How to Recruit and Select Testimonials from Former Smokers

Transcription

1 How to Recruit and Select Testimonials from Former Smokers One of the key lessons learned internationally from tobacco control media campaigns is that testimonials (or real stories) can be very effective in motivating smokers to try to quit. More specifically, testimonial ads about the negative consequences of tobacco use and how the negative health conditions have impacted the lives of a former smokers (or their loved ones) have been found to be highly effective at inspiring smokers to make a quit attempt. Although testimonials are an effective public health tool, they are often underutilized. In some cases, this may be due to testimonial recruitment challenges. By following the step by step process outlined below, public health may improve the recruitment process in their community. Step 1: Develop a Recruitment Plan Step 2: Determine a Screening Process Based on Your Campaign Needs Step 3: Develop Recruitment Materials Step 4: Conduct Pre-Screening Interviews Step 5: Conduct the Full In-Take Interview Step 6: Select and Vet the Final Candidates Step 1: Develop a Recruitment Plan Developing a recruitment plan is a critical first step in creating any kind of local campaign that will leverage testimonials. Sourcing testimonial candidates with a compelling story that is also a strong fit with your campaign goals can be challenging, but one that can be overcome by having a recruitment plan in place. It is important to outline your campaign goals, the audience(s) you want to target, the message you want to deliver and the recruitment criteria for the stories you are looking for. Within your recruitment plan it is also important to list or catalog potential recruitment sources. These could include the following: Relationships through family and friends Community partners (Smokers Helpline, Heart and Stroke, Regional Cancer Centre etc.) Health providers Online ads (Craigslist, Kijijii etc) Advertisements Program Training and Consultation Centre, The Media Network How to Recruit and Select Testimonials from Former Smokers 1

2 Other publicity methods (social media, announcement on website, etc.) Note: This list is not exhaustive. Once you have created a recruitment plan, the next step in the recruitment process is to create a screening protocol for determining the types of stories that will best fit with your campaign goals. Step 2: Determine a Screening Process Based on Your Campaign Goals The selection and screening criteria for prospective testimonial candidates is one of the most important parts of the testimonial recruitment process. There are many types of stories you could tell, but not all will necessarily align with your campaign s goal. As a result, it will be important to screen potential candidates to ensure their story is a strong fit for what you are looking to achieve. Often, the criteria for recruitment will be based on the types of health conditions you feel will resonate best with the type or types of target audiences you are looking to reach. Health conditions that are generally understood by the public to be caused by smoking are a good place to start and are more likely to resonate better with your audience than other types of health issues related to smoking that may be more obscure. For example. The Centre for Disease Control s anti-smoking Tips campaign featured testimonials highlighting a variety of health issues, including Buerger s disease. For the general public the link between smoking and Buerger s disease is not as well-known as the link to cancer or respiratory illnesses. The campaign was still able to successfully feature ads of Buerger s disease, but they were more complex than others ads featuring more well-known health effects. This is because the Buerger s ads had to educate the public about the link between Buerger s diseases and smoking along with inspiring a quit attempt. Focusing on more well-known issues is a generally an easier starting point for your campaign. Over time you can always consider moving into more complex issue areas, such as Buerger s, as your campaign grows and matures. Step 3: Develop Recruitment Materials Once you have a recruitment plan and screening criteria in place, it is time to develop your recruitment materials. The types of materials you will create will depend on the recruitment channels you plan to use. Recruitment tools could include the following: Recruitment letters for community partners Program Training and Consultation Centre, The Media Network How to Recruit and Select Testimonials from Former Smokers 2

3 Recruitment letters for health professionals Social media posts Craigslist/Kijiji post Advertisements Note: This list is not exhaustive. For recruitment letter examples Regardless of the recruitment channels you use, it is important that your recruitment materials clearly outline your campaign goals and the type of candidates you are looking for. Setting up a testimonial recruitment web page that can be linked to in all your recruitment materials can help to screen prospective testimonial candidates. On the web page you will want to outline the campaign goals, your testimonial recruitment requirements and the expectations that come with volunteering and participating in the campaign. Step 4: Conduct Pre-Screening Interviews As noted in Step 1, not all stories and prospective candidates will be a fit for your campaign. As a result, it is important to have a screening process in place to filter candidates so that you can focus your time and energy on those that best match your campaign needs. Having clear criteria in your recruitment materials and a recruitment FAQ section on your website can be considered your initial screening process. Once a candidate has moved through the initial pre-screening, you will need to conduct a more formal screening of their fit for your campaign including: I. Sending an initial communication to prospective testimonial candidates via recapping campaign goals/requirements and to set up a short phone call. II. Conducting a short phone interview (3-5 minute call) III. Conducting a full in-take interview (30-60 mins in length) At each stage of the process, you will want to keep the following in mind: I. Do they have a compelling story? II. Is their negative health condition clearly linked to their tobacco use? III. Are they willing and physically able to participate in the campaign? IV. Do they speak or act in a way that you feel they would positively represent the health unit and/or your campaign? Program Training and Consultation Centre, The Media Network How to Recruit and Select Testimonials from Former Smokers 3

4 Step 5: Conduct the Full In-Take Interview In-take interviews with prospective candidates can be as short as 30 minutes or as long as an hour, whatever is required to fully tease out the person s quit story. Ideally it is best to record the interview. For a campaign to increase quit attempts that features testimonials from former smokers about the negative health consequences that inspired them to quit, the elements you are seeking in the interview process would include: I. When they started to smoke (The story beginning) II. When they realized the health/negative consequences and decided to make a change (Middle of the story) III. When and how they quit and what their life was like afterward (End of the story) Tip: When recording the interview it is important to keep in mind that you may eventually want to cut the interview into smaller chunks to serve as content for television ads or online videos. Securing footage for the three story elements above will help ensure you collect the type of content you need to tell their story in a compelling way. Tips for Setting up the In-Person Interview Recording and Managing the Process. I. Select a location that is easy to get to and where the candidate feels comfortable. II. Ideally no more than two public health unit staff should be in the room. Be sure to clarify each person s roles in advance. I. Create an outline or interview questions based on the details of your campaign and use it to guide the interview (see the How to Conduct Effective Interviews With Testimonial Candidates [Interview Guide] for more details) III. Let the prospective testimonial candidate know that you will respond by a certain date about whether or not you will be moving forward with their story as part of the campaign. After each phase of the screening process you need to re-evaluate whether they will be a strong fit for your campaign. Below is checklist to help you determine the candidate s fit and qualifications and can be useful in helping you make your final decision. Does the person communicate well/clearly? Does the person seem genuine/believable in the telling of their story? Are they enthusiastic about sharing their story with the public? Are they willing to do press interviews and generally available for them? Is their family supportive of their participation in the campaign? Program Training and Consultation Centre, The Media Network How to Recruit and Select Testimonials from Former Smokers 4

5 Is their story compelling, interesting, logical? Does their story align well with the strategic focus of the campaign (i.e., to motivate people to try to quit smoking)? Do they fit the demographic priorities of the campaign? If not, is their story relatable for people from diverse backgrounds, or is it too specific to people with certain demographics (pregnant women etc.)? Is their health condition clearly linked to smoking? Can they confirm that a doctor has said the condition was most likely caused by smoking? When making your final decision, if you feel a candidate will not be a good fit it is important to respectfully communicate that they were not selected to be part of the campaign. As part of this feedback, be sure to thank them for their interest. Note: In some cases someone may have a compelling story that just isn t a fit for the campaign you are looking to run. In these circumstances, you may wish to advise them that you may reach out to them as part of a future campaign. Once you have made your final decision and determined that a prospective testimonial candidate will be a strong fit, you will need to move to the final vetting procedures. Step 6: Select and Vet the Final Candidates Once you feel a prospective testimonial candidate is a strong fit and you would like to move forward with them as part of your campaign, you will want to move them to the final vetting procedure. As part of this process you will be confirming that your testimonial participant will represent the health unit and be a public face for the campaign. This final vetting process could include: Testimonial participant confirms: I. They have been tobacco-free for at least six months. II. They have no conflict of interest in participating (e.g. not a tobacco retailer, owner of a vape shop etc.). PH staff conducts: III. Background check. IV. Social media check. Program Training and Consultation Centre, The Media Network How to Recruit and Select Testimonials from Former Smokers 5

6 Testimonial participant signs: V. Contract/agreement clarifying commitment, role, and compensation (or lack thereof). VI. Release form stating that their story and images can be publicized. Once the recruitment and selection process is complete your work is not done. When engaging people to share stories as part of your campaign you will also want to ensure you manage the relationship with your testimonial participant at each step of your campaign. This could include: Checking in regularly on their health. Supporting them through ad development process and campaign launch. Checking in regularly on their smoking status and determine implications for the campaign. Note: If a participant relapses, weave it into their story, communicating message that quitting successfully often takes multiple attempts and that it s important to keep trying. Keep them updated about the campaign and help them feel engaged to ensure their interest in continuing to participate (early access to new ads; heads up about major news stories or events and sharing campaign successes/results). Tell them Thank You often, and remind them that by telling their story, they are helping others and saving lives. You may also want to consider a small gift at end of campaign. Ask their permission for each new commitment (press interview, public appearance, ad, etc.), and allow them to put reasonable boundaries on their participation. For more information and resources on recruiting testimonial or on developing and testing ads and campaign messages, please see the following documents: II. How to Conduct Effective Interviews With Testimonial Candidates (Interview Guide) III. How to Develop and Test Advertisements Featuring Testimonials from Former Smokers Program Training and Consultation Centre, The Media Network How to Recruit and Select Testimonials from Former Smokers 6