CREATIVE IDEAS FOR MARKETING
PUBLIC RELATIONS AND WORKING WITH THE MEDIA                                 

One of the first tasks I was asked to do when I accepted the community relations job at the Fox Valley Park District was to develop a community newsletter.

Previously, our park district included a few brief articles in the seasonal program brochure featuring information about projects completed, awards won, and new staff. I was asked to expand this two-page section into a separate, four-page newsletter.

Our executive director wanted more than information. He asked me to "make it look like a real newsletter." I took that to mean he was looking for more photos, sidebars, pull-quotes, a catchy tide and masthead—all of the elements that make a piece easy and inviting to read. It would continue to be a part of the program brochure, but advance copies would be mailed to a select list of community leaders.

At first, the thought of filling up four blank pages with interesting stories and photos seemed overwhelming. But I soon realized that our park district had a wealth of information waiting to be shared with the public through the avenue of a newsletter. Those pages filled quickly, and the problem became a matter of deciding what to cut versus what to print.

Two years later, I still haven't run out of ideas. Here's an account of how our newsletter, The Park Bench, is an important marketing and public relations tool for our district. Why use a newsletter as a marketing and public relations tool? The Fox Valley Park District is fortunate to receive a large amount of positive coverage in our local daily newspaper. The newspaper has a "stringer" (part-time correspondent) assigned to cover board meetings, and it is not unusual to open up the morning edition to find three or four articles about our district in the main news section. Since the topics we include in our newsletter receive positive attention in the daily news, why re-cover some of them in a newsletter? We have several reasons for doing so. While we're grateful for the positive press we do receive, even the best media coverage is filtered through the perspective of a writer outside of the organization. In our newsletter, we get to inform our public on our own terms. The reader might learn some additional details about a project the newspaper edited out, or we can include a well-written quote from a district staffperson. Telling our own story gives us an edge.

Another benefit of the newsletter is it serves as a way to open the lines of communication with other businesses in our community. By taking this step, we're identifying our park district as an organization that "does business" with the community. Our district operates with an annual budget of more than 20 million dollars, employs a staff of 1,000 during the peak season, maintains 2,000 acres of open space and 10 major facilities, and provides services to 150,000 community members of all ages. These factors put our district on equal footing with

48 / Illinois Parks and Recreation

MIXED MEDIA                                                                               

many of the larger companies in our city.

But even smaller park districts can, and should be, recognized as members of the business community. A well-targeted newsletter can help do just that. The cooperation between our district and the local school districts, city and village governments, and other community organizations is a great source for newsletter story ideas.

Finally, a newsletter is not only an avenue to tell the public what we are doing, it is a way to show them. Photos are as important as the written word. And their use is not restricted to merely illustrating an accompanying article. A well-written caption alongside an eye-catching photo is often more effective than a detailed written account of a completed project.

Who receives The Park Bench?
The Park Bench newsletter is sent to a mailing list of about 250 individuals that the Fox Valley Park District identifies as "community leaders." This group includes members of our community network, park advisory groups, city and other local government officials, the local chambers of commerce, local school board members, and both sponsors and participants in our district's annual golf outing. This mailing list receives the newsletter, along with a cover letter, about a week before the information hits the street through our activity guide. By incorporating the newsletter into the activity guide, every household served by our district has the opportunity to read the newsletter.

Why does our target group want to read the newsletter?
As the newsletter editor, my most important job is to put myself in the shoes of our readers. When evaluating story ideas, I try to look at the district from the perspective of those participating in our programs and as a resident interested and involved in what happens in the community. When deciding what to include in the newsletter, I ask myself how this affects the reader, and write articles from that perspective. The focus is on projects, facilities and special events. As a general rule, we don't include articles on staff changes or other internal concerns in the newsletter.

Articles must be brief. About 200 or 250 words is what a typical attention-span will read. If there is much more to say, it helps to break it up by using graphic elements such as pull-quotes or sidebars. Another option is to give readers a source to go for more information.

Referring the reader to our Web site for more details about a particular subject accomplishes another marketing goal.

The front page usually contains two articles. This helps appeal to a diverse population. If a reader isn't interested in one topic, hopefully the second story will draw him or her into the newsletter. Articles don't have to squeeze onto one page. By continuing on an inside or back page, the reader is forced to move through the entire piece. And when the article breaks in the middle of something juicy, like a statistic or in the middle of a sentence, the reader is compelled to finish the article.

Producing a newsletter geared to community interests and concerns seems to be an emerging trend among Illinois park districts. My office receives mailings of publicity and marketing efforts from other districts, and I've noticed several newsletters similar to The Park Bench. With some thought to your audience and your editorial calendar, your district can benefit from this useful public relations and marketing tool as well. •

AMY LARSON
is the community relations coordinator for the Fox Valley Park District.

The Editorial Calendar By incorporating The Park Bench into our park district's activity guides, the newsletter editions coincide with the spring, summer, and fall/winter activity guide editions. Printing and mailing the newsletter/activity guide takes four weeks, and I schedule four weeks for producing the 100-page guide itself. I prefer to begin working on newsletter articles prior to beginning work on the activity guide. Therefore, I may be writing seasonal news articles as much as 12 weeks in advance of the publication date. This is where the editorial calendar becomes a crucial planning tool. My editorial calendar is more than merely a list of topics or story ideas; its a work-in-progress, tracking current and seasonal district activities of interest to our readers. The calendar should reflect ideas that strike a balance between parks and recreation departments, seasonal issues, and community partnerships. Stories should include information about and for the park district resident, park district activities and statistics, and upcoming programs and events. Providing the reader with a well balanced story mix adds credibility to the overall message. The calendar may include ideas for recurring columns, such as a "rips" or "Q&A" column in which the format stays the same but the material changes each issue. Photo opportunities need to be planned in advance as well. Photos can stand alone, or be used to illustrate an accompanying article. The calendar's format is simple. It consists of one page for each of the three editions, with each page listing the various areas for the story mix. Keep the calendar handy at all times, and as an idea comes up, jot it down for the appropriate edition. The calendar also serves as an index of past stories and can assist you with balancing your coverage when you have many areas to cover. • — Amy Larson

January/February 2001 / 49