I don’t know about you, but I often feel forgotten by the media when informing them of the great work my organization is doing. Assistance on Medicare for seniors? Sorry, there’s a water main break on High Street. 100 dogs and cats adopted in one week? Sorry, we’re about to learn who the father is of Anna Nicole’s baby.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not here to discredit any story the news decides to air. We all have stories to tell – the good, the bad and the ugly – which creates a battle for the ink or air time. It’s easy for the “soft” stories to be pushed aside when breaking news happens. It’s also easy for those of us doing great work, wanting our story to be heard, to be disappointed watching our stories hit the editing room floor.
Indeed. Fortunately, as Lisa Sommer reminds us, persistence pays off:
Every time you connect with the media, you are creating a personal relationship. Although your story may be ignored once, twice, five times - you are building your credibility and expertise. The media work one day at a time (correction, one hour at a time) so they can’t predict when they will need your expertise or use your story. But sit tight and trust that that reporter, producer or writer will think of you when they need an expert in healthcare, animal rights, educating our youth, you get the picture.
Also, persistence pays off. (Please note, there is a difference between persistence and stalking.) We all know repetition helps us learn and remember things. The more a reporter hears about your organization, the more likely they will be to think of you when assigned a story. Don’t be afraid to follow up with phone calls after sharing a story idea with your media contacts.
This is something all of us, as an industry, need to do a better job of.
It's nice to see articles about affordable housing and economic development in the news –– like this story about a new $225 million neighborhood revitalization program in Detroit from yesterday –– but we must take the initiative to make sure the media knows about our work, and why it's important.
Just some food for thought.