Media Advisory Template: Format, Examples + When to Send

A media advisory is a short, one-page notice that invites reporters to an event or photo opportunity. It gives the who, what, when and where, the reason to attend and a contact, but not the full story. Send it ahead of the event so journalists can plan to cover it, then follow with a release if there is news.

This guide explains how an advisory differs from a press release, when it is worth sending, what goes in it and what to leave out. It includes a template you can paste into a document and three samples written by us for fictional organizations. The samples are illustrations, not client work. Where we state a timing rule, it is our convention, not a standard.

If you manage announcements yourself, a media advisory is one of the cheapest tools you have. If you work with an outside team, PR services should include a clear view of which events deserve an advisory and which deserve nothing. Either way, the discipline is the same: an advisory exists to get a person with a camera or a notebook to show up.

What a media advisory is

A media advisory, sometimes called a media alert, tells media outlets about an event they may want to attend or cover. The University of North Dakota's rural health communication toolkit describes media alerts and advisories as notices “to inform media outlets of an event that they may want to attend or cover,” and recommends keeping the information to one page. The advisory does not carry the story itself. It carries the reasons to come and the logistics to get there. Portland State University's communications office, for example, describes a press release or a media advisory as an effective way to promote an event or a newsworthy announcement, and asks staff to talk with its team about which fits.

Press release vs media advisory

The two documents do different jobs. The same toolkit says press releases are designed to be ready to publish, while a media alert contains only the key event details and why media should attend. The table below combines that distinction with our own working rules.

• Job

  Press release

  Delivers the news in a form a reporter can use

  Media advisory

  Invites a reporter to witness or join something

• Length

  Press release

  Full story with quotes and background

  Media advisory

  One page, usually less

• When

  Press release

  When the news is ready or has happened

  Media advisory

  Before the event, then a release afterward if there is news

• Who gets it

  Press release

  Often a wide list

  Media advisory

  A tight list of reporters and editors who would plausibly attend

• Contains

  Press release

  Headline, dateline, body, quotes, boilerplate, contact

  Media advisory

  Headline, who, what, when, where, why attend, visuals, logistics, contact

• Boilerplate

  Press release

  Yes, at the end

  Media advisory

  Usually left off. Some templates say so outright

On that last row: the University of Texas at San Antonio's media advisory template tells writers not to include boilerplate at the bottom. Other organizations differ, so follow your own house style. For the full release format see our guide on how to write a press release, and for the standard closing paragraph see press release boilerplate.

When to send one, and when not to

Send an advisory when there is something for a journalist to see, hear or photograph in person, and when your presence changes the story. Good candidates are an event with real access, such as a ribbon cutting with people to interview, a demonstration, a public meeting, a rally, a tour, a news conference or a ceremony with something visual to capture.

Do not send one when the news is a document or a decision. A new hire, a report or a policy change belongs in a release, a direct pitch or a post on your own site. Do not send one for an event with nothing to see. An advisory that asks a reporter to travel for a talking head will be ignored, and it may teach that reporter to ignore your next message.

If you are not sure, ask who would be at the event if you were a reporter and what they would photograph. If you cannot answer, you do not have an advisory.

When to send it: our timing rule

There is no industry standard for timing, and sources differ, so treat this as our convention. For a local event, send the advisory about a week before. Send a one-line reminder the day before and again on the morning of. For a large or national event with travel, send earlier. If access is limited, say so in the advisory.

Plan around news cycles, too. Avoid a date that collides with something else everyone will cover. A quick local check of competing events costs little.

What goes in a media advisory

Use short labeled lines so a reporter can read it in seconds. University templates follow this pattern. UTSA's, for example, uses labeled fields for what, when, where, parking, contact and more information, and the North Dakota toolkit adds a map or schedule when the venue is large or unfamiliar.

• Label

  What goes in it

  “MEDIA ADVISORY” or “MEDIA ALERT” at the top, with the send date

  Check before sending

  Is it obviously an invitation, not a story?

• Headline

  What goes in it

  The event in plain words

  Check before sending

  Can a reporter tell what it is from the headline alone?

• What

  What goes in it

  Two or three sentences on what will happen and why it matters

  Check before sending

  Does it say why a reporter should come?

• Who

  What goes in it

  People available for interview, with titles

  Check before sending

  Are they confirmed for that day?

• When

  What goes in it

  Date, start and end time, and the best moment to arrive

  Check before sending

  Are the time zone and the schedule right?

• Where

  What goes in it

  Full address, entrance, parking, press check-in

  Check before sending

  Could a stranger find it without calling?

• Visuals

  What goes in it

  What a photographer or camera can capture

  Check before sending

  Is it real and specific?

• Contact

  What goes in it

  Name, role, mobile number and email of someone who will answer on the day

  Check before sending

  Will they answer?

• More information

  What goes in it

  Link to a schedule, fact sheet or your newsroom page

  Check before sending

  Does the link work?

Media advisory template (copy and paste)

Copy the lines below into a document. Replace every bracket and delete lines that do not apply.

- MEDIA ADVISORY, sent [date]

- Headline: [Organization] to [do what] on [day, date]

- Subhead (optional): [One line on why it matters to your community or industry]

- WHAT: [Two or three sentences describing the event, what will happen and why it is news].

- WHO: [Name, title] and [name, title] will be available for interviews. [Any other participants].

- WHEN: [Day, date], [start time] to [end time] [time zone]. Best time to arrive for [key moment]: [time].

- WHERE: [Venue name], [street address, city, state]. [Entrance, parking and press check-in details].

- VISUALS: [What can be photographed or filmed, for example the unveiling at 10 a.m. and a tour of the site].

- CONTACT: [Name, role], [mobile number], [email]. Please confirm attendance with [name] by [time].

- MORE INFORMATION: [Link to schedule or fact sheet].

- Note on access: [For example, media may arrive from 9:30 a.m.; interviews after the program].

Keep the whole thing to one page. Put the logistics in lines, not paragraphs. Do not tuck news into the advisory that you would not be willing to see quoted before the event.

Three sample media advisories

These samples are illustrations we wrote for fictional organizations. The names, places and dates are invented, and none is a client example.

Sample 1: A community event.

- MEDIA ADVISORY, sent [date]. Headline: Alder Creek Food Bank opens new distribution warehouse with community open house. WHAT: The food bank will open its new warehouse with a ribbon cutting and public tours. Volunteers will demonstrate how donated food is sorted and packed for distribution. WHO: The executive director and the board chair will be available for interviews. WHEN: Saturday, [date], 10 a.m. to noon. WHERE: 100 Example Road, Alder Creek. Media parking is behind the building. VISUALS: Ribbon cutting at 10:15 a.m.; volunteers packing boxes; warehouse tour. CONTACT: [Name], [phone], [email].

Sample 2: A product demonstration.

- MEDIA ADVISORY, sent [date]. Headline: Brightwell Software to demonstrate new scheduling tool for clinics at live product day. WHAT: Brightwell will show the tool working with a live clinic schedule and answer questions from reporters. WHO: The founder and the head of product will be available. WHEN: Thursday, [date], 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Central. WHERE: Brightwell offices, 200 Sample Street, Suite 4, Northfield, or by video link on request. VISUALS: A live demonstration on large screens; clinic staff using the tool. CONTACT: [Name], [phone], [email].

Sample 3: A public meeting.

- MEDIA ADVISORY, sent [date]. Headline: Cedar Ridge Public Library to host town hall on proposed branch hours. WHAT: The library board will hear public comments on a proposed change to branch hours and answer questions. WHO: The library director and board president will be available before and after the meeting. WHEN: Tuesday, [date], 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Main branch meeting room, 300 Placeholder Avenue, Cedar Ridge. Reserved seating for press at the front. VISUALS: A full room of residents speaking at the microphone; the board table. CONTACT: [Name], [phone], [email].

Mistakes that get advisories ignored

- No reason to come. If a reporter can get everything from the page, they will stay home. Say what can only be seen in person.

- Too long. The point is a glance. If it runs past one page, cut.

- Missing logistics. No parking, entrance or contact is the fastest way to lose a photographer on the day.

- An unconfirmed interviewee. Do not list people who have not agreed to be there.

- A mass blast. Send to the few reporters and editors who cover this kind of event, and address them by name. Our guide to the media pitch template covers how to write that note.

- No follow-up. A reminder the day before helps. A release after the event, with a quote and a photo, helps people who could not attend.

After the event

Send a release if there is news, with quotes, a photo and details a reporter could not get from the advisory. Our press release template gives a fill-in format, and our media relations services page explains how we handle targeted outreach, scoped in writing, with no coverage promised. A media advisory improves your chances of attendance. It does not guarantee anyone will show up.

Reputation Resolutions has worked on reputation problems since 2013, is A+ BBB accredited and a Google Partner, and has clients in 40+ countries. We are not a law firm. For an event with legal, safety or regulatory exposure, have your own counsel review the advisory before it goes out.