[Courtesy of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition] When you filled out your membership form to join LEAP, you expressed an interest in volunteering some time to help spread LEAP’s message- and we’re taking you up on your offer! Last month’s volunteer email response proved that many of you are willing to pitch in for LEAP. Our College Gigs letter got over 50 responses from volunteers, and resulted in a response from 6 colleges. We can beat that! Here’s what we would like you to think about this month: Talk Radio Gigs Talk radio gigs are an important part of getting LEAP’s message across to a wider audience and allow LEAP speakers to reach people that may not otherwise attend a LEAP presentation. One interview can generate a lot of attention for LEAP and jumpstart a media campaign by tapping into unlimited availability of radio publicity. And that one interview can reach an audience of thousands. There is potential for tremendous exposure, through both traditional and Internet radio stations. Another great feature of radio is that the interviewee has more control over the content of the interview than in television or print. Repetition is hugely important in radio, and the LEAP website can be plugged several times in one appearance. Talk radio gigs are easy to book if you sell them the right way. In fact, it is easier to get booked on the radio than on any other media venue. Radio talk shows need content every day, so they’re constantly looking for authorities on different subjects the listening audience would like to hear more about. The best way to start is to focus on news/political shows, and visit each station’s website, to familiarize yourself with the station and its overall personality. The best results come from the best preparation. Once you have found the stations in your area that would be best suited to host a LEAP speaker, the first step in making contact is to understand the setup of a typical talk radio show: the important people to know are the producer, host, program director and news director. The producer is the person you will most likely be approaching initially. In your phone call or email, explain what LEAP is all about, but get to the point- fast. If you’re sending an email, the subject line should be crafted to catch the person’s attention quickly. For example, “LEAP Speaker Available for Interview” is not an especially attention-grabbing headline, but “Provocative Guest For Your Noon Radio Show”, “Local Bust Calls For Provocative Guest With A Different Perspective”, “Cops Call For Change In America’s Longest War”, and “Why Would A Cop Say That?” are much more eye-catching. The last four subject lines aim to intrigue the producer, and also pertain to topical information/current events. Please avoid using the word ‘drugs’ in the subject line, as this is a typical SPAM filter word that may eliminate your email from the person’s inbox. Another highly effective way to get the producer’s attention is to tie LEAP’s message to a current news story and how it relates to the harm caused by drug prohibition. For example, a local drug bust gone awry, the local area’s problem with controlling a specific drug (crack epidemic, meth labs, etc.), or even the waste of American tax dollars on an ineffective and harmful policy. Please let me know if you would be interested in helping LEAP by contacting radio stations in your area… Thank you, Kristin Kristin Daley LEAP Projects Manager [email protected]