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How to Get Press

  1. Be Quick.Reporters have a short attention span and they don’t like to read very much. Be fast and specific. Tell them who you are, what you’re doing and how to contact you.
  2. Be yourself. Talk to a reporter about your program in the same way that you tell your friends and family. Think of a journalist as a friend or someone that you just met at a social function. Be polite but casual.
  3. Be prepared. Creating your own message. Write it down on a piece of paper: What is your program? Why were we created? Who is involved and how does it work? That message will help tell your story more simply.
  4. Keep in Touch.Give the journalist as much "new" news that you can. Keep your communications positive, friendly and “only when necessary.” It’s more likely then that they’ll stay interested in your projects.
  5. Make your event visual.TV producers love visual events that captivate an audience. Make sure things are high energy and colorful. Reporters loves stories with kids. Be something they WANT to cover.
  6. Call your local newspaper. Ask for the photo desk, if you can’t get a full news story. Try getting a photo with caption. They might not run a big story, but a great color photograph of your event is great press.
  7. Get on the calendar. Local radio and papers do a community listings of what’s going on in the area. Find out how much advance notice they need prior to an event and e-mail them a media alert that provides the 5Ws(i.e., who, what, where, when, and why).
  8. Reach out to old people. You may read the local newspaper every day but a majority of young people don’t. Be conscious of the fact that your demographic will be old people in media like this.
  9. Get on the blogs.Go to Google Blog Search or Technorati (www.technorati.com) and search for blogs with like-minded social activism. Find people that might be interested in covering you.
  10. Cooperate. When you’re working with a for-profit company, try to utilize their PR services. If they don’t want to participate, ask if they know anybody at the local newspaper or any other media contact information.
  11. Don’t give up.Keep sending “new” news, whether through fax, phone or e-mail, you will make something happen. Keep at it; it’s not an easy thing to do, but good luck!