There are two types of radio spots…the type you can pay for as advertisements, and the type the radio donates, as “public service announcements” or PSA’s. It is pretty obvious that most of us will want to seek PSA’s first, as there is no charge for these. Radio stations will have criteria about who can tape PSA’s and how often. Typically it is open to community services and non-profits, and they rotate the PSA’s to give everyone a turn. Try to get the radio station to agree to rotate general PSA’s and use on an on-going basis, so that you will have radio ads on all year round. You can seek to tape additional PSA’s around special events or holidays to gain coverage or keep your radio coverage interesting and fresh. The trade-off for having the radio station run PSA’s free of charge to you is that THEY choose the times the PSA’s run, and THEY choose how often they run. If you would like to make those choices, you can pay a fee to have your radio spots on the air.
Radio shows or interviews are another option for having your message heard on the radio. Radio shows are often “live” events, so you don’t have the opportunity to do it over if you make a mistake. You should ask if you could have questions in advance, so you will know what will occur. Since you are the expert in Treatment Foster Care, they may even ask you to prepare some questions that can be asked of YOU to describe the services your agency provides. Do your homework and go prepared with some “sound bites” or messages you can work into the interview. Areas you can very likely work into an interview may be such things as what Treatment Foster Care is, who the children are that your agency serves, why there is a need for more Treatment Foster Care parents, and why people listening would want to help you help children.
You can contact a variety of radio stations…rock, country, religious, etc. or tailor your contacts with the radio stations you feel your potential Treatment Foster Parents are listening to.
One last radio opportunity is to see if your agency can get on the calendar to be highlighted. Many radio stations will have a weekly calendar of events and you can post agency activities and Foster Parent training. This is a way your agency name can be heard often. If you have an event at your agency, particularly one open to the public, you may be able to contact a radio personality and get a chance to tell about the activity on the air. Also, radio stations often highlight agencies to let the community know about what is going on around the community. These are often selected and scheduled months in advance, so you may need to wait your turn for this. It is a good opportunity to have a free chance to tell all about your agency, the kids and the need for more families.
Letter to accompany PSA spots
Sample PSA scripts
