Below are examples for getting "free Community Calendar placements" you can issue to your local media ... and also press releases alerting their news department of your coming event . . .
When we organized our 1st event we discovered little details, like the media has a different department for "Community Calendar" announcements, and another department handles "News and Happenings" in your area.
Below we'll help you navigate your media to get maximum exposure for your coming public education event of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day.
All events worldwide are FREE to the public, so you can get them into the "Community Calendar" announcements mentioned above.
Here you'll also find help learning how to create a "campaign intensity" to help get your local media's interest, and how to best utilize our Medical Research Library to engage media interest in your event.
Even though you are working locally, you may find yourself on national or even international media, as they often pick up feeds from local media like yours. How do we know that?
Because that is how this global event began . . . When we held our first event, we later learned that CNN picked up our event from our local media . . . and World Tai Chi & Qigong Day was born . . .
Below, you'll see the tools we used to get people to our WTCQD events, and to get the media attention that has enabled our events to educate millions about Tai Chi and Qigong's benefits and how to find local teachers worldwide.
BUT, since we did all this, many doors have opened wide to enable you to have booster rockets to do your local organizing of WTCQD events:
* Email * Meetup.com * Facebook * Twitter * Blogger * LinkedIn, etc. etc.
"Kudos to you Bill [&WorldTaiChiDay.org] And all those involved to make this event happen! Such a wonderful experience! Half if the participants in my group where new or returning students that had been away for awhile! Live streaming social media marketing advertising played a big part in that!" -- Sharon Infante, Tai Chi teacher
EMAIL We do free Tai Chi and Qigong presentations throughout the year at hospitals, book stores, health food stores, churches, etc. etc. and we COLLECT EMAIL ADDRESSES of attendees, and are constantly growing our email list, so that we can contact them leading up to WTCQD several times over the weeks approaching our event, to urge them to come and to also spread the word. You can share our FREE WTCQD email newsletters with your group to educate them on breaking medical research and to get them excited about being part of WTCQD with your group. Simply click the "forward" button when you get our email newsletters, and paste in your email list emails in the "send" box.
MEETUP.COM For a minimal fee, you can have up to 3 Meetup groups on Meetup.com. Here in Kansas City, we started "Kansas City / Johnson County Tai Chi Meetup"; "KC/JC Meditation Meetup"; "KC/JC Traditional Chinese Medicine Meetup." Which we announce Meetup dates for WTCQD each year, and also whenever we have new TC/QG class sessions beginning.
By doing this, anyone in your city or area who is interesed in "Tai Chi," for example, will find your Meetup group when they search Meetup.com, and your members will grow over time.
FACEBOOK/TWITTER/SOCIAL MEDIA If you haven't yet, start a Facebook, etc. page for your school or group, and also one for example "World Tai Chi & Qigong Day Philadelphia" if you teach in Philly. Overtime, your members and FB Friends will grow, and you'll have a growing network to get to your events, and also to help you spread the word.
World Tai Chi & Qigong Day has gotten this global event onto official event calendars, and official Health Event calendars, worldwide, including Chase Calendar of Events, the premiere "public events calendar that media, government, etc., look to for noted public event dates.
So, when you approach local government, media, or other institutions . . . they'll see the event you are talking about on their calendars. This can be a BIG help.
For, some WTCQD organizers have collaborated with local, state, and national government branches to sponsor or publicize their events . . . while some events are promoted solely by the organizing groups.
Other organizers have collaborated with health institutions, hospitals, and government health offices when creating their WTCQD events.
"World Tai Chi and Qigong Day, takes place [the last Saturday of April] . . . To learn more, find instruction on the basics or discover a class in your area, go online to worldtaichiday.org."
-- USA Weekend
"Maybe we should have World Tai Chi and Qigong Day every week."
-- International Herald Tribune
Media Organizing Kit: PRE-EVENT
You MUST change dates on kits to this years date-go to our About WTCQD to get this year's date.
Click on Free Banner, Poster, Flyer artwork in the menu to your right, so you and your group can begin posting posters and placing flyers around town to get the word out about your coming event, so they know the public is invited.
With Media organizing for this event there are several stages: The First, is getting the event posted on COMMUNITY EVENT'S CALENDARS, which are free to not-for-profit events such as this one.
Send the below card (with your contact info & address & times inserted) and send to all Print, Radio, and Television media.
A suggested Post Card follows:
You MUST change dates on kits to THIS YEARS World T'ai Chi and QiGong Day date.
Scroll down (left) for more Kit Contents. . .
Many WTCQD groups worldwide provide our Official WTCQD T-Shirts to their event participants and use them for fundraisers for their schools, or charitable organizations.
KIT CONTENTS CONT'D:
(NOTE: All post cards reflect the first 1999 event. YOU MUST CHANGE!)
BACK OF CARD (not the stamp and address side)
You MUST change dates on kits to THIS YEARS World T'ai Chi and QiGong Day date, as all post cards reflect the first 1999 event.
FRONT OF CARD (The stamp and address side)
The next wave of media is the "Pre-event interview" stage. The media is EVENT DRIVEN. So, many doors that would not open to talk with you about T'ai Chi, will open around a momentous event such as a WORLD T'AI CHI DAY, and YOU will be there local STAR. This is a vehicle to educate and serve the public, so make the most of it. Educate yourself on the medical research on Tai Chi and stick with the health and personal growth aspects. This is what people are looking for, and the greatest treasure T'ai Chi & QiGong have to offer. (Realize that T'ai Chi is QiGong, for T'ai Chi is energy work, or breath work, its just a more complicated moving, dynamic form of QiGong).
You will be able to get onto the local airwaves in a big way to discuss what you are doing, what T'ai Chi offers people and society, and how people can get in touch with your organization. DO NOT BE SHY about asking the media to list your phone number and web page, afterall they are not paying you for the interview, it's the least they can do. ALSO, REALIZE that you are not there promoting your business, you are the organizer of a NOT-FOR-PROFIT public education event (just because this will increase your enrollment, by adding caller's to your mailing lists, doesnÕt diminish the value that you are providing the community by educating them). BE READY AT THE TELEPHONE WHEN YOU DO THESE EVENTS, BECAUSE THE CALLS WILL FLOOD IN. You may consider getting "call waiting", so that you don't miss any incoming calls. Many people will only call once!
To maximize your effectiveness "on the air", educate yourself about the medical research done on TÕai Chi and QiGong (the following will help). BE SURE AND CHECK THE WORLDTAICHIDAY.ORG MEDICAL RESEARCH LIBRARY FOR CONTINUALLY UPDATED BREAKING MEDICAL RESEARCH - SUCH AS: "Tai Chi Increases Brain Size" "Qigong Prevents Common Cold and Flu" etc.:
T'ai Chi reduces stress responses, lowering the incidence of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and general mood disturbance (Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 1989 Vol 33(2) 197-206).
T'ai Chi minimizes the effects of chronic conditions such as allergies and asthma (American Journal of Chinese Medicine (1981 Spr Vol 9 (1) 15-22).
T'ai Chi improves breathing capacity (Hawaii Medical Journal Vol 51 No 8 August 92).
T'ai Chi's regular practice can lower high blood pressure (American Journal of Chinese Medicine (1981 Spr Vol 9 (1) 15-22 & Hawaii Medical Journal Vol 51 No 8 August 92)
Boost the immune system (Prevention Magazine v. 42 May 90, p. 14-15+.
Slow the aging process (QiGong, The Art & Science of Chinese Energy Healing, Kenneth S. Cohen, Ballentine Books, NY, 1997).
Improves balance and coordination TWICE as effectively as other balance training (Prevention Magazine, v. 46 Dec. 94 p. 71-72+ & USA Today, May 1996).
Improves postural control, while stretching, toning and relaxing the body in a cumulative way that no other exercise can achieve (American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1992 Apr Vol 46 (4) 295-300.
T'ai Chi is probably the lowest weight bearing exercise, and modified forms can be suitable even for arthritis sufferers (American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, June 1991, 70 (3) p 136-141.
T'ai Chi has been recommended as an adjunct therapy for chronic pain, AIDS, arthritis, insomnia, asthma, high blood pressure, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and any psychosomatic illness.
70% OF ALL DOCTOR'S VISITS ARE DUE TO STRESS (Copyright, Stress Management & Relaxation Technology, 1997).
You may also be able to get Pre-event print interviews, so don't forget to mail your announcement post cards to them as well. A Sample of the Interveiw Release is below:
You MUST change dates on kits to THIS YEARS World T'ai Chi and QiGong Day date, as all post cards reflect the first 1999 event.
BACK OF CARD (not the stamp and address side)
You MUST change dates on kits to THIS YEARS World T'ai Chi and QiGong Day date, as all post cards reflect the first 1999 event.
