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#TakeItOutsideCA

Working at multiple levels will ensure the best promotion for the events. CCLT will focus on regional and statewide promotion of Take It Outside California! For local visibility, you are best positioned to have a real impact. We will provide you with the tools you need to help spread the word about Take It Outside California!

For your part, we assume you will be leveraging your networks to enlist new partners and build momentum for your event. You can ratchet up the buzz for the event – and attention for your organization – through a broad and effective media strategy. Especially if you want to attract new audiences, you will need to engage the community through social media and reach out to local media with compelling content.

CCLT will assist you with a variety of templates. You make it come alive with local examples, pictures and speakers.

Media and Promotional Outreach

My arms are actually sore from weeding at @BaldwinHillsSO.Doesn’t mean I won’t be back though! #TakeItOutsideCA #ForTheLoveOfTheParks.

Volunteering is one way to #TakeItOutsideCA. Take a hike, ride a bike, catch a wave, catch a view. What will you do?

Favorite 2016 TIO Tweets

#TakeItOutsidCA Photo Contest Entries

Take It Outside California! Toolkit © 2016 California Council of Land Trusts. All rights reserved.

Did you get time outdoors today? Join residents all over CA this weekend to #TakeItOutsideCA & get the benefits of our natural resources. Counterclockwise from top:

1. @teamrampantlion (Twitter)2. @RecParksTourism (Twitter)3. @dajanis (Instagram)

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Your Facebook audience is likely comprised of people with whom you have some offline relationship. This means that Facebook posts tend to carry more weight and can be used to

strengthen the core community and deepen community excitement.

Your Twitter audience, on the other hand, tends to be people interested in the content of your posts. Given this substantive relationship, you should use Twitter to grow your community, provide basic information and engage in the general community-wide discussion about Take It Outside California! and related topics. Actively following users tweeting about relevant topics and following hashtag conversations are great ways to broaden your community and engage in the

larger conversation.1

Instagram is great for sharing captivating pictures. Share a picture and include a link in you bio

to direct viewers to more information about the event. If your Instagram doesn’t have very many

followers yet, use key hashtags to try and have larger accounts share your photo as well.

You may also want to consider promoting your Take It Outside California! through Facebook Ads,

Promoted Tweets, or Google AdWords, all of which enable advertising to targeted audiences

based on specific keywords or user characteristics. Check out Google for Nonprofits to see if your

organization is eligible for free or highly discounted products, such as in-kind AdWords advertising.

Online & Social Media

1. Giving Day Playbook, www.givingdayplaybook.org

Online and social media is a great way to promote your Take It Outside California! event. If used correctly, your website, blog, Facebook page and Twitter account have the potential to reach a large population, circulate event information and connect new audiences to your organizations.

Regardless of your previous experience with social media, you can and should strategically utilize Facebook, Twitter, and where appropriate, other social media channels to spread the word about your Take It Outside California! event. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are simple and straightforward to use, but the three networks operate with important differences. Work with your partner to reach out to their social media audiences as well!

Encourage participants to use #TakeItOutsideCA during the event!

Doing so brings much broader attention to your event. In 2016, #TakeItOutsideCA was trending regionally on Twitter and had almost 87k people talking, clicking, and sharing on Facebook.

Take It Outside California! Toolkit © 2016

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#TakeItOutsideCA

#TakeItOutsideCAFor all social media communication use the hashtag #TakeItOutsideCA, and don’t forget the CA!

10+ weeks out Ask what events your community might be interested in 8 weeks out Announce community project partners (if applicable)

7 weeks out Save the date announcement 6 weeks out Announce details of your event

4 weeks out Remind people to sign the pledge and RSVP if needed

2 weeks out Event update and sign-up reminder 1 week out Week-of event updates and reminders Take It Outside California! Live updates of event using #TakeItOutsideCA Day After Send thank your for joining us and share successes

Social Media Calendar

The Yisreal Family Urban Farm won the Take It Outside California! photo contest. Images shared on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with #TakeItOutsideCA, are selected and uploaded to the California Council of Land Trusts Facebook page.

The photos with the most likes at the end of the week win prizes!


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#TakeItOutsideCA

Sample Social Media Posts

Sample Tweets

We are joining the statewide movement to #TakeItOutsideCA on May 6th! What kind of event would you like to join us for?

We are excited to be partnering with … for #TakeItOusideCA! Stay tuned for event details. Be part of the statewide movement and #TakeItOusideCA. Join us … Have fun, be active, and explore the outdoors! #TakeItOusideCA (add a picture with details) It’s the perfect weekend to #TakeItOutsideCA. Join us… The weather is looking great. Have you signed up to #TakeItOutsideCA with us?

Sample Facebook Posts

Our New Year’s resolution is to get outside more. We will be joining the statewide movement to #TakeItOutsideCA on 5/6-5/7. Save the date!

We are part of the statewide movement to get Californian’s outside on the first weekend of May. We are hosting an event and would love for you to join us. Friends, family, all are welcome!

Don’t be shy! If you haven’t been to one of our events before, now is the perfect time. Join the statewide movement and #TakeItOutsideCA.

Other Common #Hashtags

for the Outdoors

#TakeItOutside#Outdoors

#GetOutside#SundayFunday

#BHC#OptOutside

#REI1440Project#NeverStopExploring

#PublicLands#OutsideIsFree

#LetsMove#GetOffTheCouch

#OutdoorFitness#EveryKidInAPark#GetOutStayOut

#LiveOutdoors#ExploreCalifornia

#DiscoverCalifornia#Nature

#Adventure#Explore#Nature

#NatureWalk

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#TakeItOutsideCA

Website

The Take It Outside California! website (www.TakeItOutsideCA.com) displays all of the Take It Outside California! events throughout the state with a link to your website. Make sure you are listed on here! In addition, think about where you can list your event information on your website. Is there a place on the homepage?

Media Releases

The purpose of a press release is to generate media coverage of an event, announcement or new development, or to provide insight or additional information about an ongoing issue, product or policy. In your case, its purpose will be to generate coverage of your Take It Outside California! event. Distributing a media release allows you to package the information, story and quotes the way you would like them covered.

For events, like Take It Outside California! the release is typically issued the same day as the news occurs (generally by e-mail), although you may issue it in advance of the event.

Three tips for writing a media release:

1. “Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.” This information should be in the first and second paragraph of your release. Many times, if the reporter doesn’t see the importance of the story in these paragraphs, they stop reading and toss it.

2. Details. Write down the supporting key points for your core information, such as background information on littering and pollution or your watershed. Quotes from a main spokesperson can and should be used to provide or support the details.

3. Be sure to include:a. Contact information – identify the organization issuing the release with a current contact

name, phone number, and e-mail address b. Your organization’s web site and/or Facebook addressesc. Brief description of your organization and your partner, if applicable

Media Outreach


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#TakeItOutsideCA

Media Outreach Tips

• Think about daily and weekly print newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and TV stations. Also consider new media sources such as online newspapers, blogs, and social media outlets. (4-6 months out)

• Hard stories in news sections are great but can be harder to get and will typically be on the day after. Don’t forget the many other sections of a newspape. Consider the calendar, licinv/lifestyle, gardering and outdoors sections. In larger metropolitian areas, try the ‘local news sections.’

• Identify the journalists at each media source who report on philanthropy, nonprofits, civic engagement and/or local events. (4-6 months out)

• Create a Media Toolkit with information about your Take It Outside California! event. This Toolkit can be repurposed from the packet compiled for community partners.

• Send an email to each reporter, introducing yourself and pitching your Take it Outside California! event (or a specific component of the event if you think the reporter will be more interested in a particular aspect). Keep the email short and to the point and be sure to offer to meet with the reporter in person or by phone to provide more details. Attach the Media Toolkit to the email.

• Continue to follow up with the media as the event gets closer. Depending on your relationship with the media outlet and the degree of its expressed interest, you should consider contacting it one month, one week and two days out from the event. The purpose of this contact is to remind them about Take It Outside California!, volunteer to help with any requests for information and to see if you can help connect them with interview subjects.1

1. Giving Day Playbook, www.givingdayplaybook.org

“We also put an ad in the newspapers, something we had not done in the past and it was very successfull.”

- Catherine, Eastern Sierra Land Trust


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Media Outreach Tips

Pre-Written or “Canned” ArticlesSmall local publications that don’t have a large reporting staff may accept a pre-written or “canned” article and run it with little editing. In larger local publications, however, the “canned” article may be used to spur a reporter to cover your story. In this case, your pre-written article may provide the basic facts for the reporter’s story, but he or she may develop their own angle. Remember weekly and monthly publications require a much longer lead-time than daily publications. Be sure to contact the publication to determine submission deadlines.1

Another way to reach opinion leaders and educate your community about your Take It Outside California! event is to submit letters to the editor and opinion-editorial (op-ed) pieces. Op-ed pieces and letters to the editor should be written in the same fashion as a media release, with the most important information at the beginning of the letter. For maximum impact, a senior member of your organization should sign letters to the editor and op-ed articles.1

Calendar AnnouncementsTo increase the visibility of your Take It Outside California! event, consider submitting information for local calendar listings. Media calendar listings (also referred to as announcements or bulletin boards) are the section of the newspaper, or a time slot on radio/television where community events and activities are listed or announced. Many other groups now also have free community calendars on their websites. It’s worth putting a little bit of work into locating these and submitting to them. Try Chambers of Commerce, colleges, free on-line newspapers, environmental organizations as well as many others. To increase the likelihood of having your event included in the calendar section, send your announcement well ahead of the event.2

“[Our organizations’] directors were interviewed for a radio talkshow that is heard county-wide. We also connected with the County Tourism Board and events were posted to their online calendar. We sent out press releases and two articles were written about the events.”

- Connie, Beautify

Cambria & Greenspace

1. Great Sierra River Clean Up Coordinator Guide, www.sierranevada.ca.gov/our-work/rivercleanup2. Giving Day Playbook, www.givingdayplaybook.org


Elkhorn Slough Foundation TuleyomeTransition Habitat Conservancy

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#TakeItOutsideCA

Media Outreach Tips

Public Service Announcements (PSAs)A public service announcement, or PSA, is a free message that is similar to a commercial. PSAs promote events and services of non-profit organizations and groups that serve the community. They run from 10 seconds to 30 seconds in length and appear on radio or on television. A PSA should give concise information about your event (date, time, location, contact information). Thirty seconds is usually the maximum length a radio station will run a PSA; call the station to obtain the station’s PSA requirements, including length and lead-time. PSAs can be submitted in written format, to be read by the station’s announcer, or pre-recorded on an audio or digital tape (this can be expensive and must follow the electronic needs dictated by the station).

Radio PSAsBegin by contacting the public service director at the radio stations at least six weeks before the events to find out the following information:

• whether the station uses PSAs• whether the station has written guidelines for

submitting PSAs• the deadline for submitting PSAs• the station’s preferred length for PSAs

Once you have determined the needs of each radio station, submit the prepared PSA to each public service director with a personalized cover letter. Always indicate the beginning and ending air-dates for your announcement in the cover letter and the PSA script itself. Follow up your mailing with a personal phone call to each public service director to make sure they have received your PSA and to ask if they will air it. If a station airs your PSA, it’s always good to send a personalized thank-you letter to generate goodwill for next year’s event.

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Riverside Land Conservancy expanded their outreach by promoting it at various Earth Day events during the month of April. They also wanted to reach out to the community directly adjacent to the preserve. They worked with the local Homeowners Association (HOA) and had them help spread the word which resulted in three families from the local community attending the event. About 85% of the attendees to their event were first-time participants.


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#TakeItOutsideCA

INFORMATION RESOURCES

A Prescription for Better Health: Go Alfresco: www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/a-prescription-for-better-health-go-alfresco

Conservation Horizons, Keeping Conservation and Land Trusts Vital For the Next Age: www.calandtrusts.org/horizons/

Conservation Frontiers: The Seriousness of Outdoor Play. www.calandtrusts.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/CCLT_Frontiers2014_v5-2_play.pdf

Children and Nature Network. www.childrenandnature.org/

Let Kids Run Wild in the Woods. www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/05/kid_play_zones_in_parks_leave_no_trace_inhibits_fun_and_bonding_with_nature.html

Nature Kids Institute. www.naturekidsinstitute.org

Nature Rocks. www.naturerocks.org

North American Association for Environmental Education. www.naaee.net

Parent’s Guide to Nature Play. www.greenheartsinc.org/Parents__Guide.html

Transforming Youth Outdoors. www.mytyo.org

Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life - Richard Louv

Water Education Foundation. www.watereducation.org

Where Nature Meets Story - a wide variety of things to do when playing outdoors in nature: www.childrenandnature.org/naturestory

Wildlife and Nature Lesson Plans and Resources for Educators. www.nwf.org/What-We-Do/Kids-and-Nature/Educators.aspx

Resources

Feather River Land Trust

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