You Shouldn't Try to Get Your Story in the News If...

Sometimes, it just has to be said: everybody doesn't have a newsworthy story.

What's good news for you doesn't meant that it will draw the attention of the masses that reporters are tasked with educating, informing or entertaining every day.

Here are three simple reasons why you should NOT be pitching your story because chances are, you don't have a story that's ready for media attention.

• You just want to sell something. If the only thing you can come up with about your organization or company is what's on sale, you are not ready to start pitching. If you can only offer a reporter coupons for background information, don't bother pitching, just buy an ad.
• You can't explain exactly what you do. If you aren't able to give a clear, concise sentence about why the masses would care about your story, you need to head back to the drawing board until you can figure that out. If you can't explain it to a reporter, a reporter can't explain it to their audience...and nobody gets it.
• Your story has nothing unique about it. I run into organizations all the time that want coverage for a fundraiser. Well, thousands of organizations have fundraisers. What makes yours different and what do you have to offer people if they donate or attend?

The moral of the story? To appeal to a reporter, your story has to have elements that appeals to a mass audience.

Bridgette Outten is a journalist and publicity strategist with The Write Vision Group, Inc. With a background in print media, she has written thousands of articles for newspapers and online publications. At The Write Vision Group, Bridgette consults with nonprofits and small businesses about how to get their programs and efforts in the news. Meanwhile, she blogs on all things journalism.

Music to a Reporter's Ears

Reporters are often -- OK, let's just say always -- on some sort of deadline.

While most of us are fully aware that our sources are not always sitting by the phone or staring at the computer waiting on a message for a quote we need, it is still not a good feeling when we can't get in touch with the person we need.

Here are a couple of things you can do to assauge the reporter's anxiety...and it helps to establish yourself as a contact the reporter may want to try again:

• Have a "If you're a reporter on deadline..." alternative on your voicemail - This is music to a reporter's ears. It means there's another way to get in touch with you and it's usually a cell phone number.
• Provide another contact - Make sure the reporter knows who your second-in-command is...and who else is authorized to speak on your organization's behalf. It's OK to be unavailable or go on vacation, but be sure you don't miss a media mention because of it.
• Say which messages you check most often - Not a phone person? Are you the type who lets the voicemail inbox fill up? Say that: "Hey, you know what? I'm better with email so if you really want to get a hold of me faster, send it to this email address."

The moral of the story? It's OK, and mostly expected, that you won't be available all of the time. But providing these alternatives is a great way to help the reporter out.

Bridgette Outten is a journalist and media relations consultant with The Write Vision Group, Inc. With a background in print media, she has written thousands of articles for newspapers and online publications. At The Write Vision Group, Bridgette consults with nonprofits and small businesses about how to get their programs and efforts in the news. Meanwhile, she blogs on all things journalism.

How You Can Get on the News

As you may know by now, we host a media relations foundation workshop that starts folks off with some tips about how they should pitch their stories.

Last week, we had the pleasure of being on L.E.A.R.N. for Life Consulting's BlogTalk radio show, talking about what nonprofits and small businesses can do to get their stories in the news. Check it out here.

We had a great time with LLC's Heather Butts, who asked some awesome questions about obtaining news coverage. To talk a listen to get advice about networking with reporters, tools you can use to get mentions in the media and what questions you should be asking yourself BEFORE you pitch your story.

Enjoy!

Bridgette Outten is a journalist and media consultant with The Write Vision Group, Inc. With a background in print media, she has written thousands of articles for newspapers and online publications. At The Write Vision Group, Bridgette consults with nonprofits and small businesses about how to get their programs and efforts in the news. Meanwhile, she blogs on all things journalism. Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.