Even the most well-planned programs will fail without being able to attract participants. One of the easiest ways to reach your audience and increase their awareness of your program is to use the media: newspaper ads, flyers, brochures, television commercials, enlisting radio personalities to promote your program, sending emails, advertising on the web, etc. Use a wide variety of channels to reach your audience. What works for some people may not work for others, and by using multiple channels, you increase the chance that you will effectively reach everyone in your target audience. Know what channels will be effective for your audience: you cannot reach people without computers via the web. Hold a press conference. Send out frequent press releases. Make your presence known by publishing and promoting your past successes. Publicize local leadership. Having a well-respected person on your advisory committee makes your program seem more reliable. In addition, make sure your local program operators know how to effectively deal with local media channels.

When promoting your program, use galvanizing statistics to increase participation. A person is more likely to enroll and/or promote an intervention that has a listed, specific, high quit ratethan enroll in an intervention which just claims to have a high rate of successful quitters and does not provide a specific percentage. People like hard numbers. Use them whenever possible. Show evidence that you have met short- and medium-term goals. Publish quit percentages at the six month mark and the twelve month mark. Most importantly, have evidence to back up whatever you are claiming.

Skills Areas:
A Ability to share relevant, motivating statistics with the media to attract support for program objectives

B Ability to share with media evidence of progress in meeting program short- or medium-term objectives

C Ability to use press conferences and/or press releases to increase media coverage of issue or program

D Ability to use media to publicize program events and local community leaders

E Ability to train community members in effective media relations

F Ability to creatively reach aculturally and linguistically appropriate mix of media outlets (e.g., print, radio, TV)