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It’s more than sending press releases.
To build a receptive and informed audience for your fundraising
efforts, you'll want to get as many positive mentions in the local
press as possible. Here are strategies for getting known, getting
coverage, and making the coverage work for you. Getting in the Door
- Read the papers you plan to target.
Know the coverage area, the demographics of their readership, and who
writes what. (Demographics are the characteristics of the people who
read the paper, such as their age, gender, income level, etc.)
- Get to know key people at the papers. These include
editors and reporters at major dailies and weeklies as well as those
free papers given out at supermarkets and other outlets.
- Have the director of your organization (or a person designated by the director) make an appointment to stop in for a personal visit.
It's a good idea to check deadline days and times. Nothing aggravates a
reporter or editor more than an exploratory phone call when she's on
deadline.
- Don't start out by asking for coverage. Instead,
explain briefly what your organization does and offer to be a source of
credible information about any animal-related issues that come up in
the community.
Reporters on deadline really appreciate being able to look in a
file, go to a website, or make one phone call to get needed background
information. Every time someone from your organization is cited as the
area expert, the organization gains name recognition and credibility.
- Leave behind a press kit containing contact information (including your website address) and details about your organization's mission and programs.
If you just can't get in the door personally, send the press kit
along with a cover letter offering to provide information about stories
related to your work.
Getting Maximum Coverage
Now that you've made a connection, your next step is to start sending out press releases. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Most papers have community calendars where they will list
your events. All you have to do is learn where to send the information
and what the deadlines are - and then get your information in on time.
This information is usually printed in the paper itself and
included on the paper's website. If you can't find it, you can always
call the paper and ask.
- Every press release is a chance to educate, regardless of the topic. Always include a brief paragraph describing your mission and recent success.
- To get an actual story in the paper, your program, service or event must be newsworthy. Don't even send a release unless you have something different, fresh, new, or important to promote.
Reporters and editors are very busy people. If you bombard them with
inappropriate releases, they won't read the ones you really need to get
their attention.
- If you want a reporter to cover an event, talk to the reporter or the editor well in advance about your event
and why the paper should send someone. Even if the paper is interested,
they may not be able to send a reporter if your request comes at the
last minute.
- If the paper can't send a reporter, they may be willing to send a photographer. Be sure to mention some of the photo opportunities (a canine costume parade, kittens making paintings, etc.) when you make your pitch for coverage.
Even events that aren't entertaining can offer good photos. Are you launching shelter enrichment programs, such as a dog-running program? Programs like these can be the source of wonderful photos showing the positive, creative work of your agency.
- Think beyond the paper's News desk. Of course, you'll
send releases about major rescues, successful cruelty investigations,
heartwarming adoption stories, spay/neuter events and other successes
you achieve as part of your core mission. But you can do much more:
- An animal-based camp program for kids will get you on the Community or Family pages, probably with pictures.
- A creative benefit will get you onto the Society pages but may
get you coverage in other parts of the paper as well. For example, an
art show featuring paintings by shelter pets will likely get coverage
on the Arts section while a fashion show featuring clothing for pets
and people may land in the Style section.
- Each section of the paper attracts a different group of readers so the more sections you can hit, the better known you will be.
- Always follow up with a phone call but don't ask if
they received your press release. (Reporters hate that!) Instead, ask
if they need any additional information.
The Care and Feeding of Reporters
Reporters run on food, preferably free food. They can't
accept gifts, but there is nothing to prevent you from dropping off
some of your special homemade guacamole and chips for the reporter who
covered your community spay day.
As in all things related to fundraising, saying thank you is absolutely essential.
Making Coverage Work for You
News stories give your current donors bragging rights and let new people know who you are and what you do. News stories also add credibility when you meet with potential donors or send our grant or sponsorship proposals.
Be sure to clip every article that appears, make multiple,
high-quality copies, and keep them handy so you can pull them out at a
moment's notice. (Technically, you should ask the paper's permission if
you plan to distribute these photocopies.) When articles appear on the
newspaper's website, be sure to link to the online articles from your website.
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