Media Relations

What your organization does and says, and how you say it, will impact how the public views your organization. The primary function of public relations, particularly in the nonprofit community, is to create, develop and carry out policies and programs to influence public opinion or public reaction about an idea, a product or an organization.

The three areas of public relations are: media relations, pitching a story and preparing a news release.

Media Relations - Competition for the media's attention is harsh. Here are steps for successful media relations:

	Get to know the media - Get familiar with the available print, radio and TV media around you as well as the media's format and staff (reporters, editors, producers, news directors, etc.) Once you have developed relationships with members of the media, create and keep an updated media directory.
	Provide background information - Develop a press kit that includes a history of your organization, fact sheet, brief biographies on your executive director and board chair, and an annual report. Do not assume a reporter will have your organization's information handy.
	Target the right reporter - Determine whether a reporter handles a particular beat, writes for a column or is covering a special issue of the moment. Ask the reporter what kind of stories he or she is looking for.
	Select and train a spokesperson - This person should be very familiar with the news your organization is trying to share and be able to provide the reporter with as much information as the reporter needs.
	Evaluate your media exposure - Measure if the stories were negative, neutral or positive and how many stories were correct or incorrect. Do not overreact if your information is disseminated incorrectly. It happens. Take time to work with the reporter to make sure it does not happen again.

Pitching A Story - Now that you've selected your media target list, it's time to pitch your news story. Hook the media's interest in several ways:

	Excite the media about your story
	Show its relevance to current events
	Show how it can impact their audience
	Tell them how it is unique
	Determine the type of news you're pitching - hard news (timely and pressing) or soft news (features and "fillers")
	Be aware of media deadlines and pitch your story in a timely manner

Preparing a News Release - Editors are always in search of the most newsworthy or unique stories to cover, but are also inundated with news releases daily. Keep these helpful hints in mind before your next release:

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