Guidelines

Things we want to hear about:

• Major awards and publications, accomplishments for students, faculty or staff
• Noteworthy accomplishments for students, faculty or staff
• Collaborations between students and faculty, ie. undergraduate research projects, etc.
• Campus events and speakers whose presentations are open to the public
• New practices or innovative approaches to traditional subjects and discipline

There are a number of different ways to get media coverage: media releases, media advisories, direct pitches to reporters and editors, op-ed pieces, events submitted to the campus calendar (that often appear in community calendars or are picked up by local reporters), blogging and letters to the editor.   

How to Receive the Best Media Coverage:

Contact our office with the news that you think an external audience would be interested in so it can be best evaluated for possible media distribution. News for on-campus audiences only are best communicated by the individual or through their departmental offices.

Provide us with as much advanced notice as possible. We are, at any one time, working on four to five media releases, in addition to other PR efforts. A 30 to 60 day notice gives us the optimal time to evaluate and develop your news item.

Submit your event to the Campus Events Calendar; it is a vehicle that will communicate your important on campus event to many outlets and constituencies. Once submitted, your event will be:

• Posted to the UMF public website and ecampus
• Posted to on-line events calendars such as MPBN, Maine Arts Commission and Maine Tourism
• Posted to the local community
• Emailed weekly to the media, community calendars and friends of the University        
• Evaluated for possible further media interest

Make yourself available to reporters. They juggle many stories at a time and are on a tight production schedule, often at the end of the day. By taking the time to return their calls as soon as possible, your valuable subject-specific knowledge will have the opportunity to enrich the reporter’s article and add to the public conversation.

Participate in the UMF Faculty Experts List. The Office of Public Relations is currently coordinating a UMF Faculty Experts List that will be made available to reporters and editors online.