August 8, 2014
Are you thinking about Back-to-School events that you can plan or promote in your community? Leading up to the first day of school and beyond, the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign will deliver a new tip straight to your inbox with ideas on how you can use Campaign resources as students and parents prepare for the new school year. It's as easy as 1-2-3!
Campaign Resource Tip #1: Reach Out to News Outlets with Our Media Tools
Reach out to local media to spread the word about your activities and promote the importance of health coverage in preparing children for a new school year. The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign has tools you can use in your media outreach.
- Media advisories and press releases. Local media outlets will post event information on community calendars and may send reporters to cover your event. Make sure they hear about your latest enrollment efforts! Prepare a media advisory and send it around to multiple news sources in your community – and don't forget ethnic news outlets. Use the Campaign's press release with information about Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and add your event details. Be sure to include a description of what will take place, how many people are expected to attend and what you have planned after your next event. If you need tips on how to work with the media, watch our webinar Using Media Outreach to Amplify Outreach and Enrollment Efforts.
- "Live-read" scripts for radio or TV. Contact your local radio and TV station managers and encourage them to announce your events on air. Add your organization’s custom information to the Campaign’s "live-read" scripts for a 15-, 30-, or 60-second announcement in English or Spanish. Ask if stations are willing to donate broadcast time to air the Campaign's radio or TV public service announcements.
- Template news article. Local news outlets are always looking for newsworthy content, and Back- to-School season is a great time for articles relevant to children’s health. Contact your local community papers and ask them to run a feature on free or low-cost health coverage for eligible families. You can customize our template newsletter article.
Get started today! Visit InsureKidsNow.gov to jumpstart your media outreach efforts about free or low-cost health coverage for children and teens during the start of the school season and all year-round. If you want even more tips, check out the Back-to-School Booster Catalogue. And remember, these media tools are just some of the new outreach resources from the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign.
Stay Connected With the National Campaign – In 3 Easy Steps
- Follow the Campaign on Twitter. Don't forget to re-tweet or share our messages with your network or use our #Enroll365 hashtag in your posts.
- Share our materials widely. We have more than 50 National Campaign resources available, including translated print materials, to use in outreach and enrollment efforts.
- Contact us to get more involved with the National Campaign at ConnectingKids@cms.hhs.gov or 1-855-313-KIDS (5437).
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