Getting Covered
Earning Press Exposure for Your Ministry
Robert Steinhagen

This article provided by the Engstrom Institute

When was the last time your partners saw your organization highlighted on the evening news or in their local paper? If it's been awhile, you might be overlooking a great opportunity for free marketing. But many organizations aren't sure where to begin. Here are some suggestions to think about as you explore the "in's" and "out's" of attracting the press and getting YOUR message across. The goal is to be equipped to build relationships with the press, make your ministry efforts newsworthy, and write an effective news release.

Hard News and Soft News

Your ministry's media events will mainly be soft news—things like concerts, human interest stories, events, etc. Hard news is the lead stories—things like national crisis, local murders, etc. Hard news always gets priority. You can plan your event and get the media to cover it, but if there is a big hard news story, you will be cut or pushed to the end. There is nothing you can do to control what hard news comes on a given day, so you need to be aware that your news story may not get as much coverage as you'd like.

Benefits of Earned Media

The term "earned media" refers to the act of pursuing the press and asking them to cover your organization. This is as opposed to "free media," which are those times when you hold an event and the press shows up without you asking them. There are many advantages to earned media:

• Builds your brand—tells people about the one thing your organization does really well
• Expands your marketing efforts
• Connects immediately—people hear your message in only one time
• Adds credibility to your organization
• Energizes your donor base
• Offers unique ministry opportunities for people who have never heard of your ministry
• Affords opportunity to bring people into your ministry (such as the reporter and crew)

Dangers of Media Coverage

• Your story is being told by someone else. They won't really "get" you unless you spell it out for them and tell them only what you want them to hear.
• You can work hard and receive no benefit if a hard news story takes precedence over your soft news.
• You have to know how to steer your contact with the press so they report what you want them to report.

General Guidelines for Working with the Press

• If you are unique—if you stand out—you will be covered by the media. Have it be your goal to help them fill their paper or broadcast and meet their deadlines with unique stories. Use holidays and local celebrations as opportunities to host a clever event. Pass out donuts at the tax office on April 15. Have the most interesting float in the local St. Patrick's Day parade. Host a special Mother's Day event for single mothers whom you already minister to.
  
  
• Consider paying a celebrity to make your event newsworthy. Just be careful not to spend more on getting them there than it's worth. If you're going to spend a few thousand dollars, sometimes a marketing campaign is more effective than media coverage.
  
  
• Make your press releases enticing. Spend a few days working on the headline to make it really catchy. Follow the guidelines given in the AP style book so reporters can publish your release verbatim. In the first paragraph, tell the who, what, where, when, and why—a great first paragraph makes the reporter want to keep reading.
  
  
• Follow the "squeaky wheel rule." Send your press release to the radio station, then call them and ask the assignments editor if he or she received it. If not, send it again and then call back and ask if they received it. Then ask if you can make a 15-second pitch. In that time, reiterate the headline and first paragraph of the press release. They get 200 e-mails every day, and they are looking for something that stands out. If you're on the phone with them, you stand out.
  
  
• Be very simple in your message. Non-Christian reporters do not "get" what your ministry is all about. They don't understand your jargon. So speak very simply and clearly. Figure out what your main message is, your goal for the press coverage, and keep repeating it in short sound bytes. Speak clearly and slowly, and convey emotion through your voice (fast conveys excitement; slow is angry, softness is calm).
  
  
• Experts tell us that over 90% of communication is non-verbal. How your organization carries itself is very important. You want to dress more formally than your audience. Be aware that blue shirts film better than white, bold striped ties film better than polka dots, and dangly jewelry is distracting.
  
  
• Be thoughtful about reporter's needs when they come to your organization. There should be designated parking when they arrive. Cameramen might need a raised platform to stand on. Serve food and beverages. Have one person in charge, and give them a florescent hat so the reporter and crew can quickly find them when they have a question. Provide a short bio on each interviewee. After their visit, send the reporter a thank-you note and a box of cookies—something that tells them you appreciate them and their work.
  
  
• Create a page on your website for the media. Whether it is a top-level page or an icon within your home page, make it easy for the reporters to access information from your website. On the media page, post all of your latest press releases, organizational press kit, and link to your calendar of events.

Different Types of Media and the Benefits of Each

Print Press is good because you can get a story in greater detail. There are multiple aspects, angles, back stories included in the article. It also offers excellent credibility and is now offered on the Web as well as in print. Print reporters will usually spend more time with you and observe more of your ministry firsthand. They also take the time to read whatever written material you give them (brochures, etc.), which most TV reporters don't do. The drawback to print media is that it is more difficult to convey emotion through the written word.

Broadcast News Reporters have a very fast turnaround—a couple of hours, usually. They also have the widest audience, and their audience covers every demographic. Broadcast news hits multiple senses (sight and sound), so it often leaves a bigger impression. People can actually see your ministry come to life and feel the emotion through television. Unfortunately, if you are misquoted or misrepresented in broadcast news, you have no recourse.

When Broadcast news reporters come, be aware that they will shrink down the entire interview into 15 seconds or 2 minutes. If you say too many different things, or say something stupid, they will choose whatever they want to put on the air. You can be strategic and choose your words carefully. If you have one message to get out, just keep repeating that same message no matter what question they ask you, and that is what will get on the air.

If you want to succeed with a broadcast news reporter, help them get an "inside story." These people are looking to advance their career, and they do that by putting out good stories. So when you have a reporter at your organization, offer to get them involved with whatever is going on—shots of the reporter flipping pancakes or pitching in will get on the air. Or pull them aside and show them a unique angle for their story.

Build relationships with reporters if you can. Take them out to lunch, send thank-you notes, compliment them on their work. Then when you want them to cover an event, call them personally and ask for their help. They will be more likely to help you out because they know you.

Christian Radio has a rapidly-growing audience. They are also very likely to cover your event. Most radio stations, particularly those in minor markets, have a limited budget. Write a good press release, and they will read it verbatim because you've done the work for them. Keep your message simple, precise, and newsworthy.

Websites. Identify electronic news outlets, educational websites, and organizational websites that may be interested in your organization. for instance, if your organization is sponsoring a poverty and justice seminar, a local university may announce or cover the event and post it on their website.

Robert Steinhagen.is a Major Gifts Consultant for RSI in Dallas, TX, and has aided non-profit organizations and individuals with fundraising-development strategies for more than thirteen years. He served as director of communications and development for two non-profit organizations, Champions for Life International and WorldServe Ministries, both based in Dallas. He is a frequent lecturer at national conferences on subjects relating to fundraising development, leadership and public relations.