If you’re interested in placing our 2022 SADS fainting billboard in your community, follow these steps to get started!

• Research your local billboard companies. You can start with a simple Google search of “billboard companies in my state” to find them.
• Reach out to companies and ask them to donate space. Some billboard companies have a “Contact Us” form, while others might provide you with an email address. Feel free to use this Pitch Letter to make your initial outreach. It’s important to stress to the company that this should be donated space. They will receive a tax letter for an in-kind donation to the SADS Foundation for their contribution.
•  Follow up. If you don’t hear back within a few weeks, try following up with a second email – or even a phone call.
• Contact us to let us know you’ve reached out. And if a billboard company gets back to you and is interested in donating space, loop us in – we can work with them to configure the billboard to the correct specs, and provide any files they need.

Local radio and tv stations want to show that they are connected to and invested in their communities. And we want to reach more people with life-saving messages. We’re on the same page already – now it’s just about making that right connection at the right time. 

We have created scripts for a 30-second and a 60-second PSA for stations to have their on-air talent record and then share during their commercial breaks. Think of it as a free advertisement the stations sign onto because it serves the public.  

This may be a new form of outreach for you, so here are some simple tips to keep in mind:

1. Start with existing connections. Have you previously shared your story with a reporter or producer? Drop them a line reminding them about your story (and thank them again) and share that you immediately thought of them as a perfect match for this PSA campaign. 
2. Look for easy wins. A simple Google search of your town and “submit a PSA” will provide links to stations that welcome PSA submissions. They may have a form or an email address to send it to, and voila, no need to cold call. 
3. Send your email pitch. Don’t worry, we have you covered here, too. Find an email draft specific to this PSA campaign right here. And as always, we recommend including information about your personal SADS journey here, too – letting the station know there is a local connection among their listeners or viewers. 
4. Make it easy for the station. Some like attachments. Some want everything in the email body. Copy and paste the script text and also attach it as a PDF so it fits their needs. 
5. Follow-up. Give them about a week, then send another email or call the station and ask to speak to the person in charge of PSAs. Inboxes are jam-packed, your message may have slipped through the cracks. 
6. Be open to combining with a media story. Maybe your efforts will result in a PSA and a story. Check it out   

If you’re interested in reaching out to your local newspapers and TV stations with your family’s SADS story to raise awareness about fainting, follow these steps to get started!

1.   Find the stations you want to contact. You can generally find contact information for your station under the “Contact Us” section of local news websites.  
2.   Send them an email pitch. You can find a recommended generic template here. Feel free to include information about your personal SADS journey – having a local connection makes news stations more likely to pick up the story!
3.   Follow up. If you don’t hear back within a few weeks, try following up with a second email – or even a phone call.
4. Contact us to let us know you’ve reached out. And if a media station gets back to you, and is interested in running a story, loop us in – we can provide them with up-to-date statistics and a medical professional to interview.