure your devices are charged and turned on silent. Equipment to consider:
iPad, iPhone or Android device
Tripod that holds an iPad, iPhone or Android device
Clip-on microphone
Stable Wi-Fi connection
Use the most engaging speaker from your organization. The individual/s being filmed should be dressed appropriately, have a loud, clear voice, smile, act casually, and be quick on their feet.
Promote. Build up anticipation by alerting friends and followers about plans to broadcast live. Promote on social media channels at least one week before the broadcast airs.
Title Cards. Give viewers time to sign on by using a Title Card at the beginning of your stream. This can simply be a piece of printed text at the beginning of your stream with the title of your broadcast.
During the Broadcast
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Be visually engaging. The more visually engaging your videos are, the more you can entice people to stick around. That means keeping the camera moving and not just sitting in one place.
Welcome people to your broadcast and be thankful. Make viewers feel more comfortable to join the conversation by being friendly and welcoming. When your broadcast is starting or ending, always remember to thank your viewers for likes, comments, questions, and for watching.
Give a general overview. Clearly explain to viewers what your broadcast is about.
Interact with your viewers. Keep viewers involved by asking questions, responding to comments, mentioning the names of users who comment, and by answering some questions live.
Be sure to stay on topic. Some users get sidetracked looking at all the comments coming in and use valuable time reading them. Be aware of internet trolls and ignore them or block them from the conversation.
Don’t have dead air. Prevent as much unnecessary silence as possible. A couple of ways to avoid dead air is by taking an incoming question from the audience or drafting a few extra questions in advance.
Reintroduce. As people find your video, they'll join in—but that means you'll want to reintroduce yourself a second, third, and even a fourth time to catch people up.
Encourage likes and shares. Ask friends and followers to sign up for live notifications. Encourage viewers to like and share the video.
Plug upcoming broadcasts. Talk about the content to come and tell viewers to follow you so they won’t miss your next broadcast.
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Closing remarks and final shot. Quickly summarize the live stream and thank viewers for watching and participating. Twitter displays the final shot of your Periscope, so make it good.
After a Periscope
Upload replays. Upload replays of your live videos so other people can watch them again. To access your replays, open “Broadcasts” from your Profile Tab.
Repurpose videos. After you finish your Periscope broadcast, you’ll have an opportunity to share the stream for up to 24 hours. Get more out of your video by repurposing it on YouTube.
Share broadcasts on other platforms. Promoting your video on various social networking sites increases the chances of earning social shares, receiving feedback, and gathering an audience.
Instagram: When promoting your live stream on Instagram, consider adding a text overlay to your images.
Facebook: Visual content does well on Facebook. Create a brief video preview to attract attention and tag any guests participating in your Periscope.
Email List and Organization Blog: Alert email subscribers to your upcoming broadcasts or write a blog post summarizing recent ones. Be sure to ask your followers for feedback.
LinkedIn: Create a short LinkedIn Publisher article to promote your Periscope channel. Make sure to include a visual and a call to action. You can share this content on your profile, through LinkedIn groups, or by sending direct messages.
Pinterest: Create informative content that uses images with a tall aspect ratio, detailed descriptions of your event, and a call to action to your Periscope stream.
Snapchat: Create a story to announce your broadcast and when you’re going live.
After a Facebook Live Stream
Save your video. Save the video to your camera roll, so you have a copy for safekeeping.
Space out posts. Facebook ranks live videos higher than other videos and other types of posts, so wait at least two hours before or after you post a Facebook Live video. Otherwise, your Facebook Live video may overshadow other traffic.
Optimize your live recording. Add a post-show comment thanking everyone again for watching. Encourage further comments and questions to get more news feed activity and engagement. Click on the date stamp, “Options,” and select “Edit This Video.” You can change the thumbnail, add or change the location and date, provide a longer description, and select a category.
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Key Messages It is important to know what disasters can happen in your community and how to prepare them.
Being prepared for disasters is a shared responsibility. It takes all of us working together to effectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters.
There are many easy and affordable ways for families, organizations, and communities to take action to be prepared for emergencies, including:
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Sign up for local alerts and warnings, download apps, and/or check access for wireless emergency alerts.
Create and test emergency communication plans.
Assemble or update emergency supplies.
Conduct a drill to practice emergency response actions for local hazards.
Collect and safeguard critical documents.
Document property and obtain appropriate insurance for relevant hazards.
Make property improvements to reduce potential injury and property damage (mitigation).
Conduct an exercise of a disaster scenario to review and improve your emergency plan.
Plan with neighbors to help each other and share resources.
Disasters and emergencies can happen at any time, often without warning. Know which disasters can happen in your community and how to prepare for them.
Cities and counties across the country are planning community events for Prepareathon, bringing together schools, businesses, local government, faith leaders, hospitals, individuals and families, and others to participate in community-wide preparedness drills and activities.
Key Research Findings That Support Taking Action to Prepare
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A FEMA survey found that nearly 60 percent of respondents have not practiced what to do in a disaster by participating in a disaster preparedness exercise or drill at work, school, or home in the past year.
Despite the fact that we are seeing more extreme weather across the United States and increases in the costs of natural disasters, FEMA research shows that fewer than half of Americans have developed and discussed an emergency plan with their household.
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Preparedness Matters
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When people prepare and practice for an emergency before it happens, it makes a real difference in their ability to take immediate and informed action. This, in turn, enables them to recover more quickly.
Participation in group discussions, drills, exercises, and trainings helps to establish brain patterns that support quick and effective action during an emergency.
Preparedness in the Community
Being prepared for disasters is a shared responsibility. It takes everyone working together to effectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters.
Prepareathon calls on all communities to practice preparedness actions now and throughout the year for the types of emergencies that could strike their area.
Preparedness in the Workplace
The longer it takes local businesses to recover, the longer it takes communities to bounce back.
Participation in Prepareathon helps business learn how to recover from the financial loss, property damage, and lost productivity that can result from a disaster.
Preparedness in the School
Children make up approximately 25 percent1 of the U.S. population and they play an important role in disaster preparedness.
Households with schoolchildren who brought home preparedness materials were significantly more likely to report preparing than those who did not receive materials. Those children who brought home the preparedness materials were 75 percent2 more likely to have a household plan they had discussed as a family, and twice as likely to have participated in a home drill. Interestingly, households with children who did not bring home materials were less likely to complete several preparedness behaviors than households with no children at all.
Children who have learned about emergency preparedness experience less anxiety during actual emergencies. The knowledge of what to do during an emergency helps them to act with more confidence and empowers them to become active participants in emergency efforts.
1 Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2014). National strategy for youth preparedness education: Empowering, educating, and building resilience. https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/96107 2 Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2014). America’s PrepareAthon! Key Messages. Retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1446841076629-a94dd124c87133b159408f1831617588/Americas_PrepareAthon_Key_Messages_v3_508.pdf
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Preparedness in the Home
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Preparedness begins in the home. Parents can set the example by teaching their children the importance of having an emergency plan.
In a FEMA survey, fewer than half of the respondents had developed and discussed an emergency plan with their household.
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Media Partnerships One way to guarantee media coverage of your Prepareathon event is to secure a partnership with one of your local media outlets. A partnership can take many forms, including an exclusive arrangement with one outlet in return for their support in promoting your campaign. This can result in just one outlet covering your event, but that is not always the case. If you are holding a news conference, every TV, radio station, and local paper is able to come and cover it. But if you have an exclusive partnership with just one outlet, then you would offer that station opportunities that other stations would not have (i.e., interviews to film and interview stakeholders, behind-the-scenes activities, etc.).
Start by reaching out to the station to request a planning meeting during the initial stages of your campaign. TV and radio stations have long planning cycles and approval processes for determining who and when to partner with community stakeholders. For a weather Prepareathon event, call or email the station’s chief meteorologist to briefly explain your campaign and request a meeting at the station. A typical community partnership meeting might involve station meteorologists, someone from promotions or public affairs, the news director and/or assistant news director, and sometimes the general manager.
A few important things to consider when selecting a media partner:
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Research your market to identify if there is a news leader, a locally famous/trusted meteorologist, and a station with a history of supporting and participating in your events.
Only contact one station at a time. If there is no interest, ask the second station on your list. Avoid sharing your discussions with other stations. TV stations are very competitive.
Depending on a station’s interest and capabilities, here are some ideas you might explore:
Development of Public Service Announcements (PSAs)
Propose that the station’s promotions department create a public service announcement. Offer to have your emergency management director or elected official be included in the PSA if desirable. The PSAs are typically 30-second spots and would air in the weeks or months leading up to the campaign. Provide a list of key points and information you want to include in the PSA, such as date of event, how viewers can be involved, locations, websites, etc.
On-Air Interviews
Ask if the station can schedule an in-studio interview with a key spokesperson from your organization—and a participating stakeholder organization—on the day of your Prepareathon event (or perhaps a different date) during a morning or afternoon newscast.
South Carolina’s WSPA TV PSA supported
Spartanburg County’s Prepareathon. Click here to access the PSA from YouTube
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Social Media Promotion
There are social media resources provided in this guide that stations can use to engage viewers, highlight activities, and share the preparedness message.
Story Coverage/Updates During Newscasts
Provide a list of key activities for your event as possible opportunities for the station to plan news coverage, live remotes, etc. By setting up meetings with the station early in the planning stages of your event, you will allow enough time for the station to offer guidance on the timing and coverage. For example, a station might be able to highlight your event during a morning show feature segment or it could cover a press conference if held live during midday news programs.
Weather Segment Giveaways/Trivia Contest
Another opportunity to involve your media partner is to provide weather-related content/trivia questions for daily contests, either during the weather forecast segments, or on their social media channels.
Sponsor a Prepareathon Telethon
Some Prepareathon campaigns have included raising awareness and registration for local alerts and notification systems. A few communities have established media partnerships to conduct Prepareathon telethons aimed at assisting viewers in registering (phones, mobile devices, etc.) on local notification and alert systems. The telethons included phone banks, live coverage during newscasts, support from station personnel, and even hosting the telethon at the TV station or in the community’s Emergency Operations Center.
Note: If a TV station partnership is not available in your community, consider partnering with a local news-talk formatted radio station. Radio broadcast partners can also provide resources to promote a campaign.
Chattanooga’s WDEF TV in support of Whitfield County’s Prepareathon is a good example of a TV sponsorship. Whitfield County and WDEF met several months in advance to identify ways the station could help promote the activities. The county selected the CBS station because of its strong news coverage of severe weather in the county compared to other stations in the market. The station produced a PSA, held a Weather Safety Contest during its newscast, gave away NOAA Weather Radios, interviewed the Director of the Emergency Management Agency during the morning newscast the week of the event, broadcast their activities, and had their chief meteorologist participate in a kickoff news conference announcing the campaign.
WDEF’s chief meteorologist participates in Whitfield County’s Prepareathon press conference.
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Develop a Media List Finding the media outlets in your state and your specific market is easy. A simple internet search is the best way to start. For example, type in the keywords “TV stations in Michigan” and a number of websites come up. For one-stop shopping, you can also try U.S. Newspapers Lists (USNPL) at www.usnpl.com. This website provides a comprehensive list of daily, weekly, and college newspapers, as well as TV and radio stations for every state. The site also provides a direct link to each outlet’s Facebook and Twitter pages. It’s easy to navigate and can save you time searching.
Before you begin cold-calling media outlets, find out if someone in your organization already has a local media list. If not, start identifying the major newspapers, TV stations, and radio stations in your community that cover general news or specific stories related to weather, disasters, and emergency preparedness. Be sure to include news organizations that reach non-English speaking populations as well as smaller community news organizations, websites, or blogs.
Research the websites of the news organizations you would like to contact to find the following information:
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Names, phone numbers, and email addresses of reporters who cover general news, city/town issues, weather, disasters, or emergency preparedness.
Names, phone numbers, and email addresses for news desks, producers, or editors of TV or radio programs you think would be a good fit for your story, or specific newspaper sections or columns that would provide a good fit.
Engage the Media and Build Relationships Once you’ve created a list of local news organizations, you can begin contacting reporters.
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Send an email or call as an introduction to help your local media contacts become familiar with your name and the event that you’re going to be promoting. A short, basic introduction is all you need. Ask your media contacts how they prefer to receive news releases and other communications, and let them know you’ll be following up with more information soon.
Follow the news outlets and specific reporters on Twitter and Facebook that you’re hoping to work with. This is an easy way to see what these outlets and reporters are covering. You’ll get a feel for how your contacts report their stories and what kind of information might be of interest.
Be persistent without becoming a nuisance. After making an initial introduction to your media contacts, follow up when you have a concrete timeline for your event. If you’re not making any headway with your contacts, check in again after a few days, but avoid pestering your contacts with daily calls or emails.
Avoid using vague subject lines and get right to the point in the body of the email. If you’re sending a news release or media advisory, paste the information into the body of the email so that it’s immediately accessible to the reporter.
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Contacting Print Media
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Most daily newspapers have an assignment editor who reviews news releases and media advisories. It’s also common for newspapers to have identified staffers with regular “beats” (e.g., education, city police/fire, health, sports). A newspaper in a larger market might have someone assigned to cover homeland security and disaster preparedness. Smaller newspapers or weeklies may cover more community events.
It is a good practice to call or email the print reporters you’ve identified and ask who would most likely cover your type of event. You can score extra points by asking what time of day reporters are generally on deadline to file their stories. Avoid calling during these time frames and you’ll stand a better chance of getting the reporter’s full attention.
Contacting a TV Station
Stations with early morning and late evening newscasts are usually staffed 24 hours a day. Small- and medium-sized stations may have reduced hours based around news times.
Media events that occur before 11:00 a.m. are usually covered on the noon and early afternoon newscasts, between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Know your local TV stations’ broadcast schedule and avoid contacting the station in the hour leading up to those times; reporters and assignment editors will be focused on their deadlines and won’t be interested in chatting about upcoming stories.
Stations may feature information about your event on their websites.
Consider a partnership with the station’s meteorologist or weather personality.
Contacting a Radio Station
Like TV stations, radio outlets generally have news or assignment desks and producers who oversee the content of specific shows. Start by looking at the station’s website to determine what kind of stories they cover and what their featured shows are.
Most radio stations conduct interviews over the phone versus in person or in the studio.
Ask if the station is able to do an interview before or after your event. Unless you’re contacting an all-news station, most news programs or interview opportunities happen during the morning and afternoon “drive times.” Peak drive times are typically 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
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Announcement Template This announcement template can be tailored and distributed in newsletters, bulletins, email communications, etc.
[NAME OF ORGANIZATION/COMMUNITY] Wants YOU To Be Better Prepared for Disasters!
According to a recent Federal Emergency Management Agency survey, nearly 60 percent of Americans have not participated in a preparedness drill or exercise in their home, school, or workplace in the past year.
As a proud participant in Prepareathon, [NAME OF ORGANIZATION/COMMUNITY] wants to share important information that will help you and your family be better prepared in case of a disaster.
A Prepareathon is an event focused on preparedness actions to increase individual and community preparedness and resilience through group discussions, drills, and exercises for hazards relevant to their area. At [NAME OF ORGANIZATION/COMMUNITY], our goal is to help you:
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Understand which disasters could happen in your community;
Know what to do to be safe and reduce potential injury and property damage;
Practice drills and share information to better prepare your employees, affiliates, and the communities you serve; and
Participate in community resilience planning.
To reach these goals, we at [NAME OF ORGANIZATION/COMMUNITY] will:
1. [LIST ANY NEW PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES/ACTIONS AND PROVIDE RELEVANT START DATES]; and
2. [DESCRIBE EXISTING PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES/ACTIONS THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION WILL CONTINUE TO CONDUCT].
[NAME OF ORGANIZATION/COMMUNITY] encourages you to visit ready.gov/prepare to learn more about Prepareathon and how you can improve your preparedness plan for your family and your community.
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Media Advisory Template Create a simple media advisory to invite reporters and news cameras to capture photos or video of your event. Include who your event involves, what the purpose of your event is, where your event is being held, when your event is being held, and why the media should take interest. Send the media advisory to media outlets a week or two before your event and follow up in the days leading up to the event.
For Immediate Release: [TODAY’S DATE]
Contact: Media/Community Relations Director [TELPHONE] Subject Matter Expert, Secondary Contact [TELEPHONE]
MEDIA ADVISORY
[NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION]’S PREPAREATHON TO PREPARE [EMPLOYEES, COMMUNITY RESIDENTS, ETC.] FOR [HAZARD]
[CITY, STATE]—[NAME OF ORGANIZATION/COMMUNITY] is holding a [DRILL OR OTHER ACTIVITY] on [DATE] to prepare its [EMPLOYEES, CONGREGANTS, STUDENTS, ETC.] for a [HAZARD].
[NAME OF ORGANIZATION’S CEO, PRINCIPAL, MAYOR, ETC.] is conducting a preparedness activity to emphasize the importance of being disaster resilient. [NAME OF ORGANIZATION/COMMUNITY] will be joined by other disaster planning partners, including [LIST OTHER ORGANIZATIONS] in an event in [CITY, COUNTY, STATE, AND/OR FACILITY].
What: [DESCRIPTION OF EVENT/ACTIVITY.]
Who: [SPEAKERS AND OTHER IMPORTANT GUESTS AND THEIR ORGANIZATIONS.]
When: [DATE/TIME OF YOUR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT.]
Where: [LOCATION OF YOUR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT (E.G., CITY HALL, CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS, INCLUDING THE STREET ADDRESS AND ROOM NUMBER).]
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News Release Template Write a news release to reflect the story you would like to see published in the newspaper or the story a TV anchor would report. Consider your key message(s) and what you want the reader, listener or viewer to take away from this event. Make sure quotes from leading officials and spokespersons support the messages. Send the news release to media outlets a week or two before your event and follow up in the days leading up to the event.
For Release: [DATE/TIME] Contact: [NAME/TELEPHONE]
[NAME OF ORGANIZATION] Joins Prepareathon
Nationwide Events Help People Prepare for Disasters
[CITY, STATE]—[NAME OF ORGANIZATION] is holding a [DRILL OR OTHER ACTIVITY] on [DATE] to prepare its [EMPLOYEES, CONGREGANTS, STUDENTS, ETC.] for a [HAZARD]. While everyone knows it’s important to prepare, this [DRILL/ACTIVITY] will ensure that everyone knows exactly what to do in the event of a disaster.
[INSERT QUOTE FROM LOCAL SPOKESPERSON.]
[INSERT MORE DETAILS ABOUT YOUR PREPAREDNESS DRILL OR ACTIVITY.]
A recent Federal Emergency Management Agency survey found that nearly 60 percent of American adults have not practiced what to do in a disaster by participating in a drill or preparedness exercise at work, school, or home in the past year. Further, less than half of these adults have developed an emergency plan and discussed it with their household. With the number and severity of weather-related disasters on the rise, Prepareathon is an opportunity for individuals, organizations, and communities to take action to prepare for specific hazards through group discussions, drills, and exercises.
Prepareathon is a grassroots action to increase individual and community preparedness and resilience. The goals of the events are to increase the number of people who understand which disasters could happen in their community, know what to do to be safe and mitigate damage, take action to increase their preparedness, and participate in community resilience planning.
[INSERT QUOTE FROM YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGER.]
On [DATE], individuals, families, workplaces, schools, and organizations are coming together to practice simple actions to stay safe before, during, and after emergencies relevant to their area. Examples include:
[INSERT PREPAREDNESS ACTION(S)]
For more information about Prepareathon, please visit ready.gov/prepare. Join the Twitter discussion: @Prepareathon.
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Letter to the Editor Template and Tips A letter to the editor is an easy way to make a big impact. Editors don’t publish every letter, but they do pay attention—especially to letters that are well-written or connected to an article they just published. Below are a few helpful tips, as well as a template and sample letter.
1. Writing Your Letter
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Make it relevant. Connect your letter to a recent natural or manmade disaster in your state, or one that happened somewhere else, but made national news.
Be concise. The first sentence should summarize your position and reason for writing. One of the biggest mistakes people make in writing letters to the editor is using the first paragraph (or the entire letter) to build to the point. Most editors read two to three sentences before making a decision.
Pay attention to word count. Check the guidelines for the publication you’re targeting. If they give a word count, follow it. If they don’t, 200 to 300 words are generally considered the maximum length. Many publications will not consider letters that exceed this word count.
2. Submitting Your Letter
Follow the guidelines. Many publications have specific formatting requirements, so check the publication’s website before submitting your letter. Always include full contact information for the author(s). Spell everything correctly and pay close attention to grammar—letters are not usually edited; rather the outlets select well-written letters that meet their guidelines. Email your letter to ensure timeliness.
Do not send attachments. Do not send your letter as an attachment. Paste the text into the body of an email.
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[NAME OF MEDIA OUTLET OR PUBLICATION]
Attention: [NAME OF EDITOR] [ADDRESS]
[CITY], [STATE] [ZIP CODE]
Dear Editor:
[STATE YOUR REASON FOR WRITING. IF YOU’RE RESPONDING TO ARTICLES OR EDITORIALS BY THE MEDIA OUTLET, USE THE FIRST SENTENCE TO REFERENCE THE TITLE OF THE ARTICLE, THE NAME OF THE PUBLICATION, AND THE DATE IT APPEARED. SEE EXAMPLE CONTENT BELOW.]
I’m writing in response to the article “After the Flood,” published by The Denver Post on September 17. Communities all across the United States have seen a higher frequency of severe weather and natural disasters in recent years. Coloradans have experienced the effects of disasters firsthand, with devastating wildfires and destructive flooding in the last two years alone. There is a new opportunity to help motivate people here in Denver to take steps to increase their personal safety in case of an emergency.
[MAKE A CALL TO ACTION, ASKING READERS TO FOLLOW UP WITH SOME ACTIVITY, SUCH AS JOINING IN CALLING ON POLICYMAKERS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE.]
Disasters—manmade and natural—aren’t going away. It’s time to act. Prepareathon is a grassroots event to increase individual and community preparedness and resilience through hazard-specific drills, group discussions, and exercises. Throughout the year, schools, universities, houses of worship, businesses, and civic organizations across the country are organizing Prepareathon days of action to discuss, practice, and train for relevant hazards. These events and activities often happen at times when disasters are most likely to occur, in conjunction with existing events, or during weather awareness weeks.
[STATE YOUR CASE; HIGHLIGHT FACTS, REFERENCES, OR RESEARCH TO ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY.]
[END WITH A STRONG, POSITIVE STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF YOUR CASE.]
I urge The Denver Post and its readers to participate in Prepareathon to help expand the dialogue on disasters and understand our risks. In doing so, we can create a more resilient nation.
Sincerely,
[WRITER’S SIGNATURE] [NAME OF WRITER] [WRITER’S TITLE]
[WRITER’S ORGANIZATION AND CONTACT INFORMATION]
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Sample Live Announcer Radio Scripts Share these scripts with your local radio stations and ask that announcers read them during their broadcasts. The 10- and 15-second scripts are perfect following a weather or traffic report. Feel free to customize these scripts to include your local activities and information.
60-SECOND SCRIPT
Communities all across the United States are seeing higher frequencies of severe weather and the devastating effects of natural disasters. But many Americans still haven’t taken crucial measures to increase their personal safety in case of an emergency. Prepareathon is asking schools and universities, businesses, houses of worship, and families, just like yours, to practice simple steps to prepare for disasters. It’s easy! Go to ready-dot-gov-slash-prepare for free information, resources, and guides for hazard-specific group discussions, drills, and exercises. Know the hazards in your area, create a family plan, gather supplies, and more! Be smart, take part, prepare, and join the movement at ready-dot-gov-slash-prepare.
30-SECOND SCRIPTS
You can’t control when a disaster will strike, but you can be prepared where you live, work, and play. Americans are coming together to practice simple steps to prepare for disasters. Know the hazards in your area, create a family plan, gather supplies, and more! Go to ready-dot-gov-slash-prepare for free information. Be smart, take part, prepare!
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Bad weather can become dangerous very quickly. Are you and your family prepared to evacuate if you have to? By having all of your personal, medical, and legal papers in one place, you can evacuate without worrying about gathering your family’s critical documents at the last minute. Visit ready-dot-gov-slash-prepare to download an easy checklist that will help prioritize the information you need in case of an emergency. Having these papers in a secure location will help you and your family get on the road to recovery after a disaster. Visit ready-dot-gov-slash-prepare for more information.
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15-SECOND SCRIPTS
Be smart, take part, prepare! Prepareathon is bringing together people like you to practice simple steps to prepare for disasters. Join the movement at ready-dot-gov-slash-prepare.
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
Do you know what to do when you hear or receive a weather alert? Getting timely information about weather conditions can make all the difference for your safety. Don’t leave the safety of you and your loved ones to chance. Download Know Your Alerts and Warnings at ready-dot-gov-slash-prepare.
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Bad weather can become dangerous very quickly. Are you and your family prepared to evacuate if necessary? By having all of your personal, medical, and legal papers in one place, you can evacuate without worrying about gathering your family’s critical documents at the last minute. To learn more, visit ready-dot-gov-slash-prepare.
Whether you are ready or not, disasters will strike. Everyone needs an emergency plan. Remember to practice your plan by taking part in a drill. Talk through your plan, step by step, with each member of your family to make sure that you aren’t missing something important. You can find information for creating your family communication plan at ready-dot-gov-slash-prepare.
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Each disaster is different. Each family’s needs are different. Start by knowing your community’s risk. Create your emergency plan to include the actions you will take before, during, and after a disaster. Do all you can today to make sure you are prepared for tomorrow. To learn more, visit ready-dot-gov-slash-prepare.
10-SECOND SCRIPT
Prepareathon is bringing together people like you to practice simple steps to prepare for disasters. To learn more, visit ready-dot-gov-slash-prepare.
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Proclamation for Local/State Government Template (Option 1) Customize and present either of these proclamation templates to your town, city, or county’s local governing body, or your State Governor’s Office, and ask them to declare a Prepareathon day of action in your community. Proclamations can take several months to get approved, so start the process early.
WHEREAS [STATE/LOCAL NAME]’s Prepareathon creates an important opportunity for residents of to be prepared for any type of emergency where they live, work, and play; and
WHEREAS taking steps toward personal preparedness and ensuring that our households, workplaces, schools, institutions of higher learning, houses of worship, and community-based organizations are prepared for disaster can reduce fatalities and economic devastation following a major crisis; and
WHEREAS participating in ’s Prepareathon will increase the number of citizens who understand which disasters could happen in our community; and
WHEREAS our citizens will know what to do to be safe and mitigate damage; and WHEREAS the citizens of will take action to increase their preparedness; and
WHEREAS our [INSERT STATE, CITY, TOWN, COUNTY, ETC.] will participate in community resilience planning; and WHEREAS the [LOCAL DIVISION OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE, AMERICAN RED CROSS, FEMA REGIONAL OFFICE, ETC.] __________________________________and other Federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, private, and volunteer agencies are working to increase public activities in preparing for emergencies and to encourage individuals to take action; and
WHEREAS emergency preparedness is the responsibility of every citizen of and all citizens are urged to make preparedness a priority and work together to ensure that individuals, families, and communities are prepared for disasters and emergencies of any type; and
Therefore, I, [NAME/TITLE OF ELECTED OFFICIAL] , do hereby proclaim [DATE, WEEK, OR MONTH] as [STATE/LOCAL NAME]’s Prepareathon Day.
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Proclamation for Local/State Government Template (Option 2)
’s Prepareathon Proclamation
Commending [STATE/LOCAL NAME]’s Prepareathon and recognizing [DATE] as [STATE/LOCAL NAME]’s Prepareathon Day.
WHEREAS [STATE/LOCAL NAME]’s Prepareathon creates an important opportunity for residents and businesses of [STATE/LOCAL NAME] to be prepared for any type of emergency where they live, work, and play; and
WHEREAS the event helps residents take steps toward personal preparedness and ensures that families, workplaces, schools, early childhood learning institutions, houses of worship, and community-based organizations are able to increase their ability to survive a disaster and reduce economic devastation following a major crisis; and
WHEREAS the [STATE/LOCAL NAME]’s Emergency Management Agency, Citizen Corps Council, and other Federal, state, local, private, and volunteer agencies are working to increase public activities in preparing for emergencies and to encourage individuals to take action; and
WHEREAS emergency preparedness is the responsibility of every citizen of [STATE/LOCAL NAME] and all citizens are urged to make preparedness a priority and work together to ensure that individuals, families, and communities are prepared for disasters and emergencies of any type; and
WHEREAS all citizens and businesses of [STATE/LOCAL NAME] are encouraged to participate in preparedness activities and are asked to visit ready.gov/prepare and register to become more prepared; and
WHEREAS participating in [STATE/LOCAL]’s Prepareathon will ensure that our community becomes a national leader in whole-community preparedness.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE [STATE/LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE BODY] that the members of this body commend [STATE/LOCAL NAME]’s Prepareathon and recognize [DATE, WEEK, OR MONTH] as
[STATE/LOCAL NAME]’s Prepareathon Day.
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Sample Blog Post Customize the following copy and insert it into your organization’s newsletter or on your website. Share it via your social media channels.
Posted by: [INSERT NAME OF AUTHOR/ORGANIZATION]
Join us for Prepareathon!
This year was an important reminder to all of us that disasters can strike anytime and any place. Nearly every region of the country experienced some form of extreme weather event, including [INSERT RECENT SEVERE WEATHER OR NAMES OF STORMS].
As with many life events, preparation is the key to success. When you prepare for an emergency in advance, it makes a real difference in your ability to take immediate and informed action when it matters most. Early action can also help you to recover more quickly.
That’s why thousands of individuals, organizations, schools, houses of worship, and local governments across the nation are actively participating in Prepareathon, an event to increase individual and community preparedness and resilience through hazard-specific drills, group discussions, and exercises. This year, [ORGANIZATION NAME] is supporting this action-based initiative by conducting its own Prepareathon on [DATE].
Can’t participate on [DATE]? Preparing for disasters is a year-round activity. So, pick a date that works for you and register to be counted. Be sure to post your preparedness activities on the national calendar.
It’s not a matter of if the next disaster will happen, but when. Start taking action and prepare now! Simple steps such as having a discussion and/or conducting a quick drill can help determine what you need to do next to become more prepared. Be smart, take part, and prepare for emergencies before they strike!
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Sample Calendar Listing Submit the listing in the same format that the outlet or website uses. Feel free to also include the section where you want the listing to appear.
EVENT NAME: [ORGANIZATION / COMMUNITY]’s Prepareathon
WHAT: [BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT]
WHEN: [DATE and TIME]
WHERE: [LOCATION WITH ADDRESS]
CONTACT INFORMATION:
To register, or for more information, contact [LOCAL CONTACT NAME], [TELEPHONE], [EMAIL ADDRESS], or visit [LOCAL URL].
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Photography Tips Prepareathon event photos serve a variety of promotional purposes. Below are some photo tips to help you effectively capture your next Prepareathon event.
Tips
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Get close to your subjects.
Capture participants conducting the drill; look for diversity among participants.
Capture moments in your pictures.
Look for ways to include the Prepareathon logo.
Ask permission to take photos; get signed releases from participants.
Consider having more than one photographer for some events.
Use a digital camera with high resolution for photos to be used in print outlets.
Get photos to your media contacts in a timely manner.
Sample Photo Shot List
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Participants conducting the drill (close-ups and wide shots)
Participants downloading the FEMA or the local weather app
Speakers
Spokespersons conducting interviews
Behind-the-scenes moments
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Media Interviews: Rules of the Road Below are some guidelines to keep in mind when talking with reporters.
Overview
One of the biggest concerns people have about working with journalists is not knowing what the rules of engagement are. Breaking a seemingly harmless rule could damage your relationship with a reporter and could even affect the outcome of a story. On the other hand, if you are doing an interview with a reporter, you also have rights that you may not be aware of. Asking the right questions and knowing the ground rules up front will lead to a better experience for you and the reporter.
What You Can Do
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Know what you’re getting into. If a reporter is asking you questions for a story, it is fair to ask what that story is going to be about, who else they are talking to and the general approach they are considering for the story. Do your homework on a reporter prior to agreeing to an interview so you can see how they have covered Prepareathon (or other severe weather or FEMA-related issues) in the past.
Negotiate the time and place. It is possible you may encounter a reporter or get a call from one who just starts firing off questions. It is absolutely fine to tell a reporter you need to get back to them. Just make sure you keep your word. While some may seem put off by having to wait, most understand that people are busy and that sometimes, they need a few minutes to gather facts. When cameras are involved, you can determine where you would like the interview to take place. When it comes to visuals, everything (including the background) leaves an impression and contributes to the message people take away from a story.
Ask about timing. Knowing when a story will be printed, aired or posted online is not only useful, but it also can help with your answers to questions. For example, if you are participating in a satellite interview about an event happening later in the morning, but the story airs during the 5:00 p.m. news, you will want to avoid using the future tense in your answers to questions.
Ask if the interview is airing live, will be edited or if it is a “look live.” Most of your interviews will be via satellite or radio, and some will air live. Some will be cut down into sound bites for packaged reporter stories, and others will be conducted so they will look like they are live, but will actually air later in the day. Knowing the format is important. For example, if the interview is airing live, you may want to use the reporter’s name.
Ask to correct yourself or start over. There’s nothing worse than leaving an interview feeling like you made a mistake or could have done a better job in some way. Fortunately, most of the time that does not have to be the case. With the exception of live interviews, it is appropriate for you to ask to start over if you made a mistake or said something in a way that may have been hard to understand. You are actually doing the reporter a favor by providing them with “clean” and accurate sound bites or quotes.
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■ Question the framing of the shot. For television interviews, it is good to know how the camera is framed so you know how much room you have to make gestures or shift your body. Ask the photographer how the shot is framed before the interview begins.
■ Say “I don’t know.” When you’re being interviewed, there may be times when you won’t have the answers on the spot. This is especially true when you’re talking with reporters who live and breathe statistics. In those instances, tell the reporter you don’t know, but that you will get back to them.
What You Can’t Do
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Tell a reporter what is and is not a story. Telling a reporter “that’s not a story” or “this isn’t news” is insulting to them and will likely do you more harm than good. First, it immediately raises a red flag that causes the reporter to wonder why you are trying to move them off of a story—“there must be something there or they wouldn’t care about me asking questions.” Second, a reporter looking into a story (which may or may not be written) has either decided on their own to pursue it or it has been assigned to them. You don’t want to insult them or put them in an uncomfortable position.
Tell a reporter what to write. “I’m talking to you about Prepareathon. You can’t ask me about flood insurance complaints” is one example of telling a reporter what to write. You can correct inaccuracies, provide context and even argue with a reporter about why they may be off track or headed in the wrong direction, but you can’t tell them what to write. You CAN pivot back to your message. For example, “We are looking into those complaints. It’s also important to remember that insurance is one part of the equation when it comes to preparedness. People also need to make sure they have a communications plan in place so they know how to reach family members in an emergency. They need to know where their medication and important documents are located. And they need to conduct practice drills so they are ready when disaster strikes.”
Expect to see questions in advance. It is appropriate to ask a reporter about the angle they are planning to take, but you should not ask or expect to see questions in advance. Reporters are looking for authenticity and honesty. Asking for questions in advance may signal to them that you are inexperienced, lack credibility or may even be dishonest as you look to find ways to answer their questions before they are even asked. A good internal preparation session and well-prepared Q&A document will help you to answer most questions that are likely to come up during an interview.
Read a story before it runs. Reporters are not supposed to share stories with their subjects before they are made public. However, it is not unusual for a reporter to share a section of a story with a source to ensure accuracy, especially when the subject matter is highly complicated or controversial. In these cases, you are allowed to tell the reporter that what they have written is either correct or not, but it would be inappropriate at that time to argue with the reporter about their “take.”
