Tue, 14 May 2002 -- Media Matters No. 7:
Coverage versus publicity

You're planning a conference on an important topic -- long-term care reform, for example. You want disability advocates, researchers and consumers to attend. You want people to know about your conference, because you want people to attend.

Do you want publicity for your conference, or coverage of the issue? They're quite different things. Which is more important? Why? Which is harder?

Getting publicity about your event is an easier task. It's something you control completely. You prepare a flyer or letter; you mail it -- or email it -- to a set group of people on a mailing list. You might send notices to newsletters. You might even run an ad in targeted publications, such as professional journals or publications aimed at disabled consumers. But in any case, you decide -- and control -- the content. If you have planned ahead and done your homework, you may get your notice in many publications and your mailing of flyers may reach thousands of people directly, and many more through pass-along and word of mouth.

While publicity may meet your goal of filling your conference, it's limited in scope. It reaches only those whom you target -- at most, those few thousand people who have the time, resources and interest in attending.

Coverage, on the other hand, is a mass-media proposition. You reach many more people -- people who are unable to attend, but are still interested in your ideas and information -- but you give up control. Still, what you lose in control you gain in widespread dissemination of information about your issue to millions of people across the U.S. and beyond.

News media are generally not interested in publicizing an event in and of itself. But if your event is about a newsworthy issue, coverage will bring your information to millions of people. Public mass media -- daily newspapers, television and radio -- reach hundreds of thousands of people at a minimum; most reach many more. The national news media -- NBC, CBS, USA Today, Time magazine, The New York Times, shows on National Public Radio -- reach millions of people daily.

Receiving coverage of your event, and the issues it represents, means that you give up control. Reporters will likely interview you or others associated with your event -- but they will just as likely talk to others not associated with your program -- including those whose opinions and research differ from yours. If your topic is considered controversial, they may even interview those who disagree with your approach or analysis of the issue. You will have no approval over what finally appears in the media.

Even if this is the case, getting coverage of an issue allows you to reach far more people than mere publicity, and is a first step in getting your issue on the public agenda.

If you are interested in getting coverage of your research or conference, please contact us.

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