PUBLICITY

Publicity is an important tool of the CRP. Lack of publicity may prevent the CRP from meeting the needs of the command and the people for whom it exists, Navy and Marine Corps service members and their families.

Goals

Each CRP must develop its own publicity program, determine specific goals and objectives to be met, and work out the methods to reach these goals. Your responsibilities will require you to work closely with the local Navy or Marine Corps public affairs office (PAO) to spread religious program information and carry out your CRP's publicity goals.

First, you must work with the chaplains to determine what activities and events require publicity. An accurate idea of the nature, purpose, and goals of a particular RMF activity-whether religious or secular-will help you determine the type of publicity that should be used. Figure 2-17 outlines some religious, community, and family activities that may require publicity.

Figure 2-17.-Religious, community, and family activities to be considered in publicity programs.

For each event or activity, you and the chaplains also must determine the target audience and provide the following information about the event:

A description, including the advantages of attending

The location

The time

The goal of the publicity

The publicity media to be used

When the publicity should be released

When an evaluation of the publicity should occur

When completed, this information for each event should be presented to the PAO for review, comments, and suggestions.

Standard Navy News Release

A Navy news release is an official Navy statement prepared in news story form. The release of CRP information is done by or with the assistance of the PAO. You are not expected to be a journalist, but you are expected to be able to prepare short news and publicity drafts that concern your RMF's activities and events.

Most PAOs use a printed heading for their news releases. The headlines are attractive and help media representatives identify the source of the news release more readily. In submitting a news release, remember you should keep it simple, brief, in good taste, and suitable for all types of readers. Remember, it is the news value of the material, not the package in which it comes, that is the important factor.

Figure 2-18 is a sample of a news release. Notice the heading in this release. Always include in your heading the name, address, ZIP Code, and telephone number of the originating command; the date you want the item released; and a release number, particularly if you release items on a regular basis.

The timing of a news release is as important as its content. Most releases are distributed for immediate release. Occasionally, however, you may want to use hold for release, in which ^{case you would submit an}  authorized release date. ^{News releases must be} _{double-spaced, typed} on one side only, and word-for-word accurate.