Ways to get the most out of your activities to promote the ASES National Solar Tour.

Calendar Postings | PSA's | News Release | Op Ed | Letters to the Editor | Blogs and News Posts | Social Media

Calendar Postings

Publicity Templates

Scroll to bottom of the page to download editable publicity templates for press releases, calendar announcements, the tour logo and more! All you need to do is fill in your specific details where indicated.

• Most print and broadcast media outlets have Web sites that host community calendars encouraging citizens-at-large to post the 5 Ws (the Who, What, When, Where and Why) and relevant contact information of events they’re hoping to promote.
• These usually come in two flavors: 1) Simple, online templates ready for you to complete with precisely the information they need, or 2) you may be prodded to eMail a news release/calendar announcement to a specific staff person or generic eMail box. If you cannot find a specific eMail address or area to post the event, call your local outlet (you can quickly find numbers online with a simple Google search) and ask to whom you should eMail your Calendar Announcement.

Tip: Always ask for the proper spelling of an editor or reporter’s name, even if it seems obvious. If you cannot bother to get their names spelled correctly…why, pray tell, should they bother to post or print your event? (Debbie today can be spelled Debby, Debbe or Debi, for example.) Note: ASES will provide you with a sample Calendar Announcement to use in posting this Please be sure everything you enter is spelled correctly, and that the ASES Web site URL and any informational phone numbers are double-checked for accuracy. One simple typo can lead to mountains of frustration -- for you and for those whose participation you’re hoping to elicit.

Tip: Don’t forget to post the information on local online media outlets as well as on the print and broadcast outlets of your local community.

Tip: In larger cities, news outlets have separate staffs for online and their traditional outlets (i.e. print or broadcast), so (in larger markets) send the advisory to the designated calendar keeper/editor even if you do post it on the Web site.

Tip: Cities, Counties and locally-elected officials often have calendar postings on their Websites. Share your Calendar Announcement with these folks to broaden your reach.

Tip: Don’t limit your distribution to media outlets. Share your Calendar with environmental and social service groups, civic associations and planning groups in your area.

Timeline: Timelines for submission vary according to the frequency of the media and the size of staff. It is always better to get your information in the queue and posted as early. The more ‘impressions’ you generate with a posting, the more effective you will be.

PSAs (Public Service Announcements)

• Public Service Announcements are brief messages broadcast to communities as a public service by a television or radio station, usually in support of community- Benefit, non-profit organizations. While PSAs used to be a requisite part of broadcast stations’ obligations to renew their FCC licenses, this is no longer the case. Some stations still will, nonetheless, broadcast information on noteworthy events, community messages or campaigns that have a broad appeal to their listening audiences (or if they’ve been penalized for some outspoken shock jock’s remarks).

Tip: You may want to call your local television and radio stations to determine whether or not they accept PSAs for community-service organizations like the non-profit American Solar Energy Society, who will be hosting the nation‘s largest solar tour to help homeowners, business owners and public officials learn about the benefits of going solar in your community. Note: ASES will provide you with a gang sheet of PSAs of varying lengths for you to send (via eMail or snail mail) to the television and radio stations serving your area.

Tip: If you find stations open to airing National Solar Tour PSAs, please ask to whom you should EMail (or snail mail) the PSAs.  Broadcast stations receive extraordinary amounts of pitches, faxes and related information.  Usually this person is not in news, but in Community Relations. Getting your PSAs to the person in charge of airing them will  help ensure your message gets distributed.  If you could, ask them what length of PSA they prefer (:10  second, :20 second, etc.). and let us know.  For efficiency’s sake, we’ll be providing a full complement of options on one sheet for you to share as soon as you make a connection.

Tip: Contact information incorporated into your PSAs should include an easy-to-remember Web URL or phone number so folks can easily recall what they hear, even if onthe road or otherwise engaged. Please use www.nationalsolartour.org

Tip: Including an EPS or JPG file of the National Solar Tour logo with PSAs sent to television stations may allow them to produce a slide of the logo to show onscreen while an announcer reads the PSA copy.

Timeline: PSAs should be distributed 6-8 weeks before the event. Because these PSAs are written with two distinct calls to action -- the first encouraging tour participants/hosts -- the second stressing attendance -- it is recommended they be qualified with run dates, e,g. “For use from July 1 through August 31” (for PSAs recruiting tour hosts and volunteers) and  “For use from September 1 through [your tour date here] to drive tourists to your event).

Tip: Listen for radio tags that participating solar installers or retailers may be running on local stations. While these are paid promos, these installers may be interested in incorporating a bit about the tour into the copy of their tags, as it brings them qualified leads.

News Releases

• Media advisories and news releases are written announcements that provide event essentials, context, facts and often subject matter expert quotes to lend credibility to and justify the newsworthiness of a particular event or announcement.
• Media advisories usually provide event essentials in a 5W format, along with a highlight or sidebar on visual or audio relevance for broadcast outlets and to attract photographers, while news releases are written in a way tailored to the print and online media -- more in a news story format -- so they may be used verbatim, particularly for news outlets with limited staff.

Tip: Contact information on both your media advisories and news releases should include your name, your organization affiliation, a contact phone number and an eMail address.

Tip: News items that are topical, new, controversial, extremely visual -- or that are in some way complementary to headliners of the day, like unprecedented energy prices, energy independence and national security, antidotes to offshore oil drilling, presidential conventions, economic reports, green jobs reports and climate change -- are of particular interest to reporters. Compelling human interest angles are most always appreciated.

Tip: Editors and reporters most amenable to your pitches will cover the following beats: A) Energy (Combating Unprecedented Fuel Prices, Energy Independence)
B) Business  (Tax Credits, Utility Bill Savings, ‘Beat the Street’, Green Jobs)
C) Real Estate (Solar Improves Property Values, Improves Resalability In Depressed Mkt)
D) Community (Sustainable Communities, Solar for Schools, CPA Cities)
E) Climate Change/All Things Green (Largest Solar Event in the U.S.)

Note: ASES will provide you with template advisories and news releases covering a variety of relevant, newsworthy hooks, along with basic solar facts to help you pitch meaningful items to reporters and editors in your area.

Tip: While you can always send your materials to the news desk of your local media, it is recommended you contact your local news outlet and ask the receptionist for the name, proper spelling and eMail address of the editor or reporter covering the topic area you wish to pitch.

Op-Ed, Commentary

• The op-ed (opinion-editorial pages) of publications and Web sites provide superb opportunities to voice enthusiastic opinions about the value of renewable energy and the economic and environmental prudence of going solar.
• Normally 750 to 1,500 words, these pieces should advocate a strong call to action supported by points in fact that build credibility for your stellar, solar point of view.  

Note: ASES will provide you with a canned op-ed touting the economic and environmental benefits of going solar and the available tax credits for businesses, consumers, and public agencies. The pay-off is a call to action encouraging folks to get involved in the National Solar Tour by either hosting a site for neighbors or visiting one in their area.

Tip: Some publications/sites have editorial calendars that identify special sections with planned areas of focus in specific industry sectors. The Business Journal network does this well. Check to see if local publications and Web sites have editorial calendars that may be focusing on items A through E; then pitch them on the opportunity to incorporate the ASES op-ed into those special sections.

Tip: Placement of all op-ed requires an editor’s approval; have a conversation, then send the piece according to the specs (word count and style guidelines) identified by that editor/media outlet.

Letters to the Editor

• Another way to leverage your publicity activities and reinforce messaging is via Letters to the Editor. Letters to the Editor are opinion pieces normally written and signed by citizens-at-large in response to news items covered in the medium to whom you’re writing.
• Letters to the Editor reinforce or clarify items in a previously-published news story, add additional detail to those stories, counter the story premise, address a quote in the story or issue a call to action.   Please note these letters are often edited for appropriateness and space considerations.

Tip: Succinct Letters to the Editor can be drafted using most any story as a ‘peg’ on which to hang the point of view you wish to espouse. First, you reference the date and headline or topic of the story you are referencing…topics we may wish to reference include, but are not limited to:

• A) Rising Energy Costs: There is an antidote to high/inconsistent energy prices: the antidote is solar!
• B) Economic : Incentives: With rich tax credits, state cash grants, low-interest loans, cash grants, job credits, accelerated depreciation, there is a perfect storm of federal, state and local incentives to accelerate the payback on solar investments for homes, schools, businesses – even public housing. Now is the time to start realizing ROSI, Return on Solar Investment.
• C) National Security: The U.S. currently sends $24.9 billion a MONTH to foreign nations overseas sate   its addiction to oil. Many of those nations are hostile to American interests and democratic principles.  Renewable energy offers a choice.
• D) Green Job Creation: You can’t export a solar installation job.  Solar supports local small businesses in your community.
• E) Clean, Green Communities: Electricity generated from solar is clean and renwable.  Electricity in most other instances is generated with the burning of fossil fuels, which belches poisonous pollutants into our air, lakes and streams.  Be a part of the solution and save money to boot!
• F) New Revenue Streams: Solar helps businesses, home owners and public agencies slash costs and become energy independent – and perhaps even generate revenue with surplus clean energy being sold back to utility companies!  It also provides new revenue streams for contractors and other tradesmen.
• G) US Energy Policy: Drill, Baby, Drill is not a responsible energy policy. The US only has 3% of the world’s oil reserves, yet consumes the majority of the world’s oil. We need the Senate to pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act to fuel our economy with the pro-business, pro-green jobs and opportunities it presents.
• H) Tragically Topical: Another noteworthy ‘hook’ to introduce a Letter to the Editor might be April’s oil disaster off the Louisiana coastline, which has many folks wondering about the prudence of oil drilling off our coastlines, particularly when there are risks for the health and safety of workers, local economies and the environment.  Solar doesn’t put people’s lives at risk the way coal mining and oil drilling does. And it doesn’t poison our air, streams and pristine waterways for the betterment of big oil and coal companies and their shareowners.
• I) Global and Personal Accountability: It’s time to take stop being a part of the problem and start being a part of the solution. We’re one of the world’s biggest polluters and we subsidize those helping us pollute.  It’s time to tap American clout and ingenuity to continue to develop our renewable energy policies and solutions to create a better world and get our nation’s clean economic engine humming. Acting locally via the tour is a great way to show support, create green jobs, demonstrate energy independence, improve property values and cut energy costs. And it creates a cleaner, sustainable future for generations to come.

Tip: The closing paragraph in these letters -- keep them short, just a few paragraphs if you want them read in their entirety -- should all be to “learn more by joining the renewable revolution and visiting a neighboring home or business on the non-profit American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour. Learn about a tour near you at www.nationalsolartour.org.”

Tip: Notice the formula and length of pieces in your favorite regional online news sites, newspapers and magazines and package your letters accordingly.

Blogs & News Posts

• The wildly-successful communications medium of the Internet affords all of us opportunities to state our opinions in public forums that can be read by hundreds -- sometimes tens of thousands -- of individuals.
• Expressing an opinion with a viable solution -- in our case a call to action to participate in the National Solar Tour by logging on to www.nationalsolartour.org -- can be an effective way to promote the tour in your area.

Tip: Log onto the Web site of your local National Public Radio station, television stations and local print media -- don’t forget your favorite chat rooms! -- and respond to issues of the day with some of the key messages ASES is reinforcing in its media materials -- or some wonderful personal and human interest stories outlining why folks have gone solar, along with the benefits they’re reaping. Stay positive, stay succinct and conclude with the encouraging note that we can all make a difference…it’s a win-win with renewable ROI.

Tip: Sites like Google.com and Newsvine.com offer writers the opportunity to create profiles and post blogs on an ongoing basis. It’s a great way to start populating the Web with your newsworthy tidbits. Linking your blog site with your Face Book page is another way to cross-pollinate message vehicles and expand your reach.

Tip: Examiner.com is a media company that provides an organized network of hyperlocal news Web sites that allow citizen journalists to report on issues within their realm of expertise in a blog-like platform.  By using online geo targeting technology, this news aggregator directs users to their closest city where they can read the most recent news and updates from their city's broadcast and print media streams. Examiner.com claims to have 21,000 contributors (aka “Examiners”) reporting from over 100 markets. Those interested in taking an industry approach to their area could, for instance, be accepted as a (home town here) Solar Examiner.  To learn more, visit www.examiner.com.

A Word of Caution: The credibility of some Examiner blogs has been called into question.  Due to lack of editorial oversight, the site has been blacklisted from being sited on Wikipedia as a source.  But a network of this size may be worth considering if you have confidence in the integrity of your message.

Facebook

• FaceBook was launched in February 2004 and boasts over 400 million users throughout the world. It is the world’s largest social network. Privately owned and operated, Facebook allows users to (free of charge) create personal or business profiles to which they can add friends or fans and disseminate personal or publicly viewable messages and photos.  It is a very simply means by people, groups or organizations can share personal profiles to notify friends about themselves and (for purposes of this tour) business interests, events and news feeds of relevance to them and their organizations.
• Folks can post and share photos, run campaigns, engage in group applications or create fan pages relevant to causes important to them or their organizations. Additionally, users can join networks organized by workplace, school, initiative (like the National Solar Tour) or college.Facebook is considered a B2C (Business to Consumer) marketing tactic.

Tip: It is easy to get buried in the overall flow of information that wends through these sites, particularly because without properly defining a Facebook page’s settings, the postings of all connections can end up on the front door of your site.   Talk to an active Facebook acquaintance about how to manage the flow of information coming through your site.

Tip: Web Worker Daily has a great article on building a successful FaceBook page for small businesses.  Visit: http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/09/04/build-a-facebook-page-for-your-smal... for details.
 National Solar Tour Publicity Tips, Tricks and Timelines.

YouTube

• YouTube is a place to discover, watch, upload and share videos without cost.  This free online video service (owned by Google) allows anyone to upload and share videos with anyone, anywhere in the world who has an Internet connection.
• More than 70 million videos are viewed on YouTube each day.

Tip: To learn how to upload, tag and make your videos available to millions of people worldwide -- and to find, join and create video groups that connect with people with similar interests (like the ASES National Solar Tour and renewable energy solutions!) -- the folks at Web Video Zone have created a helpful YouTube tutorial. Find it at http://www.webvideozone.com/public/308.cfm.

 LinkedIn

• LinkedIn positions itself as the world’s largest professional network. Boasting over 65 million members, LinkedIn connects individuals and organizations to trusted contacts to exchange knowledge, ideas, sales leads, important event information and career opportunities with a mutually- defined network of professionals.
• It also offers tools like “Answers” and “Groups” that allow members to locate and interact with industry experts through trusted introductions.
• There is no cost to join LinkedIn, although service upgrades that allow for more versatile direct contact options to LinkedIn members are available.  LinkedIn is generally considered a B2B (business to business) vehicle.

Tip: In late 2009, LinkedIn launched its first Twitter integration features.  In May 2010, LinkedIn announced significant improvements to its Tweets application that will allow LinkedIn members to easily locate and monitor their LinkedIn connections on both LinkedIn.com and Twitter.com.  Read Adam Nash’s May 25, 2010 blog of how and why it makes sense to engage at:  http://blog.linkedin.com

Tip: Opinions abound on the FaceBook v. LinkedIn debate, but social media expert Chris Brogan finds three things he thinks LinkedIn does better than Facebook are:  1) Sort Contacts, 2) Manage eMail and 3) Reputation Management.  Food for thought, depending on your promotional objectives.

Twitter

• Twitter is a succinct social networking phenomenon that allows people to immediately connect on a vast array of industry segments and trending news topics.
• Each Twitter message, known as a tweet, is limited to 140 characters.
• Messages are distributed over the Web via a variety of vehicles, i.e. computers and mobile phones.

Tip: Daniel Nations of About.com has produced a helpful article on why Twitter matters and how it can be used to build credibility, benefit a business, drive Web traffic, report news, advocate for key issues and schedule networking events. Read his blogs, including “10 Great Uses for Twitter” at  http://webtrends.about.com/od/socialnetworking/a/what-is-twitter.htm

Tip: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert Matt Walker of BestRank.com notes that to build a credible following on Twitter, tweets should follow the 80-20 rule:  80% of content should be useful information for followers with a Web link pay-off for more information.  Learn how Matt’s team integrates a variety of vehicles to drive companies to the top of search engine inquiries at www.bestrank.com

Tip: Be sure your Twitter handle reflects your interest, i.e. @PVAddict, @SolarSavvy, @SolarFred.

Tip: A free tool known a TweetDeck integrates Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn, Google Buzz and other feeds into one easy platform. It also allows users to assess click-through of tweets sent with Web pay-offs and monitor tweets in key areas of interest like #Solar #Renewables or #Energy.  The TweetDeck will also automatically shorten URLs to save space.  Let’s use YouTube to view an effective “Top Twitter Tools” tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvVg8PtaGWs.

© 2008 - 2010, Terri Steele for The American Solar Energy Society (ASES). All rights reserved. Replicable with appropriate attribution: SolarSavvy@cox.net.

Templates to Publicize Your Solar Tour!