• These sections of our homepage at chronicdisease.org allow us to link to content directly to promote it front and center to our website visitors. These slots are filled at the Communications Department’s discretion.
  
  
  • Latest News – Links to press releases, job descriptions, blogs, and news features.
    
    
  • Spotlight – This section highlights promotion of more evergreen feature stories, podcasts, videos, or profiles, including of staff, partners and Members. This section is at the discretion of Communications Department in collaboration with Program Relations and Member Engagement.
    
    
  • Recent Publication – Links to a recent publication uploaded to the Publications Library, where the item can be viewed and downloaded, if desired. 
    
    
  • Success Stories – Links to a featured Success Story.

• Blogs – Blogs on NACDD’s website  are short, first-person or group-authored entries that report on a milestone in a project or recent highlights. They are is short (200-400 words) and informal, letting readers know the who, what, when, why. Read a great example of a blog from the Biomarkers team.
  
  
• News Features – New features are more formal recaps of a project’s success or a report’s completion for our website. A news feature should include a quote from a subject matter expert or from NACDD leadership, a program partner, NACDD Member, or funder that can provide more information/celebrate on the project’s importance or impact. News features are longer than blogs and can detail the project’s methodology, impact, and next steps, if known. News features should end with a paragraph that places this project in the context of other related work from the portfolio is. These articles should be 500-700 words. When possible, articles should follow the “inverted pyramid” news format. Read examples of two NACDD news features: “2018 Virtual Program Success Showcase” and “2018 Board President’s Challenge. ” 
  
  
• Program Pages – Overview of NACDD program work on chronic disease, health equity, and health promotion; these pages also include updates on current activities, publications libraries, and other resources and tools.
  
  
• Success Stories Database –Success Stories are submitted by Chronic Disease Units and partners to share successful and innovative work in chronic disease prevention and health promotion with policy makers and funders. These may be submitted at any time. See publichealthsuccess.org for details on the format.

NACDD has social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn where we promote organizational news and information about our Members and Partners.

NACDD offers several newsletters distributed regularly and as-needed to help our Members, grantees, and partners remain informed, engaged with our organization, and grow in their association with NACDD. Most newsletter items are between 100 and 300 words and are intended to be timely information relevant to their readers’ interests and needs. 

• Impact Brief – Monthly newsletter shared with approximately 5,000 Members covering news and information on chronic disease programming and NACDD activities. Contact the NACDD Communications Department for more information.
  
  
• Off the Cuff – Weekly newsletter distributed on Mondays on cardiovascular health programming sent to 500 state and territorial chronic disease program staff and NACDD Members. Contact the NACDD Cardiovascular Health Team, for more information.
  
  
• Legislative and Policy News – Weekly newsletter distributed on Fridays to approximately 160 NACDD Members and partners that covers state and federal chronic disease prevention policy and other government news. This publication is exclusive only to NACDD Members. Contact  NACDD State Policy Analyst Liz Ruth for more information.
• The Connector – Quarterly newsletter on Diabetes prevention programming sent to more than 800 state and territorial chronic disease program staff and NACDD Members. Contact the NACDD Diabetes Team for more information.
• GIS Newsletter (see a sample)– Exclusive monthly newsletter sent to approximately 250 state and territorial chronic disease professionals who focus on geographic information systems technology. Contact the NACDD Cardiovascular Health Team, for more information.

NACDD offers several podcasts (including active series and archived episodes) that are shared with NACDD Members to help them inform, engage, and grow their careers. Podcasts are brief, recorded conversations with subject matter experts on professional development and newsworthy public health topics. These conversations should be less than 45 minutes. and are typically edited  professionally with intros and outros. Podcasts should include transcripts whenever possible for accessibility. 

• Current podcasts accepting pitches for content include:
  
  • Health Yeah! – NACDD’s official professional development and chronic disease news podcast. Podcasts are approximately 20 minutes long, on average, and feature a variety of experts from across public health and chronic disease prevention and control. Contact the Communications Department for more information.
    
    
  • Power Tools – A podcast series by NACDD’s Director of Program Relations, John Patton, with vetted, private-industry partners whose products and services act as ‘tools’ that add exponential ‘power’ to the work of public health practitioners.
    
    
  • Race Toward Health  – NACDD’s Health Equity podcast, produced by the Health Equity Council. Contact the Health Equity Council for more information. 

NACDD regularly produces press releases to bring media and Member attention to NACDD and partner accomplishments. A press release is a document that is delivered to the media to inform them of an organization or a public figure’s newsworthy event, announcement, publication, or activity.

• A press release should be reserved only for the biggest and most important news that an organization has to share, such as new funding, launching a large project with national partners, or achieving strong results on a project.
• Press releases generally are written as if they were a news story in a newspaper or magazine, with the most important information in the first sentence and the least important information at the bottom of the article.
• The best press releases “show” the audience, rather than tell them why the information is newsworthy. Ideal releases provide the media with all the context and details that they would need to write an article.
• NOTE: Only specific individuals are approved to be spokespeople for NACDD and can be quoted in press releases: the Chief Executive Officer, the Policy Committee Chair, and the Board President. When these individuals are quoted in a release, these spokespeople must have final approval before the release is distributed. Program partners and funders may be quoted, as appropriate, and must have final approval of their quote.
  
  
• Our  Graphic Tools Dropbox for staff and consultants has our press release standard operating procedure, a template for press releases, and a tip sheet for working with the media. These materials can be provided for reference upon request to to Members. 

NACDD regularly emails Members based on their selected interest areas and preferences about important professional development and funding opportunities as well as news on chronic disease and health promotion. NACDD has specific criteria for emailing Members. Contact the Communications Department to learn more.