Cooperative Extension Marketing
Extension Today Insert
This year, we have provided you with a Word and Publisher template for the Extension Today that will be issued on a regular basis, twice a year, with new issues coming out in late spring/early summer and late fall/early winter. You’ll find three key sections: selecting content, following the format, and distributing your county insert.
Using the Extension Today Insert Template: Guidelines
Selecting Content for the County-Level Insert
The first step in producing a high quality insert is to select appropriate content to be shared in the report.Selection of content is more important for a short document (such as the Extension Today insert) than it is for one of greater length because you have much less opportunity to present information that may be of interest to the reader.
In general, there are four types of information that you may want to include in the insert:
a sampling of recent impact statements,
a statement which describes the purpose of Extension in your county,
key statistical data which reflect the scope of Extension activity in your county, and
information about how to contact Extension in your county.
We anticipate that all of the Extension Today inserts will include a sampling of impact statements, but how other elements of content are included in the insert will be at your discretion. Ideas for how to use the three text boxes included in the sample are provided simply as options. There is no expectation to use them in any particular manner.
Impact Statements
The core content of the insert is made up of a sampling of six to ten high quality impact statements which reflect the diversity of the overall Extension program in your county. Impact statements which meet the guidelines found in the IMPAK Reporting Guide should be well suited for inclusion in the insert. According to those guidelines, impact statements should include a discussion of
the importance of the issue being addressed,
the role of Extension in achieving the results,
the nature of the educational program, and
the results produced, including the evaluation method used.
But selecting from those which meet the guidelines and address all of the program areas may still be a difficult task. Here are some criteria you may wish to use in selecting impact statements to include in the insert.
As a reader of the report, how would you feel about public dollars being expended to produce the results described?
Does the public understand why the accomplishment is relevant to them?
Are enough people affected by the program for it to be viewed as a worthwhile expenditure?
Do the statements selected reflect the diversity of the total Extension program being conducted in your county?
Do some statements include quantitative results, while others are qualitative? (Numbers appeal to some readers, stories to others.)
Fine-Tuning Your Impact Statements
Once you have selected a set of impact statements to include, they will require a little editing. In general, existing impact statements are about one-third page in length. They will probably need to be reduced to about half that length if you plan to use more than six impact statements in your insert. As you edit the statements, consider shortening the discussion about the nature of the program and evaluation methods used but continue to emphasize the importance of the program and the results.
Also consider the tone and level of your writing. If you prepared your impact statements with external stakeholders in mind, you’re probably in good shape. But if the statements were prepared for an internal audience of Extension administrators or specialists, now is the time to re-write them for the public. So reduce the jargon, and rely on plain English and short sentences. And edit your statements so that they are written in the “second person.” Don’t break out into a sweat as you recall your high school grammar lessons. All we’re asking is that you follow the same warm, friendly, conversational style that you’re reading now. We use the words “we” and “you” throughout this, and that’s a lot easier to read than “the Extension agent” or “the writer.” It’s also more personal–it shows you, our readers, that we’re human. So say “our agents” and “we showed that” and “participants in our program learned how to” and you’ll be on the right track.
Once each impact statement is clear and short and friendly, consider its heading or title. It’s actually a hook, pulling the reader into your miniature story. Here’s your chance to be creative and inventive and add a little pizzazz to your piece. At the very least you’ll want to shorten the official title, again keeping your reader in mind.
Statement of Purpose
(box across the top of the two columns)
You may wish to include an overall statement of Extension’s purpose just below the standard header and your county name. This statement can include a discussion of program areas, current program priorities, or general information about the purpose of Extension. If you have developed your own mission statement, you may wish to include it here. If you are opening a new office or adding a new position, you may wish to use this section of the insert to announce this event! The information in the sample is just that–a sample. Feel free to use it as is or modify it.
Statistical Summary
(table in right-hand column on front page)
Some readers want to see information which communicates the volume of Extension activity. Although it does not communicate impact, such information does suggest that Extension is needed and used by many people in the county. You may wish to include information about the number of contacts with clientele for a given period, number of 4-H members, or volunteers who work with Extension. Maybe use a line or bar graph to communicate a trend or a pie chart to show parts of a whole. Perhaps even include data for three or four priority indicators.
Instead of using this boxed area for a statistical summary, you may want to consider using it for an italicized testimonial from a program participant, volunteer, or council member. Real words from real people lend a true local feel to the insert.
If your county has the equipment for high quality photo reproduction, including a photo here is also a possibility. And you can vary what you place in this position from one insert to the next.
Again, these are suggestions, recommended as possibilities; you are not required to include a table or box in this area.
Contact Information
(box on back page, bottom right)
Now that you’ve gotten your readers’ attention, make sure that you provide them with information about how to contact you. At a minimum, provide your address and phone number. Also consider fax, e-mail, and web addresses. You may or may not want to provide the names of all staff. Be sure to include the equal opportunity statement here.
Following the Format for the Insert
Once the contents are squared away–all program areas represented, impact statements chosen with an eye towards putting your best foot forward and written in a clear style to emphasize results and relevance–you’re ready to begin formatting.
We would like all of the inserts to remain only one 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper, printed front and back.
Distributing Your County Insert
You’ve just completed a piece that showcases the best in your county, so naturally you want to get the word out. We know that you’re busy, but consider hand-delivering this information. A three-minute discussion of what’s going on locally, tied into the statewide programs discussed in Extension Today, is an excellent way to market your efforts. Your county council, district board, judge-executive and other local leaders are obvious community members to head up your distribution list. If you carry a few copies with you at all times, much like your business card, you’ll have fresh information handy as you make new contacts and renew ties with loyal Extension friends.
When you have small meetings with special audiences–the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary and Elks, professional women’s clubs, for example–you’ll also want to distribute these. Program participants, especially volunteers and club leaders, will expand their knowledge of the total Extension program with the information in Extension Today and your insert. And also think about the possibility of using Extension volunteers to help distribute these reports.
Original text prepared by Dr. Roger Rennekamp, Program and Staff Development and
Dr. Deborah Witham, Agricultural Communications Services
