Fear not. I’m convinced that any nonprofit can consistently receive media coverage and advance their advocacy goals with savvy implementation of simple strategies that cost next to nothing:
1. Organize your press lists, then “pitch” local stories
You’ve got to your know your local reporters, so start by keeping accurate contact lists for your local press, including TV, radio, Capitol press corps, daily and weekly newspapers, independent/alternative, ethnic media, feature writers, and key bloggers. Cultivate your relationships with them by returning their calls promptly and providing them with complete, accurate information without embellishment.
The New England Press Association has a comprehensive directory of Connecticut press contacts. The Secretary of State’s office has a nice contact list for TV and radio. Or, you can purchase media lists from a range of vendors.
Know the readership areas of each daily paper and segment your press releases to local media outlets. Send well-written media advisories and press releases to your media contacts via e-mail or fax (determine which format they prefer). Use an inexpensive (or free) broadcast email program. When journalists show an interest in writing about you, prepare complete information for them before they write the story (i.e. fact sheet, contact info of your media “messengers”, your website, your organization’s main staff spokesperson).
2. Interesting Personal Stories: Find them, coach them, pitch them
Reporters need your help to locate stories of interest to the community. Get to know the stories and the people whose lives are affected by your issue (use your database, folks who testify about proposed legislation, people who call your organization asking for help). Identify and train a diverse group of messengers in different regional media markets so journalists can get a local quote when they request one.
Coach your messengers so they can quickly state their key messages in a 15 second sound bite. Messengers are not always people who are directly affected by an issue, but can be well-spoken surrogates or allies (i.e. orgs who provide services for people with severe mental illness may use caregivers, physicians, or crisis workers as spokespeople.)
Think like a journalist to ensure timeliness of your news pitches: find an “angle” and use the calendar as a hook to a story related to your issue (i.e. National Homeless Youth Awareness Month). Don’t forget the weekly newspapers–they love human interest stories of folks in their local community. (And legislators read their local paper cover to cover.)
3. Mobilize Supporters to Write Letters to the Editor, Comment on Newspapers’ Websites, Call-in to Radio Shows
The Pew Research Center reports that civic engagement remains high– 49% of Americans have spoken out about an issue that is important to them in the past year by contacting a government agency or official, signing a petition, writing a letter to the editor or calling into a radio or television show. Harness that energy! Direct your supporters to newspaper, radio and online sources of news featuring your issue, and encourage them to comment positively about the issue. You can use email, social networking, or text message to alert your members to these opportunities. Provide them with all the information they will need to respond (i.e. the email address where to send Letters to the Editor).
5. Strategically Submit Op-Eds to News Outlets
Follow the newspaper’s guidelines for publication, and choose a writer who is a persuasive opinion maker in the community who can craft a strong, effective op-ed about your issue. Plan on pitching the op-ed when the issue is hot or timely (i.e. during legislative session).
6. Meet with Newspaper Editorial Boards
Meet with editorial boards of influential news outlets (most major daily papers) and educate them on your issue (be strategic about timing!). Be persistent. Bring 1-2 senior staff as well as community folks to the meeting who can tell a personal story of how they are impacted by the issue. Urge the board to editorialize positively on your issue. If they write a positive editorial, thank them! If they won’t meet with you, ask them if they will publish an op-ed that you submit.
7. Utilize Social Networking to Create Interest, Buzz, and Media Coverage
Blogs, video, photos….make your social networking sites and website a dynamic source of current information for your members, the general public, and reporters.
Ensure your Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube content is interesting, authentic, human, and viral. Post an interesting statistic, a personal anecdote about your work, a quotation from a donor, a photo of a recent success. Be transparent! Allow anyone to post to your Facebook wall, blog. Tell your organization’s story through brief videos of compelling aspects of your work—events, programs, awards ceremonies, rallies, testimonials. Load them on your YouTube channel with lots of keywords. “Favorite” videos from other organizations that echo your key message points. Ensure that your fact sheets are on your website so reporters can readily access them. Follow local journalists on Twitter–they will usually reciprocate and follow your organization, too.
8. Determine the Influential Blogs in your Field, and Consistently Comment on them
Use RSS feeds to monitor the most influential blogs on your issue, and identify a few committed volunteers and/or Board members to post to those blogs in support of your issue.
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