Top ten tips for selling in your story to your local media
Some of you may be based at organisations with their own communications teams. Why not speak to them about getting a media relations plan of action together so that you can promote the work that you’re doing?
- Plan the story in advance – journalists need to know about it a week before so they can put it in their diary.
- Phone up the newspaper / radio station and ask for the news desk, or suggest it to your comms team.
- Be ready to explain what the story is about and why readers and listeners would want to hear about it. Is it relevant to the local area or can you link it to a national event / day / activity?
- Journalists want to know the answers to the 5 W’s ‘who, what, where, when, why’. Have your answers to this ready.
- Are you holding an event or awareness day or working with another local organisation – is there something the journalist can promote or take a photo of?
- Is there someone the journalist can speak to or interview? The features editor at your local newspaper may be interested in this.
- If you are asked to talk to a journalist, decide what you want to say and say it.
- Is there any background you can provide the journalist in advance?
- Only talk on subjects you are qualified to talk about. Don’t feel you have to answer questions on anything that you are not responsible for, e.g. Department of Health policy. It’s ok to say, ‘That’s not my area of responsibility, unfortunately I can’t answer that for you.’
- Follow up with the journalist afterwards and check they have all they need.
