A well-thought-out media plan is an effective way to share your message and increase your organization’s exposure. Engaging a wide audience for your NCVRW activities can be time-consuming and may feel overwhelming for an organization with a small staff. However, an active social media presence is easy to achieve and can vastly increase your connections and reach. You can tailor the sample media plans described here to meet the needs and capacity of your organization, and to set media and outreach goals for the entire year. It can take as much (or as little) time as you are able to dedicate.

Considerations When Crafting a Media Plan 

• Who is your audience? 
• What is your message? 
• What do you want to accomplish? 
• Where do you want to engage your audience (local, state, or national level)? 
• What is the best method for communicating your message? (Your method should be adapted for each communication.) 
• When and how often should you communicate? 
• Why is this message important to your audience?

Important to Remember 

• Social media is about two-way communication. To achieve successful engagement, consider following organizations or influential individuals in your network and then engaging with their posts. 
• Content is key. Posts should be relevant, timely and consistent. 
• Be intentional with what you share and post. Make sure your content fits into your overall messaging strategy and brand. 
• Use #NCVRW2026 in your posts.

Sample Plan 1 

This is for organizations interested in building a stronger media presence and able to dedicate a small amount of staff time (approximately one hour) each week. 

Throughout April 

Post on social media two or three times each week. Share posts by OJP, OVC and other relevant organizations or craft your own content. If you already have an established blog, write one post about your organization’s NCVRW activities. 

Set Achievable Goals 

Support your organizational activities by setting achievable, measurable goals such as:

• increasing your followers by 5 percent. 
• achieving an engagement rate of 1 percent or higher. (Engagements include likes, shares, reposts, URL clicks and any other action a user takes on your post. You can find your engagement rate in the relevant social platform’s reporting area.) 
• establishing online connections with other organizations by liking or following their pages.

Sample Plan 2 

This is for organizations interested in building a stronger media presence, forming relationships with local news outlets and are able to dedicate a moderate amount of staff time (4–8 hours each week).

Throughout April 

• Post at least four times on social media each week. You can share OJP’s and OVC’s posts, respond to another organization’s post, inform the public about your resources, post a relevant news article or create your own original posts. 
• Write one blog post about how your organization is participating in NCVRW this year. 
• Write a news release about your organization’s recognition of NCVRW. 
• Submit a letter to the editor or an opinion-editorial to your local newspaper.

Set Achievable Goals 

Support your organizational activities by setting achievable, measurable goals, such as:

• increasing your followers by 10 percent. 
• achieving an engagement rate of 1 percent or higher. (Engagements include likes, shares, reposts, URL clicks and any other action a user takes on your post. You can find your engagement rate in the relevant social platform’s reporting area.) 
• publishing a letter to the editor or an opinion-editorial in the local newspaper.

Sample Plan 3

This plan is for organizations interested in reaching a wide audience and increasing visibility, and that can devote significant staff time (8+ hours each week). 

Throughout April 

• Post at least five to seven times per week on social media. Use a variety of tactics: share others’ posts, respond to other organizations, post news articles, highlight neighboring events and services, schedule a live chat or craft your own NCVRW messages related to this year’s theme, “Listen. Act. Advocate. Protect victims, serve communities.” 
• Write two blog posts about NCVRW. Publish the first one the week before NCVRW, detailing the history of the week and what your organization is doing to commemorate the week. Publish the second post after NCVRW as a follow-up on your organization’s events and national NCVRW events. 
• Submit a letter to the editor and/or an opinion-editorial for print in your local newspaper each week of the month. 
• Write two or more news releases. Possible topics include your participation in the mayor’s (or other local official’s) proclamation, your own organization’s NCVRW activities and other events commemorating the week. 
• Use your social media platforms to stream press conferences or portions of your events, such as ceremonies or speeches. 
  • Some platforms allow administrators to schedule live events, which lets followers know when to tune in. 
  • It’s also a best practice to promote ahead of time that you will live stream, which can be done by static posts or by sharing an interactive preview via Stories, such as a countdown. 
  • Amplify your message by alerting news media that you plan to stream, which could increase the chances of having your event covered by local press. 
  • Be sure to record your live stream and send out links after the event is over to reach even more viewers. 
  • You can even make “throwback” posts about the event throughout the year using the link. 

Set Achievable Goals 

Support your organizational activities with achievable, measurable goals, such as: 

• increasing your followers by 10–20 percent. 
• achieving an engagement rate of 2 percent or higher. (Engagements include likes, shares, reposts, URL clicks and any other action a user takes on your post. You can find your engagement rate in the relevant social platform’s reporting area.) 
• connecting with professionals and community members in a variety of ways.