To get into the news, there needs to be some kind of news angle, such as:
Make it newsworthy
It is difficult to define a good news story but the best are new, unusual or topical. Think about how your story compares with others and what you can do to make your story stand out. Remember, what seems like a 'nice story' may not always be deemed newsworthy. Ultimately editors have to sell their programme or newspaper and a good story has to have excitement, and often tension.
National media will only usually pick up a local story if they can see that it might be a more general concern, or maybe the start of a wider trend. Make these associations for the journalists and they will be more likely to respond to your message. If your story is particularly emotive or controversial, the human interest angle is another tried and tested method for attracting hardened hacks.
Get celebrity support
Endorsement from a high profile celebrity can rapidly increase media interest in your campaign.
Target your media
Make sure you think about the readership of a particular newspaper or the audience for a TV show or radio channel. Will they be interested in your story? When you draw up your media strategy think about which papers or programmes will be most interested in your activities.
Be professional
Publicity is often the lifeblood of a successful campaign, so it is essential that you treat it seriously and think about some sort of strategy. You should treat your contacts within the media with the same sort of respect as any other external organisation.
Communicating with the media
When you've decided which media you want to focus on and how to attract them, it's important that the whole group is giving the same message. There are some rules that you should all follow: