Crossing America on a Street Car

It’s interesting how quickly -- with a little PR help -- local stories can become national news. So when soon-to-be newlyweds Kristen Myers and Chris Heckman encouraged their guests to donate funds to a streetcar initiative in Cincinnati in lieu of wedding gifts, Wordsworth recognized the elements of a gathering opportunity.

"First, it was a genuinely selfless gesture on behalf of two people,” said Wordsworth Account Executive Danielle Hagen who has been helping Wordsworth build awareness of and support for an effort to build a $100+ million streetcar system in Cincinnati. “But the story also fit well with larger themes making national headlines including stories of self-sacrifice for the good of the community and the topic of infrastructure spending."

Though the story unquestionably had ample local relevance (streetcar proposals are currently in the hands of Cincinnati City Council), Wordsworth began to work on ways to place the story on a national stage. The strategy was to first convince local affiliates of national news organizations to cover the story, and then offer it to a national audience. "We expected the turn around time from beginning to end would be about 24 hours," Hagen added.

And that is pretty much how things fell into place. The story first appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer, a newspaper owned by Gannett that also publishes USA TODAY. The story quickly appeared in both publications. Similarly, a spot secured on a news broadcast of Cincinnati’s local FOX affiliate WXIX-TV and quickly translated into national coverage on FOX Business News. Overnight, the story also carried on the AP wire, which was then picked up by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, CBS News, Forbes magazine and many other national news outlets.

Besides making a lot more people aware of Cincinnati’s streetcar initiative, the news coverage inspired donations from mass transit and streetcar enthusiasts from across the United States. One donor in Philadelphia saw the story and wanted to participate. He wrote "I read about you and your fiancé’s decision to urge your wedding guests to support a streetcar line in lieu of presents… . I've ridden the modern streetcar systems in Portland, Seattle and other places, however, and they are truly wonderful. I think the time has come to outfit America's cities with streetcars once again."

Another supporter, from New York, wrote "I came across your story on the AP wire today and I think you guys are doing a great thing…. I wish you both the best and will be mailing you a check to help in the effort to bring the streetcar back to Cincinnati."

In all, Wordsworth actually invested less than 24 hours in this project, preparing strategic written materials, tracking down the right media contacts, distributing the news and talking with reporters. The story ran for three days. All in all it’s a good reminder of what can happen when a story with high news potential partners with experienced PR folks who know exactly what to do with it.

Additional examples of Wordsworth’s national news placements, including guest segments on CNN-fn, CNN Headline News and FOX Business News, are available by contacting Pepper Peale at .