The tenth anniversary of 9/11 presents a unique and unprecedented communications opportunity for our advocacy community to proactively frame a certain percentage of the story lines that materialize in the avalanche of coverage that will come in the run-up to this monumental day.

The purpose of this memo is to outline basic communications advice for 9/11 media outreach. We will offer a few brief thoughts on message, suggest story angles that the media will likely pursue and outline steps to take, and the timelines required for reaching out to different media outlets.

This media opportunity is unique because it affords our community the opportunity to be proactive in a predictable media firestorm. We know how the media is going to cover this story, what angles they will take and how we can target them. This opportunity is unprecedented because every editor, producer and reporter in America is looking for that story and there is not a single organization within our community that doesn't have a 9/11 story to tell them.

It is important however to keep in mind that hundreds of organizations will also be aggressively contesting this tenth anniversary 'media space', making it essential that every organization's 9/11 story ideas be genuinely unique, compelling and tailored for your audience. From paramedic first-responders to counter-terrorism experts to hate crime victims, the upcoming tenth anniversary of 9/11 is going to be a frenetic time where everyone will want their story told via the media.

Download our complete media strategy memo below.