Instructions for a Public Service Announcement (PSA)

•  Determine who will receive the PSA and in what form they want the material. Most radio and television will have a contact person to whom they should be sent; oftentimes it is a public affairs director or public service director. At newspapers, you may be directed to the advertising department since it is basically an ad free of charge.

• If you can, meet with the person responsible for placing PSAs at the media outlet. A face-to-face meeting will increase your chances of the PSA being run.

• Use contacts if you have them to help secure placement.

• Follow-up with the media outlet a few days after sending them to be sure your PSA was received. Ask if they plan to run it. If they do, ask them when they plan to run it. If not, ask them when would be a good time to follow up with them again. State again the reasons why this PSA is worthwhile…this is your second chance to convince them to run it.

            DO NOT be rude or impatient. Be pleasant and smile with your voice.

DO NOT keep them on the phone too long. They are very busy at their jobs and get many of these types of calls a day.

DO NOT keep pressing them if they said “no” or have not given a “yes” answer. You want to be remembered favorably. Use your best judgment so as not to ‘cross the line.’

• Be sure to send a thank you note to anyone who runs the PSA. Cultivating a good relationship with the media can go a long way later on, and thanking them for something they did is just the right thing to do.

• Notify PWSA (USA) of PSAs that run in your community so we can keep track. Please send an email or letter detailing your successes.

NOTE: Keep in mind that PSAs are often run when there is not a paid advertisement space secured. On radio and television, this could mean being run at undesirable times, such as late at night. As the expression goes, “Beggars Can’t Be Choosers.” We should be grateful for any publicity at all, as it is free publicity and allows us to reach a larger audience that we could not otherwise reach. Good luck!

Updated: 02/09/2012