GGC Tree Planting Grant Program

In Partnership with TD Friends of the Environment Foundation

Media and Public Relations Checklist

Two weeks before your event / □
□
□ / Customize your media advisory (found in this package) to reflect your activity, event, location, and other details.
Know who your spokesperson will be. Prepare her with your key message.
Create a media list of all the media outlets in your community (TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc.). Send an advisory by e-mail or fax announcing the event to all the journalists on your media list.
*Contact your area or provincial/territorial PR adviser to inform her of your event.
One week before the event / □
□ / Follow up with the journalists by calling to see if they are interested in coming to the event and arranging an interview.
Document your contacts with the media.
The day before the event / □ / Send the media advisory to all of the journalists on your list again as a reminder.
Day of the event / □ / At your event, have a media statement available and distribute it to the journalist(s) in attendance. Be ready for interviews. You can download fact sheets about Girl Guides of Canada here:

One day after the event / □ / Follow up by calling all journalists you sent your advisory to. See if they are interested in doing a write-up and propose to send them more information (e.g. fact sheets about GGC, etc.). Also, offer to arrange an interview with your designated spokesperson. Document your contacts.
One to two weeks after the event / □
□ / Monitor local media coverage: track the articles or mentions of your event in the local media.
Give a brief call to the journalists who covered your story to thank them or send them a thank you note.
At the end of the your event / □ / Send copies of your media contacts and coverage/clippings to your provincial PR adviser and save copies to include in your tree planting project report to national.

Media Advisory

Here is a sample media advisory about a Girl Guides of Canada tree planting event. Customize it to suit your own event.

For Immediate Release

Attention: Name of Editor(s)

Guides spruce up the school yard! (Consider using a catchy headline that announces your event and grabs plenty of attention)

Who:Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada’s [Your Unit and others involved]

What:[Your Unit] will be [planting trees etc.] and [raising awareness of environmental issues].(Include a few sentences describing your event, what’s happening and why it is happening.)

Where:Activity Location

123 Main Street, Anytown

When:[dates depending on your plans]

From x:xxa.m./p.m. to x:xx a.m./p.m.

Girl Greatness Starts Here

For more information, please contact (customize for your own use):

[Your Name, Leader Name]

[Your Unit]

Tel. (306) 123-4444

E-mail:

Website: