Most Jewish families focus their early years of parenthood seeking out the best early childhood education options for their family. And there are many: Jewish, nonsectarian, Montessori, and a variety of others. Interestingly, Jewish early childhood programs are so successful in many communities that almost 70% of Jewish toddlers enroll.

But when it comes time for elementary school, day schools don't effectively target their prospects. You talkin' to me?

While "Taxi Driver" doesn't directly hold the clues to solving the targeted marketing issue that Jewish day schools face, the entertainment industry does hold clues we can all learn from.

Broadcasting

While the major networks no longer control and dominate television the way they used to, there is still tremendous power in their numbers. Their format, however, has its limitations. It's no coincidence that broadcasting has brought us interview shows that routinely book Olympic gold medal gymnasts, Snoop Dogg, and one of the three Japanese Iron Chefs all on one night.

This blanket-style marketing - covering all demographics - is very effective if you want to sell Coca-Cola or a new Toyota, but it has limited impact on selling a Jewish day school.

On a school-by-school basis, broadcasting is a little like your widespread publicity efforts. Most schools dream of appearing in their local major paper - after all, who wouldn't want to be in the Los Angeles Times or the Boston Globe? While the outcome could be extremely positive, it probably won't directly impact your student enrollment or your fundraising efforts. Why? Your message will reach some of the people you want to touch, but the vast majority of the audience will be far outside your core demographic.

For "broadcasting" efforts to be effective, you simply need to do the proper follow-up. Whenever there is an article or a news story about your school - distribute it. Talk to your audience - your donors, current parents, prospective parents, and community leaders.

Without this additional step, you're simply talking to yourself.

Narrowcasting

In our home, we have almost 100 television channels - and that's because we only buy the standard cable package. Most of our friends have almost four times that. In fact, there are now television channels for just about everything: cooking, exercise, shopping, redecorating your home - heck the Oxygen channel even tried a show in 2003 called Meow TV for animals to watch while their "parents" were away at work.

This seeming insanity isn't really crazy. It's an acknowledgement that we don't all want to watch the music awards show with Country, Rap, R&B, and Alternative Rock all fused together. People have specific interests - and entertainment is working to meet every demographic's or psychographic's unique need or desire.

For day schools, "narrowcasting" is a critical approach to your achieving your marketing goals. Can you determine which swaths of people you are trying to reach? Is it Jews? Is it parents with 3 and 4 year olds? Is it middle school students who are enrolled in Jewish day schools? Is it their parents? Is it Jewish Federation leadership?

Narrowcasting strategies involve targeted ads, flyers, postcards, direct mail, phone calls, generating positive word-of-mouth, and a variety of other tactics. And unlike the "broadcast" messages, these are calibrated to directly impact your target audiences. This can not only help you with effectiveness, it can also help you with cost containment. Many of the best narrowcasting opportunities are inexpensive, and when good partnerships are developed, they can also be many times more effective than unfocused broadcasting.

Splintercasting

You've probably never heard this term before, but you've undoubtedly seen it. YouTube and Revver are just two of a handful of major websites that allow individual users to make their own video content. Thousands of people have become content creators and millions more have become viewers.

Go on any of the major sites or splintercast portals and you'll find something that is made specifically for you. This is far more focused than narrowcasting - and aside from the video format itself - it almost holds no resemblance to broadcasting.

Actually, when it comes right down to it, Jewish day schools need to do an awful lot of splintercasting. After generating results with your narrowcasting, it's time to close deals. Whether you are in active discussions with prospective parents or engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a prospective donor, it's this type of one-to-one marketing that is so critical to your success.

While this will definitely include your view book and marketing materials, this stage is also likely to focus on your customized school tours, your personal interaction with the prospect, follow-up, and the word-of-mouth your current parents and prospective targets hear.

This is where the rubber hits the road

No one ultimately sends their child to a school because of a big PR story (broadcasting). But together with targeted ads (narrowcasting), your school can drive new inquiries and reach out beyond the low hanging fruit. Ultimately, however, unless the school delivers on the promises you make when you splintercast (ex. academic excellence, Jewish values, a caring community), you'll never fully succeed.

Each school's goal should be to reach every qualified Jewish parent with appropriate messages and actions. Instead of hearing, "You talkin' to me?" let's get prospective parents or donors to say, "I want to talk to you."

In both our research and our fieldwork in schools, we at the Jewish Early Childhood Education Initiative (JECEI) have learned that Jewish parents seek the best educational environment for their children, while at the same time craving meaning and community in their own lives. What the JECEI found to be most successful in terms of bringing young families and children into a Jewish setting is an educational environment that creates a seamless relationship between Jewish Big Ideas (for more information please see www.jecei.org) and constructivist thinking. Imagine a school where every aspect of the life of the school and its community is seen through an inherently Jewish lens. Imagine a school where directors, teachers, and parents are immersed in Jewish lifelong learning.

For too long we have been complacent when it comes to balancing Jewish early childhood education with the enormous changes occurring in the various fields affecting education. Ideas about teaching, learning and parent engagement have changed dramatically over the past ten years and it is imperative that Jewish schools begin to make an effort to keep up. The same need for change is found in the classroom. We continue to teach Jewish holidays with some new twist to an old arts and crafts project and some version of the old "they hated us, they killed us, let's eat" stories we tell our children.

The best way to bring the necessary change into Jewish early childhood classrooms is to use core Jewish values and key concepts. For example, teaching young children using Jewish Big Ideas for Shabbat might include exploring family relationships, the power of time, the difference of being and working, sacred time and sacred space. Freedom, nature and the wonder of its miracles is a way to teach a three-year-old and his/her family to appreciate and celebrate Pesach together. Exploring family relationships and celebration, giving and sharing, light and darkness for Chanukah brings honest meaning and interpretation to a family and their young children.

We are all familiar with the main gimmicks used to get people in "our doors." But, once a family is in the door, do they see excellence? Do they feel the possibilities of being part of a meaningful Jewish community? Upon entering one of our buildings, are parents greeted by someone that evokes the illusion of the welcoming feeling of Abraham's tent? When they call your office for the first time do they believe that someone is listening deeply and wanting to learn about their family or merely providing information? Excellence must be intentional and visible in every aspect of a Jewish school.

Families that become part of an excellent Jewish educational community when their children are young will crave more in the future and travel down the pathway of Jewish day school and increased involvement. So, the answer to our beginning question, "how does one market a Jewish preschool to families of preschool-aged children?", is simple: Excellence through a Jewish Lens.

As Jewish educators we are passionate about the mission of Jewish community high schools, but many families, even those who consider themselves Jewishly committed, may have dismissed Jewish education as a viable option for their children. Therefore, we can not sit back and take for granted that parents will understand and value the mission of our schools.

At Milken Community High School, after a decline in 7th grade enrollment in 2004-05, we made an important decision to look critically at why this was happening. While our Jewish feeder schools were experiencing declining enrollment, we did not allow that to be our rationalization. Instead, with the help of a consultant, we examined demographics, conducted parent satisfaction surveys, and revamped our Admissions Program to include extensive marketing and outreach to our internal and external communities. The work was intensive but the rewards were great. Not only did we affect enrollment, but our image in the community and the interest in our school has never been greater. What we learned can be instructive, so I offer up five important issues that every head of school should consider:

1. Why Jewish education? While each of us may offer a personal response to that question, the institution must have a clear statement and vision of the importance of Jewish education to the student and family. Jewish community high schools across the nation are doing important work and each school must relate its own narrative and the collective narrative of the Jewish people in a passionate and compelling way. While acknowledging what their children would gain from a Jewish day school experience, prospective parents are worried about college acceptances. Others fear that the school may be compromising rigorous academics, electives or a competitive athletic program. You need to address these or other concerns while presenting a strong argument for the advantages that Jewish tradition and practice can bring to the lives of their children.
2. Clarity of your school's mission. Mission defines who you are and how you are unique; mission is the clear statement of your direction. Many mission statements get lost in rhetoric or jargon, or are too long to remember. The words of your mission should be on the lips of your faculty, students and parents. Your mission should be written and spoken every opportunity you get: in your publications, on your website, at open houses and at parent evenings.
3. Know your community and your competition. As Milken examined its admissions process, we became keenly aware of how recruitment was conducted at the many fine private schools in the area. As a result, we changed some of our procedures and engaged more parent docents and student ambassadors in tours and open houses. We went into the community and conducted parent coffees and offered more personal tours and informal opportunities for parents and students to come and experience life at Milken. We looked at other websites, publications and communications. You need to know what your families will experience when they visit competing schools.
4. Identify and promote your "centers of excellence." The Mitchell Academy for Science and Technology, whose keynote program is science research, has brought Milken prestige producing semi finalists in the Intel competition two years in a row. The WISE senior internship program that was highlighted in a TIME magazine article on senioritis is a premier program we talk about at every opportunity. Each of your schools can take pride in an array of outstanding programs that will speak to your uniqueness and attract prospective families.
5. Use your students, especially alumni in recruitment. They can speak to what a Jewish education has given them and meant to them. Their success and menschlekeit speak to the outstanding work you and your faculty do on a daily basis educating their minds and hearts and souls.

Providing a K-12 Jewish education is a gift to our students and to the Jewish people. Our challenge, as Jewish educators, is to recruit vigorously and to educate passionately, for through the legacy of Torah, we offer children a context for leading rich and meaningful lives.

"Current Jewish day school recruitment efforts consist primarily of open houses, group and individual tours of the school, parlor meetings, and mailing letters and brochures," Jacobs noted. "There's no need to eliminate these strategies, but these are typically only effective on those families that are already considering Jewish day school for their children. How do you reach the consumer who doesn't even have you on their radar screen?" Her answer has been to implement community outreach programming, featuring parenting education and topics of general interest to all parents who want to raise and educate good kids.

And in just one year at Soille San Diego, she has increased the number of new students enrolling in the school from 15 in fall 2005 to 74 for the current school year.

In addition to traditional recruitment events, in the past year Soille San Diego has featured author lectures and book signings, a six-week parenting series, Jewish holiday events including cooking classes, and a variety of expert speakers on such topics as bullying, Internet safety for children, raising self-reliant children, drugs and alcohol, and kids and money. Instead of a traditional kindergarten open house, they sponsored a program entitled "Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?" featuring a panel of child development experts. This type of event is more likely to be attended by members of the general Jewish and secular community who are interested in the subject, but not necessarily interested in hearing a sales pitch for Jewish day school education. They come to the day school campus, meet members of the school community, and learn something about an important topic, but most importantly, they leave with a new opinion of Jewish day schools. By capturing the family's contact information, the admissions director can follow up with them to promote the school, with dramatically different results.

At Soille San Diego, outreach events such as these also increase the sense of community within the school, generating a feeling of school pride. Families are encouraged to bring their friends and neighbors to these events, which helps the admission office identify potential families who might become interested in the school. The school even offered a $500 tuition discount to families who referred a prospective student if that student later enrolled in the school, which brought in a flood of new prospective families about which the admission office would never have known. Many events are co-sponsored with other local day schools and Jewish community organizations, which increase the school's profile in the community and helps raise awareness about the excellence of Jewish day school education.

The admission director doesn't do all this programming alone, however. At Soille San Diego, a chevra (friends) group has been created by parents interested in helping with recruitment efforts. This group does most of the work, under the direction of the admissions office, with outstanding results. Getting parents involved in planning programming results in more parents attending events, with the additional benefit that student retention rates are increased as well.

Many of those participating in the conference call indicated that they are doing this type of programming on a limited basis. Jacobs is the first to admit that these aren't new ideas, just good ones. The difference is in philosophy, she notes.

Most schools plan outreach events as programs in a busy calendar of recruitment activities. Jacobs has a different approach. "If Jewish day schools embrace the greater mission that we are obligated to be a Light Unto The Nations (Isaiah 42:6), by providing the entire community with family education programs based on Jewish values, day schools can become the first choice for Jewish families of all affiliations who want to raise and educate mentsches." Jacobs is using community outreach programming as mission-driven marketing for her school, rather than just as discrete events.

PEJE's Admission Community of Practice works to identify noteworthy practices being implemented in the field with outstanding results, and to share this knowledge in such a manner that schools can adapt and replicate the practice with the desired result in their own environment. Jacobs' presentation on community outreach (available as a PowerPoint on www.peje.org) left the participants renewed with many fresh ideas, program topics, and strategies to enhance their recruitment efforts.

For more information or to join the Admission Community of Practice, contact Rebecca Egolf at [email protected].

If there is a Solomon Schechter Day School (Conservative movement) alternative, the marketing will have to be on issues of excellence of academic program and staff, facilities, dedication to Klal Yisrael, and extra curricular activities going head to head with the local Schechter school's programs.

If the community day school is the only game in town, and wishes to attract Conservative Jewish students who would otherwise be attending synagogue schools and public and other private schools, then I would stress excellence in academics, commitment to Jewish living and learning for both children and their families, and the school's openness and desire to make all constituent denominations feel valued and appreciated. One way to do this would be to get the backing of the Conservative rabbis, cantors and Jewish educators in town, inviting them into the school for a deep look around, and then asking them to grant you the right to quote them in your advertising. A well marketed school would invite these Conservative professionals to participate in the school's governance and policy making committees.

Clearly demonstrating that there are opportunities for egalitarian treatment of female students and staff would also enhance the school's image among many Conservative Jewish families. If the school is dominated by either end of the spectrum, i.e. Reform or Orthodox, the marketing will have to reflect other excellences in the school such as extra curricular actives, movement based Shabbatonim or affiliation with movement based youth programs. I'd suggest that Conservative professionals be invited in on a regular basis to have lunch with their congregant students (they should bring desert!), teach a class, or speak to students and parents about a Conservative view of halacha, the teaching of text, or the observance of mitzvot.

In the end, parents most want excellence for their children in all things academic, social, emotional and physical. Conservative Jewish parents are no different. For the very observant Conservative parent, the school's standards of kashrut, birthday party rules, quality of school prayer, level of text study and Hebrew language instruction will be real barometers by which they will measure their desire to enroll their children.

The main body of Conservative Jews seeks excellence in academics and extra curricular activities, and in an ironic way, can be swayed to enroll even if the school is Reform or Orthodox in its dominant outlook. Frankly, with the growing pressure of Federations in North America to reverse the trends of the last fifty years, which promoted denominational schools by insisting on the communization of many denominational schools, the expanding number of community day schools need to think deeply about how to individualize their programming to meet the religious and spiritual needs of diverse Jewish movements in the school. Schools which can turn this type of emphasis on unity in diversity into smart marketing campaigns may be the real winners in the competition for family commitment and tuition dollars.

All of us, regardless of size or location, struggle with issues of image, marketing, public relations, recruitment and retention. The compilation of experience and expertise that you will find in this issue will make it a document to which you will refer frequently, and will share with boards, lay leaders, professional colleagues and all those who have an interest in the success of the community day school movement.

This issue of HaYidion further exemplifies one of the most important contributions that RAVSAK makes to day school education: the unique combination of practical advice addressing matters of immediate concern and the philosophical and pedagogical conversation that sustains us in all that we do.

We hope that you will enjoy, gain benefit from and be enlightened by this Chanukah issue of HaYidion, and that it will shed light as bright as your Chanukah candles into the wonderful world of community day school education.

Chevre,

I hope that this fall has been most successful and that the children are enjoying their immersion in the best education available.

In our last issue, we covered the pivotal head-board alliance and role of the board of trustees. In this edition of HaYidion, we deal with another crucial aspect that directly affects the success of a school: the school’s ability to market itself effectively.

In looking at marketing in Jewish day schools certain realities need to be accounted for. These include:

• The recognition that nearly all independent schools in a given area are competing for the same limited number of Jewish school-age children in the community. This matter is exacerbated in communities with multiple Jewish day school options.
• For the majority of parents, public schools served them well and they do not automatically recognize the many benefits of children being immersed in a Jewish day school education.
• The cost of being a young Jewish family is overwhelming and well out of the reach of many families. The need to raise tuition – both for survival and to be aligned with other leading schools – will potentially make the school out of reach for many.
• Rabbis from the various denominations may be skeptical about the concept of a community day school and its ability to work successfully with a pluralistic community in which each philosophy of Judaism is validated.

Responses to these realities should include the following strategies:

• A strategic marketing plan must be developed, and constantly evaluated and revised.
• Schools need to forge alliances with the various synagogues and begin to collaborate on programming i.e. leadership training for the boards and shared faculty in-services.
• The head of school, members of the board of trustees and parent ambassadors need to represent the school positively and outreach to the wider community.
• The perceived value of day school education must be emphasized and placed foremost in all the school’s advertising. Parents will pay for what they believe is good quality and of benefit to their children.
• The “added value dimension”, “best of both worlds” and quality of the academic program must be reinforced. This, however, requires us to continually evaluate honestly whether the educational experience at the school is as good as they would be getting elsewhere for less, for more, or for free at public schools.
• Marketing requires internal as well as external marketing. Retention of students is a lot

easier than attracting new students, and just as important.

I hope you find this issue as stimulating as the previous ones. Remember that other schools prepare students for taking tests; Jewish day schools prepare them for life!

Wishing you and your families a Chag Chanukat Sameach.

• Its belief in Divine authorship of the Torah;
• Its concern with learning classical medieval rabbinic commentaries, particularly Rashi;
• Its concern with learning Talmud and dinim;
• Areas of coeducation, particularly in prayer;
• Its desire that at least 50% of the school day be spent in Judaica;
• Its desire that teachers in religious subjects be religious themselves;
• Strict halachic observance in kashrut, Shabbat, chagim, tzniut, etc.

On the other hand, some attractions that community day schools have for the Modern Orthodox are:

• The community school is a day school;
• The community school is Zionistic;
• Girls will be able to learn Judaica equally with boys;
• Children will be learning in a Jewish atmosphere.

In order for the community day school to appeal to more Modern Orthodox Jews, it needs to enfranchise them. The Modern Orthodox need to feel that their values are not being denigrated; that their lifestyle is appreciated; that their concerns are receiving a sympathetic hearing and that the needs of their children are being paid attention to in extra-curricular settings.

Thus, the community day school needs to reassure Modern Orthodox parents that their children:

• Will have a suitable prayer option. Prior to bar/bat mitzvah, this is usually not a problem. However, at bar/bat mitzvah age and above they need either a mechitzah or separate rooms for boys’ and girls’ prayer services;
• Will not be taught content which conflicts with Modern Orthodox belief. Problems will be caused if teachers state that, for example, the Torah derives from human authorship. I am of the opinion that it is not necessary at the day school age to deal with issues of authorship and dating of the Biblical text. Educationally, it makes much more sense to focus on values, content, and skills;
• Will have opportunities for learning Rashi, dinim and some Talmud. The only issue here which may be truly problematic for community schools is the teaching of Talmud, which is not a focus for most such schools. If only, for example, a few Talmudic stories are taught, the Modern Orthodox child may require some tutoring outside of school;
• Will be taught by teachers who are appropriate religious role models. In their private lives, teachers of religious subjects in community schools may or may not be observant. Nonetheless, in the school itself and other public venues in which children may meet them, these teachers should be able to show the students that they themselves greatly value the texts and traditions they are teaching;
• Will not be put in situations in which their observance is challenged. Classic problems are birthday parties which are held on Shabbat, or at which non-kosher food is served, or at which improper movies are shown (many PG -13 films, for example, use inappropriate language and sexual innuendos). Such realities often make Modern Orthodox families feel excluded and unappreciated. Of course, this is a dilemma faced by families of all committed backgrounds.

Assuming that the community day school can meet the above needs, that school should be able to make its case to Modern Orthodox families who do not have their own day school and perhaps to many who do.

Ultimately, the community day school will succeed in attracting Modern Orthodox families when its pluralism shows evidence of inclusiveness based upon respect for their diversity.

We firmly believe that lay leaders have a key role in the success of the school. We emphasize the need for parents and community members to get involved with the school. Several board committees are open for membership and numerous committees for specific school events are available for additional participation. Individuals usually become more involved in the areas of their passion, for instance Judaic or general education, fund raising, and financial committees. Eventually, people may become members of the board of directors, initially the general board and then possibly the executive board. The responsibilities of the board are made public and include attendance, participation on committees, and active role in fund raising. I believe that the reason for many of our long term volunteers and board members is the genuine love for the school, the satisfaction of being a part of its success, and the commitment one has to the continuity of our Jewish heritage.

In addition, we believe that recognition and appreciation for our volunteers are crucial. This is often accomplished through our website and weekly e-mail newsletter, as well as the community’s many publications. Our students, volunteers, professional and lay leaders frequently are featured in area newspapers.

Our school’s successes are also a result of the hard work of its professional and lay leaders’ collaborative efforts. Tuition alone cannot provide for all the services needed to produce the results we’ve seen from our high school and even lower school students; therefore, lay leaders partner with professionals to raise funds for the DPHDS. This past year, an annual campaign was created to enhance many school services. Fortunately, many people believe in Winston Churchill’s saying that “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Raising almost $500,000, the campaign also allowed donors’ gifts to be restricted to specific funds such as athletics, performing arts, and technology. Donors were recognized at all school functions, and they took great pride in the numerous accomplishments of our students, such as our athletic teams’ regional championships, our Robotics team’s success as a competition finalist, and our several Cappy nominations (county wide high school theater recognitions) for our school’s musical production.

Lay leaders and the professional staff are continuously working together at the David Posnack Hebrew Day School to improve its physical facilities, increase its programs, enhance its courses, and ensure the continuity of our Jewish heritage. Today’s students reap the benefits of the hard work, which have been done on their behalf, but our alumni prove that the school has achieved its goal of producing future Jewish leaders. We all must remember what the Mishnah says: It is not for you to complete the work, but neither are you free to abstain from it.

Does this sound familiar?

There are many ways a school can acquaint their community with the fine job they’re doing. If your organization is ready to do so but is unsure how, don’t restrict your announcements to a newsletter. Public Relations is an inexpensive, yet highly effective way to reach a wider audience.

Public Relations (PR) uses the power of the news media to promote a school to the general public. This means working with newspaper reporters, magazine editors, television and/or radio producers and convincing them to write about one’s organization. A press release (also called a news release) is sent to an appropriate reporter highlighting something that is newsworthy. The reporter then chooses whether or not to communicate your news to the public.

This is the major difference between advertising and PR: In advertising, the organization placing the ad has total control over how its message is presented. In PR, members of the media (reporters and writers,) decide what will be said. Also, in advertising, the school is paying to promote itself, but in public relations, the community’s news sources promote the school at no cost.

Such a strategy has its advantages. When a third party talks about an organization, it is far less self-promotional than advertising. To have a trusted news source do so can help establish the school’s credibility and expertise in the minds of its community. Also, the coverage gained is often far more extensive than anything a school could have hoped to say in an ad.

Under the right circumstances and with the proper control, an effective public relations campaign can do wonders to promote a school to its own community. A school can use PR to promote awareness programs, fund-raising programs and to highlight achievements.

How to Publicize

Schools have an often-unrealized advantage with their local media: positive news. Much of the news we see on television or read in magazines each day is negative. For a reporter, a school event is a “feel-good” story that promotes a local achievement. Such stories can provide a much-needed break from depressing stories for a reporter and their audience.

Admissions Directors are a natural choice for a school’s PR contact for the media, since one of the director’s roles is to acquaint potential parents with the school’s best features. They are well suited to communicate how a school positively impacts its community.

Schools with Admissions Directors should think about paying for them to take a continuing education class in basic PR techniques. Such classes can be invaluable at explaining what stories reporters typically find newsworthy and how they should be presented.

If a school does not have an Admissions Director, consider forming a public relations committee made up of involved parents, teachers and members of the school administration. Committee members should learn how to write a news release that will alert the local media when something important is happening at the school, and then choose one person to represent the school to the media.

Writing a Press Release

The best way to inform the news media about what happens within your school is to write and send them a press release.

A press release is different from a news article. A news article is a compilation of facts researched by journalists and published in the news media, whereas a press release is designed to be sent to journalists in order to encourage them to develop an article on a particular subject.

Members of the news media typically work under stringent deadlines. To guarantee your news is read and considered for publication, use a standard press release format. This standard was established by newsroom reporters and conveys your information in a manner that is easy for them to process.

A press release must be concisely-written, timely and newsworthy. It should be printed on your school letterhead. They are normally 1-3 pages, with an ideal length of one page. If your release is more than one page, be sure to number them. Most newspapers are written at an 8th-grade reading comprehension level, so when possible, your release should be as well. Also, use a clean, readable font in 12pt, such as Times New Roman or Arial. It should be written in block style -- do not indent.

Standard Press Release Format

• “For Immediate Release” (Placed at the top of the document.)
• Contact information (Placed directly underneath.) This is the name, phone number and email address of the person a reporter can contact within your organization for more information. Make sure a phone number is included, as many reporters, especially those outside of large cities, are more likely to use a telephone, rather than email. A name is required: do not direct reporters to a general department phone number.
• Place at least one “spacer” line here.
• Headline (Text should be bold, underlined and centered.) The headline should summarize the most important content of your release in a single sentence, (i.e. “Golda Meir Day School Student Wins National Science Fair”)
• Place one “spacer” line here.

Body of Press Release

All text in the body of the release should be spaced at 1.5 lines. There should be a blank spacer line placed between paragraphs.

Introductory Paragraph. The first line of the body of your press release should start with a Dateline that includes the city where the release is generated and the date (i.e. LOS ANGELES, CA. – October 19, 2006). The first paragraph should answer the following questions in at most, two sentences: “Who?”, “What?”, “Where”, “When?” and “Why?” It should not contain a quote.

Additional paragraphs should expound upon the first and contain all details relevant to your news, including background and statistics. (In other words, they answer the question, “How?”) If you would like to include a quote regarding your event, it is commonly placed in the second paragraph.

The final paragraph is boilerplate. This is a single paragraph that gives the reporter some background information on your school. Boilerplates are often single-spaced.

• End the release with either “###” or “-30-”, center-justified and surrounded by at least one line of blank space. (With quotation marks removed.) This indicates to the reporter than the release has ended.

The website of the PR Newswire organization (www.prnewswire.com) is a wonderful, free resource for sample press releases. If you can, use the text of the releases on their site as an example.

Remember that the purpose of a press release is to suggest a story idea from which a reporter will write or produce an article. It should explain why your story is of interest to that reporter’s readers or viewers.

The reporter is under no obligation to cover your news. It will be your responsibility to explain why they should. However, if they say no, don’t pressure them unduly. You’ll most likely need them in the future.

Speaking to the Media

• Be mindful of the fact that no matter how friendly and helpful a reporter may be, anything a school representative says to the media is considered “On the Record” and therefore may be used in a story. Therefore, choose your words carefully and assume your conversations are being recorded. If you must discuss something with a reporter that you don’t want printed, tell them before you speak that what you are about to say is “Off the Record.” Most reporters view this as a request, and may not respect it.
• Be positive.
• Know your media deadlines. Newspapers work a few days to a week in advance of publication date for articles and at least one to two months in advance for calendar listings. Television deadlines vary, but are usually quite tight. Magazine deadlines vary widely, but most work from a month to six months in advance.
• Be factual. Do not speculate or exaggerate. Never lie. Never get angry.
• Do not say “no comment” unless absolutely necessary.
• Be courteous, professional and never burn your bridges. Remember, you need them more than they need you.