I'm thrilled to be joined by two exceptional guests, Steve Centofanti, Manager of Communications, and Malika Bryant, Public Relations Specialist.

In this episode, we explore the varied and innovative strategies COAAA employs for media outreach, including our use of traditional news releases, targeted email marketing, and the growing significance of social media platforms. Steve shares his insights on the evolving landscape of earned media, the importance of concise communication, and the agency's impressive growth in social media followers.

Meanwhile, Malika will get into the behind-the-scenes action of coordinating television segments and creating impactful content for various media channels. We also discuss long-form storytelling opportunities, the sophisticated tools the team uses like Sprout Social, and engaging with their audience through platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Top Takeaways

Proactive Media Engagement:

• Steve Centofanti emphasizes the importance of continuously engaging with media through traditional and modern methods, including concise and well-timed news releases and rewriting stories that initially go unreported.

Direct Email Marketing:

• COAAA utilizes a platform to directly email content to a listserv, ensuring that their messages reach targeted audiences efficiently and effectively.

Earned Media Strategies:

• Steve describes the process of handling media inquiries, from receiving a story idea to coordinating with the right agency expert, highlighting a multifaceted approach to getting their stories in the media.

Adapting to Media Trends:

• There has been a noted decline in dedicated media reporting on specific topics like aging issues. COAAA has adapted by improving the relevance and appeal of their stories.

Content Diversification:

• COAAA creates specific content for different platforms and audiences, including newsletters, social media, and YouTube, using various formats like videos, infographics, and data.

Strategic Social Media Use:

• The growing Facebook following from 700 to nearly 44,000 over ten years demonstrates COAAA's strategic use of social media platforms to engage their audience and build community.

Internal Collaboration:

• Both Steve and Malika encourage internal collaboration by asking staff to share media from events, ensuring active community presence and engagement through social media.

Long-form Storytelling:

• COAAA sees value in long-form storytelling for platforms like YouTube, aiming to produce impactful and educational content that features personal stories and agency highlights.

LinkedIn & Professional Networking:

• LinkedIn content is strategically used to build professional networks and showcase thought leadership, extending COAAA’s influence within professional circles.

Newsletters as Core Communication:

• COAAA's quarterly newsletter, sent to almost 4,000 recipients, is a cornerstone of their outreach, featuring in-depth stories, program updates, and multimedia elements to keep the audience engaged and informed.

Key Moments

08:31 Medicare education, outreach, and home energy assistance.

11:48 Collaborates on HR recruiting content and materials.

14:50 Share event photos with details for social media.

20:10 Sprout aids social media growth significantly.

21:16 Social media's effectiveness in our media strategy.

26:02 LinkedIn highlights work culture and shares insights.

27:32 Create engaging, timely, impactful, immersive content.

30:30 Quarterly in-depth newsletter highlights diverse programs.

34:45 Media inquiries for COAAA have decreased recently.

39:04 Belief requires follow-up and persistent communication.

41:28 Social media, email, TV target different audiences.

46:38 Share personal impact stories using varied media.

48:35 Puzzle pieces' impact through storytelling and collaboration.

Let me know what you think of this podcast, as well as any ideas you have for an episode. Email me at kwhite@coaaa.org!

Copyright 2024 Central Ohio Area Agency On Aging

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/

Katie White [: 00:00:11

Welcome to Pretend I Know Nothing About. I'm Katie White, your host, administrator of COAAA. On today's episode, we hear from Steve Centofanti and Malika Bryant on all things media at COAAA. Let's get into it. Nice to see you both. Welcome, guys. Thank you

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:00:31

for having us today. Good morning.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:00:32

Good morning. Thank you for having us.

Katie White [: 00:00:34

Good morning. So alright. I like to do the intros first. So, Steve, let's go with you. Tell us about yourself, your role, how you got here, what you did before. Mhmm.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:00:44

My name is Steve Centofanti. I'm the communications manager at Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging. Been with the agency 10 years, actually, a little bit more than a decade. I started here full time in May of 2014. Prior to that, I was a part time for a couple of months here, and then I started as a student intern in February of 2014. So, gradually, gradually, worked my way to full time here. Prior to that, I was a work study associate at Franklin University in the public relations office where I assisted the, public relations director for Franklin University while I was obtaining my master's degree there. Before that, I worked in sales for a publishing company that provided directories for, churches of all denominations around the country.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:01:35

And before that, my first job out of college was working for the CBS affiliate in Wheeling, West Virginia, where I was a general assignment reporter and weekend anchor.

Katie White [: 00:01:45

So you were a reporter at anchor. How cool. What kind of, crazy stories did you cover?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:01:52

It was a wide variety. I I do remember covering a lot of both local election and state election coverage in 2,008, so that was a lot of fun. But a wide variety of stories, that that had a local impact. It's it's been many years ago. That it seems like a lifetime ago.

Katie White [: 00:02:14

Okay. But the big question is, did you ever have to report on snow and put a yardstick into the snow during an interview? Yes. Yes. Well, or

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:02:24

yes. I I I had to show, yes. It's snowing outside, and, this is, the steps you need to take for safety and be careful on the roadway. So it's that that is a normal local story that cover, many markets

Katie White [: 00:02:39

around the country. Yeah. Okay. Now I wanna go on to YouTube and find some old Steve stuff. Thank you, Steve, for sharing that. And, Malika, how about you?

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:02:47

Hi. My name is Malika Bryant, and I'm a public relations specialist here at COAAA. I joined the communications team about two and a half years ago. And prior to joining the team, I actually worked at Nationwide in their retirement solutions, department for about four and a half years while I finished my master's thesis in journalism. Prior to that, I have communications and public relations experience, about 5 years' worth of experience. I previously, served as a graduate communications assistant, while I worked on my master's at Ohio University. And I worked for the library where I did a lot of blog related posts, interviewing for content for the website, writing articles for local publications there. And prior to that, I worked at the Ohio Arts Council, where I had the opportunity to do a lot of public relations work for the Riffe Art Gallery, and a lot of their events that they hosted, a lot of the different presentations that were hosted along with, like, the art exhibitions.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:03:56

And I also work closely with the public relations officer, on a variety of events. So the Governor's Awards for the Arts of Ohio and, putting together some of the print materials, like Ohio festival guides and things like that.

Katie White [: 00:04:12

Okay. Very interesting. What was your thesis on?

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:04:15

So my thesis was a comparative study, which looked at a magazine from the 19 forties 19 fifties called 10 confessions, and it was actually one of the first confessional magazines, of that time. But what was interesting about it is that it primarily had an African American audience. Okay. And so my study looked at how that was received by people back then, how, some of the stories were that were considered scandalous, which would not necessarily be considered scandalous in this day and age, were received by people. And I kind of just went through and analyzed the letters to the editor, and the reactions of the audience, which, I mean, a lot of people love this stuff. You know? Today, you know, hearing about people's dirty laundry is something that is entertaining to a lot of us. How something that is entertaining to a lot of us. However, for some people, they felt that it was a negative representation of women in particular who, kind of confessed different things and things like that.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:05:10

And just as of just for the African American community as a whole. So I went through and I looked at about 300 or so letters to the editor and kind of did an analysis on the reactions to the magazine, which was only around for about 3 or 4 years. Over the years, it was, like, rebranded and it eventually, you know, was they got rid of it. So

Katie White [: 00:05:41

Okay. How interesting. I love that. Okay. And I I think it's also great to showcase the variety of backgrounds and majors and things like that here. Obviously, we have a ton of licensed social workers and nurses. So it's always fun to take a minute and learn about the interdisciplinary work on the other side of things, right, not the clinical shop. So thank you both.

Katie White [: 00:06:05

Okay. So our communications team, you guys do so much. And though a lot of it is public facing, I feel like there's so much of the process and the load and, the professional pieces that go into it that aren't known. And so I really want, to just showcase all of the pieces and parts that you guys do and really, get that out there to our, you know, our audience members. So I think a good place to start is for each of you to talk about your portfolio of work and projects that you work on. So, Steve, I'll go back to you. Tell me about your portfolio

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:06:47

here. Sure. So a lot of the work that we do, as you mentioned, Katie, is public facing. So we put together a lot of communication and marketing campaigns that promote our various programs to the public. The, media channels that we use can be our, social media platforms. It could be paid placement with traditional media, which could be newspapers, television, radio. It could also be nontraditional media, which is social media. It could be digital platforms for news outlets where, for example, we can place a CO triple a display ad within an article.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:07:31

We can also do paid placement for our social media as well too. We provide a lot of creative support for the various programs here at the agency. I I'm the lead on a number of programs, and then Malik is the lead on other programs. And we put together a creative work, for whatever is needed. Maybe it's an informational piece like a brochure, could be a flyer, could be a social media content, whether that's a still image, photograph. It could be a graphic. It could be video. Really, just any type of communication marketing need that a program needs to communicate to the public.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:08:10

We are a team that helps support that effort and supports the end goal of informing the public of the services that we offer here at c o triple a.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:08:21

Mhmm. That's

Katie White [: 00:08:22

excellent. So when you talk about the the teams in the portfolio that you work with, what what's on yours, or what teams are you leading?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:08:31

I our Medicare education and outreach is one of the larger campaigns that I manage throughout the year. We have a we have a fairly good budget for it each year, and it comprises direct postcard mail campaigns to individuals who are 65 and older who are gonna be new to Medicare. It includes an email campaign that we run through the company that manages the Columbus Dispatch, and we reach out to individuals 65 and older who are new to Medicare through direct targeting email. We also do pay placement traditional in various local county newspapers for the counties that surround Franklin County. We we try to do as much of a media mix as possible to reach as many people as possible. Our home energy assistance program is another campaign that I oversee, and we do a similar outreach for that as well too minus direct mail. We primarily for, HEAP will do display advertising in area newspapers, social media, placement on our platforms, and, also in our quarterly enewsletters as well too. We include that information.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:09:50

I in the past, I have helped with the caregiver program, but that is, that's a program that Malika leads. And, also, overall, just general information about the agency. Mhmm. I have created campaigns that is general information about c o triple a, what we do, who we are, and those campaigns really try to focus on that. We help individuals live independently at home. Mhmm. If you're a caregiver, a family caregiver caring for a loved one, we emphasize that we are an agency that can provide education advice and support for those who are helping loved ones. So if you need help at home, if you're a caregiver, that tends to be the, the message for our general outreach for, our our public facing outreach for the the agency Okay.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:10:47

And brochures for our agency overall, which includes information on all of our various programs as well too.

Katie White [: 00:10:55

So you both know about all of the programs, but, essentially, what you try to do is you each have a different portfolio of campaigns that you you kinda manage. That way, you're more familiar with it. You're the point person on the different projects.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:11:07

Yep.

Katie White [: 00:11:08

And then there are things like the website or the Internet, the impact report, the newsletter. Those are those are falling on your portfolio too. Right?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:11:18

Correct. Yeah. Yeah. And and I'm glad, I'm glad you mentioned those as well too. We both have a lot within our portfolio and a lot of times when I know when I describe the work that I do here, the the 3 that I just mentioned, I I realized, oh, gosh, those are only 3 of oh, I don't know. Maybe 10 10 10 campaigns that that that I'm overseeing

Katie White [: 00:11:41

Right.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:11:42

At at specific times during the year. So yeah.

Katie White [: 00:11:45

Okay. Malika, how about you?

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:11:48

Yes. So I also work on a variety of different projects. 2 of the main collaborations, that I kind of spearhead in the agency is partnership with our HR department in creating recruiting content for social media. And some of the projects that I work on with the HR team can also, include marketing or promotional materials. For example, I've worked on flyers for the HR team. If they're doing, like, different tabling events at hiring fairs or if they have a specific message that they would like to get out to reach, a student population or, social workers, nurses, whoever the target is. We kind of work together to craft that message and bring it to life. And, it truly is a partnership in that we kind of collaborate from start to finish.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:12:47

Mhmm. That's in planning, organizing, coming up with ideas, fine tuning the message, thinking about what visuals would work with, would best convey the message that we're trying to share. Mhmm. And I also work with our caregiving team, and a lot of the work that I do with the caregiving team is promoting the different resources and services that we have available for caregivers. I highlight a lot of material in the caregiver toolbox, the independent guide to living. And, some of the not just the written pieces from the toolbox, but also some of the videos and other materials that we have that kind of, share the different break down the different chapters in the book. Mhmm. I also work on a

Katie White [: 00:13:43

lot

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:13:43

of social media campaigns that deal with observances. So for example, social work month, Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month. I'm currently working with the caregiving team, in putting together content for National Family Caregivers Month, in November. And, I also put together the bimonthly culture corner newsletter. Mhmm. And I guess a general way to kind of put summarize some of the other work that I do, which is wherever I'm needed. You know? It is common for people to, reach out to Steve and I. Like, hey.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:14:27

I need a little bit of help with this project. Can you help me out with this? Or, you know, can we share this on social media? And, we welcome people to do that. We love sharing, what's going on internally and our presence externally at different community events and conferences and things like that. So I guess that's how I would sum it up. Okay.

Katie White [: 00:14:50

So so you've got your portfolios, and then there's obviously a lot of planning that goes into all of that certain times of the year. And I'll I'll get into some of those, detailed questions. But then there's just a lot of stuff in between. I'm sure I add a lot to that. Sorry about that. But any kind of, you know, weird, crazy, random last minute idea I come up with, I'm sending over too. So I do want to clarify real quick. So if somebody is out at an event and we have folks' permission to take a take a photo, do you want people to share those photos back with you? And if so, how and and what do you want us to put in that information so that you can post it on social media?

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:15:33

That's a great question. I mentioned earlier that I work with the caregiving team. And usually when they do tabling events or community events or host presentations or talks, they contact me via email. They send photos, of the event. They'll provide a little blurb just summarizing, you know, what happened at the event or what the premises of the event was. Sometimes if they have a flyer, they'll send that as well, and that can help with really, describing the event. So I I would say photos, a little bit of information. Mhmm.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:16:07

If something, you know, something unique happened or something cool happened, it's always nice to kind of share that. That can kind of serve as like a lead in grabbing people's attention. Okay. A lot of times, if they document the number of people that they connected with or, you know, passed out materials to, that's something that they'll share as well just to kind of, like, drive home the impact of how many people we are reaching with our message and how many people we are sharing information with. Okay.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:16:39

And I I would actually, echo everything that Malika said in regard to staff sending us photos and for us to share that on our platforms. As as a communications team, we do have the capability. We have an agency camera, and we can be at events to take photos. And, periodically, we are able to, in our schedules, to document that. But being an agency that is continually growing, and we have such presence in the community now and all of the work that we do both internally and out in the public, it's, it can be difficult at times for us to be everywhere. So staff sending in photos and, sending in a blurb, information about it is is such a huge help.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:17:23

And Oh, good.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:17:23

And, yeah. We're we we can definitely share that, information on our platforms.

Katie White [: 00:17:28

And so do you want folks to just email both of you the photos? Just just put both of you on the email. Okay. Great. So that works. Yep.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:17:35

And I would like to add something to that. I think the reason why, it is so important to share that kind of content and a reason why we welcome it is because people do respond well to it. They love seeing, the faces behind the agency and the work that we do. They love to see us out in the community. And based on the analysis that we have from social media, those kind of social media posts, they perform the best. They get a lot of engagement. They get a lot of comments from fellow staff and coworkers or even former staff who may know a person like, hey. Great job so and so.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:18:15

So people love to see, what we're doing and what we're working on and the people who are doing the work.

Katie White [: 00:18:21

Okay. So let's move into social media a little bit. That's obviously one of the the main communication tools these days. Right? And so tell me about the science behind social media. I know we utilize a software called Sprout Social. So tell me about that. What does it do? Why do we use it? What's the advantage? That kind of thing.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:18:46

Sure. So Sprout Social is an amazing tool that we adopted maybe summer last year, and it has so many capabilities, that are helpful. I mean, we are a small communications team of 2. So it's nice to kind of have a centralized social media calendar where we can see, what each other are working on and so that we can prevent, like, scheduling conflicts and things like that. So there is the content calendar. There is also the ability to, track analytics for social media content, which is really helpful, in the sense that I think one of the key pieces of doing public relations and communications work is research. Mhmm. And I think just having those numbers to back, a certain kind of message or content or visual, helps us to kind of plan for future content.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:19:47

So there's that element. Sprout also has other tools, such as, you know, articles and fact sheets and, up to date information about trends on social media and things like that. They have an entire library of, materials that are useful for people that work in this industry. So that's another benefit.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:20:10

I I actually think that's a great summary of, the the the benefit of having a platform in Sprout where we can, schedule posting. And it it really it's amazing the social media work that we do with the agency, how it's evolved. I remember starting here 10 years ago, and our Facebook page, I think we didn't even have 700 followers at that point Okay. 10 years ago, and then I I I think I remember making a post at some point in the first few months that I worked here that, hey. We just reached our 7 700th follower, and and and we're and we're, you know, ecstatic. And thank you so much for following us. And I haven't looked at the statistics lately, but I I think we're close to 44,000 followers on Facebook, which which is our most prominent platform. And

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:21:03

Actually, over 5,000. Wow.

Katie White [: 00:21:05

Okay. We're about yeah.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:21:06

5,100 and something. Actually, it's 5,171.

Katie White [: 00:21:11

As of this morning. 30. Maybe yesterday. Okay.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:21:16

And and that's that's just a testament to the to the work that we've done over the years of the content that we generate and for trying to make content that resonates as as best as possible with our audience and, also targeting to to see who can who can join the audience as well too. So, it really is amazing how, prominent social media has has become, and it's a really effective part of our media mix here at the agency. And and when I say media mix, I I mean it in the sense of what type of media that we use when when promoting the agency, social media or traditional means like television, radio, or or even earned media, which is, anytime that we have news coverage, if we're providing expert insight on an aging issue, or if it's something pertaining to the agency as well. Mhmm.

Katie White [: 00:22:10

And so there's a science behind what you post on which social media handle and when. Right? Can someone talk to me a little bit about that? Let's start with Facebook, for example. Sure.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:22:24

So on Facebook, we typically target older adults, the Central Ohio community, and also, communities within our 8 county region, also family members of older adults, caregivers. There is also a large group of staff and former employees, and other people in the aging aging network, who make up a big part of that audience. Also, other organizations in the aging network. Also, there's a little bit of media there, although Twitter, aka x, is, the platform where we typically target media.

Katie White [: 00:23:09

Okay. Interesting. So you're targeting, specific populations. And is there a certain day of the week, or do you try to post every day? What's what's the sort of posting cadence or goal for Facebook?

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:23:22

The goal is to post, 1 to 2 times per day. That does not always happen.

Katie White [: 00:23:27

Per day?

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:23:28

Per day. That is what is recommended by experts. It doesn't always happen. Sometimes it can be less. Sometimes it can be more. As far as days of week, there are a lot of studies that have recommended posting dates and times for different platforms. However, there it it kinda varies based upon the organization that's conducting the study. However, a lot of the information says that Tuesday is a good day for posting on Facebook, Wednesday for Instagram, and Thursday for LinkedIn, which those are 2 other platforms that we utilize a lot and post a lot of content on.

Katie White [: 00:24:11

Interesting. Okay. So that's Facebook, 1 to 2 times a day. No wonder you're like, yes. Send us everything you got. So you I'm sure you have your observances and your campaigns. Those are planned out. You've got all those posts in there in the centralized, platform, which sounds super cool.

Katie White [: 00:24:27

And then you get these sort of random photos or we have events, and then you just plug those in so that you're filling out the calendar. Okay. So then, let's go to Instagram next. So it sounds like Wednesday is the post for that. Are you recycling the stuff that was just on Facebook, or are you creating new content for for Instagram?

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:24:48

It honestly depends. So we well, I do wanna clarify that we will post any content on any day of week on any platform. Those are just the recommendations, and I typically follow those recommendations when it comes to recruiting content.

Katie White [: 00:25:06

Okay.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:25:07

Now typically for Instagram, that is a platform where we like to show a lot of our workplace culture, a lot of internal news and things that are going on, a lot of recent developments, the events that we have at the agency, our community presence. So we typically target job applicants. And, also, I feel like that is a platform that, has a large audience made up of, like, staff

Katie White [: 00:25:39

Okay.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:25:40

And other organizations.

Katie White [: 00:25:42

Okay. So that's not our, like, general education trying to get a message out there about HEAP. It's a here's who we are. We're having fun, kind of the the social aspect of us. Okay. Alright. So then that brings me to LinkedIn. Best day of the week, according to some studies, is Thursday.

Katie White [: 00:25:59

So do you do LinkedIn? Do you wanna talk about LinkedIn?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:26:02

So for LinkedIn, that that's actually a, shared responsibility. I I contribute content. Malika also contributes content to LinkedIn. And, Malika, correct me if I'm wrong, but LinkedIn, I I think, is another great platform to highlight work culture as well too. Okay. And I know that the content that I posted recently to LinkedIn has really been related to, employee accomplishments and then also, expert insight and thought leadership as well too. I know that we have posted on LinkedIn before. If it's somebody from our agency that was quoted for a story, a study, or provided any type of insight on aging or disability, we have included that as well too.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:26:51

So

Katie White [: 00:26:51

Cool. Okay. This is all making sense. I like it. And this is, again, the science behind it all. It's not just, you know, random. There's so much thought and planning and organization that goes into it.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:27:03

Yep.

Katie White [: 00:27:03

Okay. And then YouTube. What do we do on YouTube much?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:27:06

Oh, that is that is a great question. YouTube is that is such a goal of mine to to really to really enhance that platform for us. I I I feel that we are we're gradually getting there, and it's it's a platform that I would love to start incorporating more long form video.

Katie White [: 00:27:27

I was gonna say Yeah. The words long form were coming to mind, but, also, I didn't know if that meant anything. But it sounds like it did.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:27:32

Yeah. It it really doesn't. And and not in the sense of, oh, 20, 30 minutes, 40 minute conversation. I'm thinking more 5 minutes or or 10 minutes, but but really try to have content on there that is engaging, and is immersive, and and it keeps someone's attention. And and really, it I'm looking for content for it to be timely and have a direct impact on, on our community. So the great thing is is that we have upgraded our audio visual equipment. We we have a new agency camera that we procured a year ago. We have microphones as what lavalier microphones, and we're also doing research right now on, possibly, I'm I'm, the the words are not coming to me, but, oh, to to include maybe a few more accessories with our with our audio visual.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:28:25

Of course, we're still doing research, and and and we'll we'll check to see if it is in the budget. But, we have lighting equipment as well too. So we we are on the verge of really ready to incorporate video into our into our media for the agency, and, hopefully, our YouTube channel will will start to gain some traction and ultimately make an impact for our audience, to be informative, and and to help, the public with aging and disability.

Katie White [: 00:28:58

And so it sounds like YouTube would be more about those educational pieces about our service. It's not gonna be a 2 or 3 minute video about our workplace culture necessarily, unless we're doing something specific for recruitment.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:29:10

Possibly. It that it could be a platform for that too. Okay. I am.

Katie White [: 00:29:15

Okay. And so you guys have done I love that you identify trainings that you wanna do to keep you up to date. I love when you come to me with ideas about the equipment and things and how we can use that. And so even in just the 2 years that I've been here, I feel like I can really appreciate how much this industry changes constantly. And so you really have to continue to be up to date. And and I didn't realize that Sprout also has some of that information and resources in there, so that's great. Okay. So anything else about social media? Let's go to the newsletter.

Katie White [: 00:29:49

So tell me about the newsletter, how often it comes out. How does somebody sign up? What are the goals for the newsletter?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:29:55

The are are you referring to the one that we send out to our to our external audience out to the public?

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:30:00

Yes.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:30:01

Yes. So we send that on a quarterly basis, and that goes out to a listserv of I believe it is slightly less than 4,000 recipients, and, the recipients can include individuals who have general interest with the agency. They they may have, received services from us, or they may have a family member who received services. The audience also includes fellow professionals in the aging network who work with organizations that we partner with.

Katie White [: 00:30:30

Okay.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:30:30

Health systems, legislative offices, fellow area agencies on aging. So it's a very the audience is is wide and diverse. And we send out a quarterly enewsletter, and it includes generally 8 main articles and additional updates as well too on various program that programs that we're offering. I look at the newsletter as more of an in-depth look at the work that we do. Social media is great too, in my in my opinion, to be a very quick highlight of this is what we did, and this is who we are. Whereas the newsletter, you can go into a little bit more detail and provide a little bit more context of the work that has been done over that quarter. So, really, it's highlighting maybe it's the introduction of a new program. Maybe it's an employee accomplishment.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:31:30

It it really could be anything news related and important information that that that the public would need to know.

Katie White [: 00:31:39

So social media is those kind of quick bites. Right? You're scrolling through. You see it. It's quick. It's fast. It's what probably a goal is less than a minute. I would imagine. Is there a timing for social media?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:31:49

For for video yeah. For video, I that's great. We can may actually know a little bit more because it changes all the time. I I think it's a a minute or less for video.

Katie White [: 00:31:58

Okay. Okay. And then oh, go ahead.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:32:00

Oh, I was just gonna say, honestly, it just depends on the information that we're sharing, the platform, the message. But, typically, if it is an informational video, I would say one minute or less.

Katie White [: 00:32:12

Okay. And so, you know, that that's a little bit faster. Whereas the newsletter, you know, you're when somebody opens a newsletter, they're kind of ingesting it in a different way. Right? They're sitting down. I would imagine you're thinking you're actually spending a little bit more time on that.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:32:26

And the other part of the newsletter that, I I'm really pleased with is we have the capability of incorporating different type of media in it as well too. Oh. And we've actually done that on the last few where, some of the articles have actually had a video along with it as well. So you have the written article, but then at the top of the headline, you also have a quick video that also talks about that subject as well.

Katie White [: 00:32:52

That's great.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:32:52

So so that's one of the great capabilities that we have with our website is to embed a video in with the article. Most recently for National Senior Center Month, in September. It's a month where we highlight the impact that senior centers have on the community and and how they serve older adults. And, we included a video of our former director, Jane Taylor, and the work that she did early on here at the agency in strengthening and establishing relations of relationships, working relationships with senior centers. So it was a little bit more than a minute. We included it in the article. So that's one nice thing is you you can, have a really nice mix with, the e newsletter articles that we put out there.

Katie White [: 00:33:35

Okay. And then what platform do we use or software for our newsletter?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:33:39

We use a platform called Constant Contact.

Katie White [: 00:33:41

Okay.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:33:42

And it is a platform that allows us to directly email, content to our, listserv.

Katie White [: 00:33:48

Okay. Great. Anything else about the newsletter? Okay. So then let's talk about earned media and that process and how does that work. So, we have a story we want to share, like, start to finish. What is that process?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:34:06

It has that is, something that has really changed over the years. I know when I first started here, there seemed to be and and I I it's been so many years since I've been in a newsroom, and I can only venture a guess. This is an estimate that there seemed to be more investment in news media when I started here, and I know that there was a reporter who had a dedicated b to aging issues. And, the reporter would call once every every other week just to see if there was anything that we we had to update her on. And if there Oh my gosh.

Katie White [: 00:34:44

Yeah. I wish.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:34:45

And, and and it may have been, like, once every 3 weeks, once a month. But but still, there there was that effort to really reach out and say, hey, Just, anything going on? Any update? And sometimes we would have it, sometimes we wouldn't. And there would also be calls where if there was a a relevant topic going on, we we would get calls for that expert insight. And I have noticed recently that we we still do get media inquiries. No no doubt about it. And I feel very, for I I think it's very fortunate that, local media do recognize COAAA as a valuable resource for any type of insight when it comes to aging or disability. And I am glad that our local media know to reach out to us as as a possible resource for that help. So I would say the media inquiries are are are less than what they used to be.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:35:39

But but let's say one comes in, I tend to be contacted either by phone or by email. And then depending on what the focus of the article is, that will determine who the best expert would be within the agency to, handle that topic. And then we reach out to them and we coordinate it. And and if there is availability and if we're able to speak on it, then we coordinate that, meeting between the, expert, here at the agency and the reporter. When it comes to media outreach, if we have a story, I know that it used to be where you send out a traditional news release.

Katie White [: 00:36:16

Okay.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:36:17

And, that that that still can be done, and a lot of organizations will, if they have an announcement, they'll still include that traditional news release on their website.

Katie White [: 00:36:26

Is a news release the same as a press release, the same as the media release?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:36:30

Yes. And and the reason why, reason why I say news releases because, when you when you say press, they're interchangeable, they're the same thing. When you say press release, the word press is for print. And now that we have so many forms of news media, it's just easier to say news release because it could be for a certain a certain media.

Katie White [: 00:36:53

Okay.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:36:55

But I also know of scenarios where sometimes it's it's a quick, 3 sentences or a quick paragraph that ask a reporter, hey. I think we have a really good story idea here. These are the these are the quick bites from it. Let let us know what you think and if you need more information. Okay.

Katie White [: 00:37:14

And how long are the news releases best practice, and and is there a specific day of the week for that as well?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:37:21

So, recently, I've heard, best practice. I was, in a in an online seminar about a month ago and 200 words or less.

Katie White [: 00:37:31

Okay.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:37:32

It's it's concise.

Katie White [: 00:37:35

And And how long was the one I recently wanted you to release?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:37:39

If if I'm not mistaken, the original was almost a 1,000 words and,

Katie White [: 00:37:43

It's gorgeous. It was so beautifully written.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:37:45

It was well it was well written and, and,

Katie White [: 00:37:49

it was also wrong. And I appreciated you very delicately making sure I understood there's a science behind this. Well and No one's gonna read a 1,000 words.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:37:58

But but but then again, you never know. We could have send it and the 1,000 words could have resonated and like, wow, this is very comprehensive, and I understand this. And It's

Katie White [: 00:38:05

very kind

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:38:06

of you.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:38:06

This is a

Katie White [: 00:38:07

Very kind of you. It's okay.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:38:09

I think this needs to be covered. And, and right. But I I mean, standard, standard practices, 200 words or less, and you almost write it in the way that an online article is written

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:38:21

Okay.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:38:21

Today where it's like a sentence, paragraph, or 2 sentences tops. Paragraph break, 2 sentences, pair paragraph break.

Katie White [: 00:38:29

And that's

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:38:30

it. That's really that's really where where we're at. And

Katie White [: 00:38:33

then is there a specific day of the week that you target those or is that just doesn't really matter?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:38:37

I think the fact that we contact by email anymore. I think it's just, if if you have a good one, you

Katie White [: 00:38:45

Send it out.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:38:45

Yep. Send it out.

Katie White [: 00:38:46

Okay. My final question about this and then, Malika, we're gonna talk about, some paid media. And then I think you're both weighing on that. But so then my final question is, if you send a news release out and nobody picks it up, do you rewrite it and send it again, or is that story just dead forever?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:39:04

No. I I I'm in the belief that if if you're if you're a true believer that this is something that needs to be known, needs to be covered, I think follow-up is fine. I I really do. You it could be rewritten. You send it, and then you you can make a call a few days later or a week later and say, hey, we sent this. This is the reason why we believe in it. And yeah.

Katie White [: 00:39:29

Okay. Thank you. Okay. So then the final piece, I think, although there's probably more media types to talk about, but I wanna talk about paid media opportunities. So we recently, Steve, you were on leave. Sorry about this. But, we recently received a reach out to Malika about a paid opportunity. So tell me a little bit about that process when when a company reaches out and says, hey.

Katie White [: 00:39:56

Would you wanna do some paid media for us?

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:39:58

This was a new experience for me. I love that. So I'm learning as I'm going. Yeah. But I can talk a little bit about how, the process is going so far. Great. Please. So I recently received an email, from a marketing specialist for a local news agency, and there was an opportunity for CO Triple A to be a part of a television special.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:40:22

So I set up a meeting with her where, she kind of pitched the show idea to me, and I was able to learn a little bit more about, what they were looking for, what the ask was for CO triple a, and some ways that we could kind of jump on the opportunity to kind of share more information about what we do, our presence in the community, different programs, and things like that. So after I gathered all of the information, I shared it with our administrative team here, who have been amazing with helping me as I navigate this new process. And we're kind of in the middle of that now where we're, working out the planning side.

Katie White [: 00:41:11

And What are some of the types of opportunities that are that are baked into a to a pitch like this? So, I know there's some live TV opportunities. Right? So they they essentially build out different ways for us to pay to play. So what are some of those opportunities?

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:41:28

Yes. So in addition to the television segment, there is an opportunity for social media and targeted email marketing, which would allow us to really segment, who we are trying to reach with our message. You know, I feel like the email audience will be a little different than the social media audience. But we are really able to kind of craft a message, for the target that we are trying to reach. And, there are a variety of different ways that we can relay the message, not just in our words, but the visuals that we choose, any video, any photos, any, you know, infographics or data, that can be shared in a variety of different ways. And so for this specific project, there are those three components. There is the social media. There is the targeted email marketing and also the television component.

Katie White [: 00:42:36

I see this sort of as a, enhancement to what we do. What's great about it is we have full editing. Right? And so we're able to utilize our brand, our logo, our messaging, and it will really look and feel like us. But then it gets boosted by this external, news channel, right, and potentially into new audiences and driving people back to our website or signing up for a newsletter or following on us on social media. So it's, it's just kind of like a boost to some of the things we already do. Now, Steve, when we get these requests, there's kind of a vetting process that goes into it. Right? So what are some of the things that you're looking at and vetting out when you're thinking about if this is an opportunity you would recommend that we

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:43:24

do? So if we get an inquiry, and ask from if it's a sponsorship package with a television station, if it's a sponsorship with a upcoming community event, I I've always looked at, is it reaching the audience that we wanna reach? And, if so, then it it it might be a good opportunity. And you do your best to look at what the cost is of the sponsorship, or the opportunity, I should say. And then everything that it that it entails and and you try to get your you try to reason as best as you can that that is this a good opportunity? And if you believe so, then, of course, you, I I always, run it through our administration team to to to take a look. And and, of course, I I give my recommendations as well.

Katie White [: 00:44:20

And so it's looking at reach. It's looking at probably, mission alignment depending on what they're doing, and then budget, of course. What's in the budget? What's the funding source? Does it match? Can we make sure that it's all cohesive? So okay. So then those are paid. So to close out, I want your ideas about telling our story in that longer form. So think about if we had the opportunity to tell some of those incredible stories that we know we have, about those we serve or about those in our agencies. Dream that up with me. What would that look like if we had the opportunity to do longer form?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:45:07

I the the one that immediately comes to mind, and I I think about it a lot. And, of course, we would have to navigate how we would

Katie White [: 00:45:17

Consent?

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:45:17

Yes. Yeah. Is really showing a profile of somebody who has been positively impacted by the work that we do. Something that comes to mind is, is there an individual who is able to, have quality of life in the home because of the work that we did and, it being a success story Mhmm. And really doing an in-depth look at that, whether it be a whether it be a long article accompanied with video, or it could be solely video, really just providing a detailed in in-depth look at the the day to day work that is done here at the agency. And and it doesn't doesn't necessarily have to be solely consumer focused. It could also be, the impact that the caregiver team may have made. We have a housing assistance program that that has done unbelievable work in the community, and it could be something as simple as interviewing our our team there and and just in general talking about the impact that they've made on on such a timely topic right now with affordable housing.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:46:30

So, those are a few that come to mind.

Katie White [: 00:46:35

Okay. Malika, how about you? Any thoughts or dreams on that?

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:46:38

I have a couple thoughts. So just to piggyback off of Steve's idea, I think it would be amazing if we could really, speak to individuals who have been impacted by CO triple a or even an individual at CO triple a, to really share their story. You know, it's one thing if we talk about we impacted this amount of people, but hearing it directly from the person, I think would be beneficial. And I think there are a variety of ways to do that. Right? Like Steve said, a long form article for those who like to read a lot, a a video interview for those who like to watch. Something else that we try to think about a lot when we're putting together, content is, different ways that people kind of ingest media. Something else that I think would be impactful, which I don't know how we could do this, but maybe like a short vlog style, a day in the life type video. And that could be something that we could do for consumers with consent, of course, and even with staff, like a behind the scenes look at the agency.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:47:48

And that would not only introduce people to the communities, that we often go out and work in, but also really show what it takes day by day to do what it is that we do. I mean, when I look at some of the numbers in our impact report, for example, the number of home visits, the number of incoming calls and things like that, it's such a large number. But when you break it down, you know, it's something that's built upon day by day. It's not something that we just we don't just arrive at the end result. You know, there are little pieces to the puzzle that, help us to be able to complete these accomplishments. So I think something like that would be really interesting.

Katie White [: 00:48:35

Yeah. And each piece of the puzzle is so impactful for that person that we're working with. So 41,000 home visits is incredible in and of itself. But if you think about the impact in so many of those visits, how do we get that depth in there? So before we wrap up, I just have to thank you both for your dedication to telling our story, for making sure that our brand awareness is always crisp and looking good, and that when we present ourself out in the community, that it's so well done. And not everybody gets the pleasure that the 3 of us do and a few others in the agency to really work across the agency and and get to know the work pretty intimately that so many of us do. And then you put your expertise and your experience and your care and attention to carving out and making that story and posting it in the right way on the right day and all of the right media. So thank you so much for your work and for telling our story. Let's make some long form videos together.

Katie White [: 00:49:36

Let's do it. Okay.

Public Relations Specialist [: 00:49:37

Alright. Thank you so much for having us.

Katie White [: 00:49:40

Thank you.

i, Manager of Communications [: 00:49:40

Thank you.

Katie White [: 00:49:44

I hope now you know something about media at COAAA.