Local media guidelines

A toolkit to help IECs promote the program, share positive stories and recruit host families.

Get your story out there

Local media visibility helps strengthen host family recruitment, builds goodwill in your community and reinforces the value of the work you already do every day. Use the prompts and guidelines below to help you share positive, community-based exchange stories with local media in a simple, appropriate way.

You do not need a PR background to use it. The goal is to surface meaningful local stories.

How to share a story with local media

This section walks through the basics of how to connect with local media. The focus is on highlighting individual experiences and the transformative nature of our cultural exchange program for students and host families in your community – not on promoting the program as a whole.

Finding the right media contact

Identify the best person to “pitch”

Go to the outlet’s website and scroll to the bottom of the homepage
Click “Contact Us”
Look for the most relevant role, prioritizing:
- Community reporters or editors
- Education reporters or editors
- General/news editors for community newspapers with smaller newsrooms

If multiple names are listed, choose the person whose articles best reflect the story idea you intend to “pitch.” If no clear contact is listed, use the general newsroom email.

Pitching your story idea

IECs can help surface positive exchange stories in two distinct ways. Both are appropriate, both are valuable, although the approach and outcome are different. The key is knowing which approach you’re using before reaching out.

Option 1: Pitching a story idea to a reporter

In this approach, you (the IEC) email a reporter to suggest a story idea. If the reporter is interested, they may interview the student, a host family, or both.

This option works best for:

Group stories (arrival or departure of multiple students)
Community events or gatherings
Recognition, milestones, or standout moments

A few pro tips:

Keep outreach short and friendly
Write like a community member, not a “PR person”

A plug-and-play pitch template is included below.

Option 2: Supporting students or host families via letters to the editor

Letters to the editor are a separate approach and work especially well for personal reflection. In this case, the letter itself is the story – there is no reporter interview.

How to do this well:

Confirm your community newspaper publishes Letters to the Editor
Coordinate timing:
- Shortly after students arrive and are settled, or
- As a reflection near the end of the exchange year
Explain that letters are a great way to:
- Share excitement about living in the U.S., or
- Reflect on the exchange experience and thank the host community
Letters should be written by students (primarily) or host families, in their own voice
Submissions should follow the newspaper’s posted instructions
IECs may lightly edit for clarity
If possible, please share drafts with EF HSEY marketing before submission so we can support you

How to follow up

Not hearing back is common and doesn’t mean your idea wasn’t a good fit. News cycles are unpredictable, and positive community stories are often crowded.

We recommend:

Waiting 2 – 3 days
Following up once, by replying to the same email thread
Keeping it to one sentence

Example:

“Hi NAME, I just wanted to follow-up in case this got buried. Happy to share more if helpful. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.”

If there’s still no response, move on. That’s ok. You can’t win if you don’t play – and over time, reporters do say yes.

What makes a great local exchange story?

Local media responds well to stories that feel human, hopeful, and rooted in community – stories about people building bridges across borders and cultures, students thriving with host family support, and communities coming together to learn from one another. The strongest stories show connection, belonging, and shared experience.

Plug-and-play pitch template

This template is designed to help you suggest a positive, local story idea to community media.

Sample Subject Lines

Exchange students from [COUNTRIES] spending year in [TOWN]
Local exchange students take part in community milestone
Exchange students reflect on year living with host families in [TOWN]
Exchange students experience American traditions for [HOLIDAY]

Pitch Email

Hi [NAME],

I help support international exchange students living with host families in [TOWN] via the EF High School Exchange Year program, and I wanted to share a local story idea you might be interested in.

Insert ONE short paragraph below that best fits your story:

Arrival/welcome
- This year, [NUMBER] exchange students from [COUNTRIES] arrived in [TOWN] to attend [HIGH SCHOOL] and live with local host families for the academic year. The students are beginning their exchange experience by settling into school, community life, and American traditions.
Community event
- This fall, exchange students from across the state will gather in [TOWN] to attend a [TEAM NAME] football game together – giving students from different countries the chance to connect while taking part in a uniquely American tradition.
Recognition/milestone
- One exchange student attending [HIGH SCHOOL] was recently named [PROM KING/HOMECOMING QUEEN/TEAM CAPTAIN/ETC] reflecting how fully they’ve become part of the school community during their exchange year.
Reflection/end of year
- As the exchange year comes to a close, several students are preparing to return home and reflecting on what they learned living with American host families and attending high school in [TOWN].

Media protocol reminders

Sharing positive stories can increase visibility – and occasionally lead to unexpected media inquiries.

If a reporter reaches out about a positive story:

Give a heads up to EF HSEY’s marketing team so that we can support you!
Help connect the reporter with the student or host family
Consider providing additional context about the program and its impact

If a reporter reaches out about something sensitive or concerning such as, a complaint, a student welfare issue, a host family concern, a program policy question or anything that feels complex or uncomfortable, follow the instructions on the EF HSEY media protocol card.

Please do not respond in detail. Do not speculate. Make clear you are not an official spokesperson, and that someone from the communications team will be in touch very quickly.

Support from EF HSEY HQ is always available.

Have fun with this. These stories already exist – you’re simply helping your community see the impact of cultural exchange through the students and families you support every day!

Let’s connect!

Talk to us directly

1-800-447-4273

Send us an email

exchangeyear@ef.com