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| Ways To Make The News: | |
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Offer an interesting story angle. |
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Become a media resource so reporters
call you when they are developing a story on your field. |
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Don’t forget routine announcements. Coverage is small, but it gets your name out there. |
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Tie in with other current topics in the news. |
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Educate the public. |
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Do something for the first time in your community. |
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Announce a new program or facility. |
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Stage a special event. |
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Involve a celebrity |
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Take part in a controversial topic. |
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Arrange for a testimonial. |
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Celebrate an anniversary or tie
in with a holiday or a well known week or day. |
| Here are some steps to help you succeed in your media relations effort: |
| Media Lists: |
| The better your media list, the better your chances of success. An outdated or inaccurate distribution list is a sure-fire way to fail. Aim to get your release into the hands of the person who is most likely to write the story. Unless you’re dealing with a very small publication, you’ll want to target individual reporters rather than editors. |
| Distribution Approach: |
| Consider how you are going to pitch the story. Unless your story is a real blockbuster you should shy away from the news conference approach. Consider whether you’ll get best results by pitching the story personally to one publication, or whether you want to send a release out in mass to a number of publications. But even if you choose to do a personal pitch, you’ll still want to have a news release written to give the reporter as back-up to your verbal information. |
| Media Kits: |
| Consider any support materials you may need in conjunction with your release. In some cases, it’s a good idea to provide reporters with a release and a media kit. Media kits may include information such as fact sheets, board members, key contacts listing, company history, etc. |
| Story Angle: |
| Consider why your story should be of interest to the readers or viewers of a particular news organization. This should help you determine your story angle and your lead. |
| Visuals: |
| If you are targeting television reporters, be sure to think visually. What kind of video opportunities and on-camera interviews can you offer the reporter? |