 | | Good Neighbor Tool Kit: Leading a Charity Marketing and Public Relations | | ||
|  Nonprofit Nuts and Bolts The Art of Fundraising Recruiting Volunteers and Keeping Them Happy Marketing and Public Relations Leadership and the Board Good Neighbor Tool Kit Main Page Good Neighbor Home Page | 8 Ways to Get Close to the Media You’ve got a story to tell. Now you need a sympathetic ear. Here’s how to identify and cultivate people in the media who will take an interest in your cause and support it. 1. Find out who’s who in your media community. Some reporters or producers are generalists; others have beats, or areas of specialty. Determine who is most likely to cover the kinds of stories you and your organization have to tell. If you’re promoting a party, for example, look for the society editor. TIP: In many areas of the country professional public-relations organizations compile media directories. These directories are usually available for purchase and are well worth the investment. 2. Build your own media contact lists. Develop a master mailing list of media contacts. Then, as individual news items come up, you can decide whether to send them to the entire list or only to certain recipients. Large-scale organizations often have several lists, each designed for a different kind of publicity effort—news story or feature, print or television item, etc. 3. Get to know people in the media. Human nature is human nature. While reporters are supposed to be neutral, they do develop friendships and interests. There’s no harm in getting to know the reporters who write in your area of activity. 4. Include the media in your important events. Whether they report on the event or not, invite reporters to your organization’s important occasions. It helps them understand and appreciate the organization and get to know potential sources. You might just get a story out of it. 5. Schedule special occasions for media. You may want to give media a preview of a program or facility. Again, a bit of attention to the media will eventually pay off in the kind of press coverage that money just can’t buy. 6. Plan a press conference—if it’s warranted. A press conference is an event especially designed to provide information to the media, usually with the anticipation of immediate coverage. It’s embarrassing to hold a press conference and have no one come. So:
TIP: Especially if you’re inviting TV reporters, be sure there is some visual aspect to the press conference. Don’t just present a series of speakers. Develop charts, graphs, murals, or some other kind of imagery. Incorporate some kind of activity that can be photographed. 7. Be willing to do a favor. Now and again a reporter will need some background information, expert advice or comment, or a quick story idea to fill in a news-thin week. Invest a little effort in providing a helping hand. 8. Don’t be afraid to ask for a media favor once in a while. Equally, there will be times when you really want a bit of coverage for a story that could be overlooked. It’s time to call in those chips you’ve been hoarding. Without asking for the impossible, it is possible to ask for special attention if you’ve done your job of media cultivation well. Determining Budget and Personnel > | |