Challenge:

Renew media interest in Shared Hope’s Protected Innocence Challenge (PIC) Report following a decline in coverage in recent years. Push through a chaotic news cycle to reestablish Shared Hope International’s leadership in the fight to end domestic child sex trafficking.

Fresh Perspective:

  • Tap into the news coverage of sex trafficking tied to high-profile cases, such as Jeffrey Epstein
  • Focus on the biases associated with domestic minor sex trafficking, particularly with female victims, as our hook
  • Garner exposure for Shared Hope’s latest Protected Innocence Challenge (PIC) Report

Authentic Approach

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING

  • Attended Shared Hope’s Juvenile Sex Trafficking (JuST) Conference two weeks into the relationship and generated coverage in Cincinnati Enquirer, AFA Journal, Cincinnati Public Radio and The Scott Sloan Show on WLW-AM, Cincinnati’s largest news talk station
  • Audited previous coverage and reporters writing about human trafficking to understand who was covering the issue and how
  • Interviewed Shared Hope’s leadership to frame the news value and messaging of the PIC report

PURSUE EXCLUSIVE, TARGET KEY STATES

  • Pitched an exclusive to the reporter who wrote the Cincinnati Enquirer story on the conference with the goal of coverage in USA Today (also owned by Gannett); worked with the news outlet to develop a video and infographics to illustrate the news
  • Identified 24 “focus” states with the greatest news value
  • Gathered relevant state-by-state information, talking points and spokespeople from Shared Hope’s policy team
  • Booked a national radio tour for Shared Hope’s founding president, Linda Smith

Meaningful Impact

  • Secured 678 stories across 44 states and Washington, D.C. (21 of the 24 focus states) totaling 303,919,093 impressions
    • Original stories ran online and in print in USA Today, USA Today’s “50 States” news roundup, and several Gannett publications including Delaware News-Journal, The Tennessean, Argus Leader and Columbus Dispatch
    • The Associated Press ran stories about the report in Nebraska and Nevada, leading to nearly 80 articles
  • The 11-stop radio tour resulted in 286 airings reaching 447,650 listeners via networks and stations in “focus” states, including NBC News Radio in D.C., WBEZ (NPR) in Chicago and regional affiliates in Ga., La. and Tenn.
  • Placed 27 television stories across the country
  • Web traffic increased by 30% after the release- 90% of all users were new to the site. There were more website conversions on launch day than any other day in 2019
  • Legislators in Ohio, Maine, South Dakota and Washington pushed for stronger sex trafficking laws after the report published
    • Government officials from seven states issued 12 news releases referencing PIC grade, continuing coverage in to early 2020
    • Unprecedented coverage laid the foundation for a successful opening of the Shared Hope Institute for Justice & Advocacy in Washington, D.C.
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