Building a working relationship with the local media can help keep you achieve your goals. Establishing a rapport with the media, especially your local newspapers, is not as hard as you might think. And it could become an important - and free - part of your organisation’s marketing strategy.
Most local media want to build bridges with their communities. It’s in their interest to do this and they will generally be happy to pick up relevant news items that you offer them.
Contrary to some thinking, the press are not out to fill their newspapers with negative stories. They welcome all news which is important to their areas of circulation. So, offering them well presented information in a format they can use easily could be a ticket to coverage which helps connect you with your target audience.
How do you know if what is important to you or your charity is also newsworthy? The answer is there is often no hard and fast rule – it can depend on what other competing stories and priorities the media have on that day. However, your chances will improve if you submit copy (an article or story) with a photo or photographs and/or other relevant graphics, statistics – or a promotional video.
And it’s worth remembering that local radio also put stories on the news page of their websites – so your photos may still hit the mark with them!
Local newspapers and online media platforms are potentially the best source of getting coverage, but there may be times when your charity/organisation attracts interest from the broadcast media (radio and television). There are a number of good areas which should give you a fighting chance of gaining coverage for your organisation in the local press. These include:
Publicising your annual report- Open days, public meetings and special events
- Long service presentations (for your staff/volunteers)
- Appeals for volunteers or for public support for events (n gift or kind)
- Fund-raising events
- New appointments (to the Board, leadership of the organisation et)
- Major donations or money left in wills (if you have donor/ family consent)
- Departures – celebrating key or long-serving staff retiring or leaving
- Service improvements
- New services
- Building improvements/refurbishments – especially those which benefit users/visitors
A journalist contacts you from a local radio station. They’re interested in running a story on your latest campaign – but want to interview someone. It’s a great opportunity for coverage, and you don’t have anyone experienced or trained in media interviews but your Chief Executive Officer is willing to get involved.
What do you do?
Most importantly - find out all you can about the proposed interview before agreeing to do it and how the interview will be conducted? Will it be face-to-face, over the phone, or via Teams or Zoom or some other channel? This will boost your confidence and help you do well. Try to avoid having to comment on the spur of the moment. You will need to find out what the reporter wants, whether the interview is for magazines, newspapers or radio or television or broadcast media’s website.
Marshall your thoughts and do your homework. You may have to research facts and figures or specific information needed for the interview, but this will be clearer during your initial conversation with the reporter. Decide on which key messages you want to put over. For radio in particular, keep to two or three main themes that you really want to get across and jot them down on a card if necessary but try not to script answers – or at least read any answers you may have scripted, as it will be obvious that you are reading something. Don’t be tempted to cover too much ground – but simple themes and messages that readers/listeners/viewers can take away with them.
For most radio interviews, the actual time they give to you will usually only be a few sentences – so don’t be afraid to repeat your key messages while answering different questions or if the reporter asks you a similar question in a different way. For local commercial radio stations, they often just want someone relevant and informed locally to speak on the topic. Most radio interviews are not done live, but pre-recorded – so if you do say something you think you could have said better, or in a different way, do ask them reporter to stop and ask that question again. In the vast majority of cases, they want their interviewees to be coherent and clear as it’s a better experience for their listeners.
Imagine how the reporter may pose difficult questions and be prepared with a credible response. Admit it, if you don’t know the answer, and promise to follow up with a reply later, if you can. Don’t guess as it may come back to haunt you.
For newspaper stories, a reporter might welcome it if you give them something in writing. You could offer to send them an email with a quote included – that way you have a record of what you have said, and they don’t have to take notes, saving them work. A few extra tips and to summarise:
- Be cautious with ‘off the record’ conversations unless you are really confident in this
- Be prepared to condense complex matters and avoid jargon and acronyms
- Turn statistics into digestible facts and figures that are easy to understand
- Don’t guess
- Resist using the platform to criticise partner organisations or individuals
- Be careful not to reveal confidential information
Being interviewed by a reporter doesn’t have to be a trial if both parties know the ground rules. It can help you build contacts and bridges with the media for the next time you might want to go to them to pitch an idea or a story.