Supporting resources: News and media

Find your communications liaison Submit a project request Join our email list

What makes a good story, news announcement or press release?

Read: Litmus Test for Media Interest
Announcements about upcoming big grants, projects, events with the intent of gaining positive media coverage and growing interest.
Stories that support the mission of the Herberger Institute, tell a compelling story, demonstrate excellence in what we teach our students and their resulting successes on a national/global scale, our top-quality faculty whose position and knowledge in their respective industries provides learning opportunities and industry-related collaborations for our students.
Stories that promote our cross-institute and beyond collaborations for programs, students and faculty.
Student and faculty successes and accomplishments that are directly resulting from or came from our programs, initiatives, class projects.
Before writing any story, announcement, etc. please make sure to review the Herberger Institute writing tips and the ASU Brand Guide pages on writing.
Writing tips
ASU Brand Guide writing standards

How and where do I share my story?

The first place to start is with your communications liaison.

They are in touch with the Herberger Institute writers every week and work with the team to make sure we're telling the stories for the unit.

There are several ways to share stories / news announcements, here are some of the main ways we share:

Herberger Institute news and ASU News

Unit liaisons should write stories then submit for review using the project request form above. Once approved, unit liaisons have access to post stories to ASU News, the university news website. If your story can grow beyond a single event or seems to be bigger in scope and needs the Herberger Institute communications team for help writing, please submit a project request with a draft of basic information and contacts. Before contacting the Herberger Institute Communications team, read the Litmus Test for Media Interest.

Directions for posting ASU News stories
Submit a project request

Pitching to media

Most journalists and media outlets respond better to individualized pitches than to generic press releases. Read the litmus test above, and find appropriate reporters and/or publications to pitch your story to. If you need help, especially for a bigger story, contact deborah.sussman@asu.edu and submit a project request. Before contacting the Herberger Institute Communications team, read the Litmus Test for Media Interest.

Press release

If you are going to send out press releases to various media outlets, use the Herberger Institute press release template. (Read litmus test above before sending). It’s best to save your press release as a PDF before distributing and paste into the body of the email.

Please note: Template is a Microsoft Word file from which a new document can be created for your use.

Download the Herberger Institute press release template

Herberger Institute blog

Herberger Institute started a blog on Medium in 2018-19. If you think your story would be appropriate for a blog, submit a project request. We will consider if that is the best platform, who should write the post (it can be our team, you or another guest blogger) and the best way to tell the story.

Herberger Institute Medium blog

Inside ASU's Herberger Institute

Another option for getting your story out is through our monthly national email, Inside ASU’s Herberger Institute. The email includes recent high level articles, usually external media coverage; a Spotlight section where we highlight students, alumni, research, programs, initiatives, giving, etc.; a By the numbers section that uses numbers to tell something interesting about the institute and what we're doing; and a section called In pictures that usually links to an Instagram or Facebook post (often unit-specific accounts). We welcome any suggestions for any of these sections. We can’t guarantee inclusion, but we’re always looking for content and the more options we have the better. We’re especially looking for ideas for the number section, which can be as creative as you want to be. Past examples include a ranking, the number of plants on The Design School's green roof, the number of Andy Warhol pieces in the ASU Art Museum's collection and the number of School of Art students and alumni featured in the Arizona Biennale.

Example of Inside ASU's Herberger Institute

What do I do if a reporter contacts me for a story, interview or quote?

Please refer any reporter (ASU and/or external) who requests an interview with you, or a comment from you, to Deborah Sussman, our media specialist, at deborah.sussman@asu.edu (copy your communications liaison). She will coordinate with the reporter to ensure that your time and your comments are being put to good use. This media policy is meant to ensure that the Herberger Institute communications team is kept in the loop on current stories.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact deborah.sussman@asu.edu or marisa.benincasa@asu.edu at any time.

How do I share an external link, news coverage, story or video about my area to the unit/school website?

You can reach out to your communications liaison for help in making sure the content is added to the website and consideration on sharing from your school's social media account. Communications liaisons have access to add external media mentions to the website database.

You can also submit the information via the Share online mentions about you or your work (or that of a student/alum), and we will share it with you communications liaison.

Questions? Contact sarah.a.mccarty@asu.edu.

How do I change the content on our website’s news page?

Communications and marketing team members enter all news items into the ASU News system, which automatically populates each unit news page. If you have questions or notice issues, contact sarah.a.mccarty@asu.edu.

How do I share a book written by faculty or staff?

We encourage unit communications liaisons to submit book titles that are written by, edited by or include contributions from any faculty and staff in your unit to Sun Devil Shelf Life, the ASU Library’s platform that showcases the diverse and impressive body of research monographs and literary works produced by the Arizona State University community.

Find your communications liaison
Submit a book to Sun Devil Shelf Life

Communications and media contacts

Deborah Sussman, associate director of strategic communications and media relations, is the contact for media, PR and writing projects | deborah.sussman@asu.edu

Sarah McCarty, communications manager, is the contact for writing projects and short news items (including faculty, student and alumni accomplishments) | sarah.a.mccarty@asu.edu

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