The combination of high gas prices, The Day After Tomorrow, and an already-active political season means that there will be plenty of opportunities for energy and environment activists to get some media play. Network-Centric Advocacy has a great article listing some short guidelines for making sure you get your point out there. The article is brief and well-worth reading as a whole, but here are the bullet points:
- Develop your talking points. Make sure you know what you want to say and can say it in short, sound-byte-ready phrases.
- Advocacy groups must get ready. If you're working on non-energy-related projects, shelve them to take advantage of the moment.
- Prepare for success. (This is really crucial!) Be ready to take advantage of people in the media actually wanting to listen to what you have to say.
- Rally your speakers. Be prepared to "smart mob" when opportunities arise, such as call-in radio shows about high gas prices.
- Work the opportunity. Don't let the moment slide by.
"Perfect storm" moments like this don't come around very often. Take advantage of the situation!
