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Mini Grant Award Forms (follow the links to forms listed below) Note: The Mini Grant Final Financial Report is not available online.
• Revised Budget Form • Mini Grant Final Report (.doc file) • Presenter's Contract Sample • Program Statistics Form • Participant Evaluation Sample • Participant Sign-up Sheet • Humanities Iowa Logo to be used in your promotional and program information • Congressional Delegation
Iowa's U.S. Congressional Delegation
The following stipulations apply to grantees that are recipients of grants in support of media projects. A. Progress Reports B. Acknowledgment C. Disclaimer D. Ownership and Copyright Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities retain a non-exclusive right to use and reproduce copyrighted materials arising out of grant activities. This reservation will continue following any transfer of the product or copyright. E. Royalties The formula for this repayment will be calculated on the percentage of HI grant funds to the total production costs. F. HI Requests for Materials G. Final Materials
PRACTICAL POINTS ON PUBLIC RELATIONS The following suggestions have been developed to assist groups who are preparing programs for Humanities Iowa to publicize their programs in radio, television, and newspaper media. Every day the media receives numerous press releases, handouts, and junk mail. Since they operate under deadline pressure, any way you can help them do their job more effectively may help you get better coverage. As a community group, you will probably benefit more from these three types of publicity: •Public Service Announcements for radio and TV: Brief (30
seconds or less), forceful messages aimed at putting across a specific
idea. If you are dealing with the media more than once or twice a year, it is highly recommended that you contact those involved, first through a letter, then through a personal visit. When you make your first visit you should be prepared to do the following: •Establish your group’s interest in serving the community.
RADIO AND TELEVISION Public Service Announcements—Things to keep in mind: Radio and television spots come in several "sizes," 10 through 60 seconds. The most common spots are 10, 20, and 30 seconds. Most stations prefer 30-second spots. It is worth your time to survey the stations in your area to determine if any use 10 or 20-second spots, to save your time sending them. If the station has to write the copy, it will take three to four days longer to get your message on the air than if you send in your own copy. Following is an approximate word count for 10, 20, and 30-second spots: 10 seconds—22-25 words 20 seconds—40-50 words 30 seconds—60-70 words Some tips: • Some radio stations will
accept audio files. If you have the capability of recording your PSA
yourself, you may have a better chance to getting it aired. Check with
your media contact to see if they will accept recorded messages emailed
to them.
NEWS RELEASES Some tips:
2. Releases should contain simple sentences and familiar words. Avoid technical terms and acronyms. Make sure the most important information is included in the first paragraph (i.e. name of speaker, new program, major gift, milestone, etc.). 3. Make sure ALL information is included in the press release: who, what, when, where, why and how much it will cost. Do not include a log of unnecessary information. 4. Many media contacts now prefer to have releases emailed to them. Check with the contact to see if they will accept email news releases and get the proper email address. If sending a news release via email, do not double space the copy. 5. Type ALL releases using one side only of a white 8 _ x 11-inch sheet of paper. 6. Always make sure the following information appears in the upper left corner of the press release: name of the group sending in the release; a person and telephone number to contact for more information; and a release date. Specify a Sunday release date on newspaper releases. Most newspapers have a larger Sunday circulation. 7. As a convenience to newscasters, type at the top of a radio release the estimated time of delivery in minutes and seconds. 8. Double space copy (unless it is emailed to the media contact). Leave a 1-inch margin on the left, right, and bottom. Leave a 4-inch margin at the top of the first sheet and a 1-_ margin at the top of succeeding sheets. 9. Indicate that the story is to be continued to a following page by typing "MORE" centered in the bottom margin. Indicate the end of the release by typing "30" or double crosses "###", or "END" centered below the last line of copy. 10. Never erase. Mark out mistakes with a soft pencil. Never strike over words or letters. 11. Read each release carefully and correct it before submitting to the media. Verify figures, dates, names and addresses. Draw a box around unusual spellings to indicate that they are correct. Keep a copy of every release. You may need to refer to it in follow-up conversations with the media. 12. If you know the name of a specific person at the media, send your release to his or her attention. If not, send a radio or television release to the attention of the assignment editor and newspaper releases to the news editor. 13. If possible, a release should be sent one or two weeks before the event. Weekly papers may need information three weeks prior to an event. Follow up each release with a phone call. Ask if the information has been received and when it will be used. 14. Be aware of deadlines. Check with your local media for deadlines days and times.
INTERVIEWS
2. If you desire airtime for an interview, contact the station two to three weeks in advance. Direct your request to the news assignment editor. 3. Find out how much time you will have on the air so you can plan for your story to be completely told. Arrive several minutes before your scheduled interview to receive instructions on where to go, camera and microphone cues, etc. 4. Always mention who, what, when, where, why, and how. 5. If you are on television, wear clothes of soft, medium or pastel colors. Avoid patterns, as people will tend to watch your clothing and not you. Avoid highly polished or sparkling jewelry. Don’t worry about glasses—the studio crew will adjust lights accordingly. Unless otherwise directed, look at the camera when you talk. 6. If you are being interviewed by a newspaper reporter, provide a simple news release of your event with basic information on who, what, when, where, why, and how. Provide a quality black and white photo of yourself, plus any logos, graphics or other artwork that effectively illustrates your program. (Do not expect to have these materials returned.) Emphasize the importance of acknowledging your program’s sponsors. Many newspaper editors do not realize that your funding depends in part on crediting in all promotional materials both Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities. OTHER PUBLIC RELATIONS TIPS
2. Do not give one of the media an advantage over the others. 3. Always send a letter of thanks after your material has been used. OTHER METHODS OF PUBLICITY POSTERS: Posters announcing your program are effective. All you need to do is have someone print the important information (date, time and place) then distribute the posters to business places and public buildings. Don’t forget the HI logo and acknowledgment. NEWSLETTERS: When your program chairperson contacts organizations to invite them to meetings, he or she may want to ask those organizations to include and item in their newsletters alerting their members to the program and urging them to attend. Church bulletins also have a wide distribution. DIRECT CONTACT: Word of mouth is still one of the most effective ways to share news. Telephone calls are a good way to reach people directly with little cost. Rely on your planning committee. A few calls from each committee member to selected individuals can carry your message a long ways. LEAFLETS: Leaflets are a good way to remind people about your program. A supply of leaflets can be provided to business places for handing out to customers. The leaflet should be brief and easy to read. It, too should bear the HI logo and acknowledgment. ADULT EDUCATION: If adult education classes are held in your community, you could personally invite humanities instructors and their students to your program. SPECIAL DISPLAYS: Your committee may want to consider a special display at the public library or other public buildings. A display could complement a table of special reading material your librarian could be asked to assemble. |
