For nonprofit organizations, media coverage is essential for growth, donations, and investments. But getting started on PR and marketing and cultivating journalist relationships is a little daunting if you’ve never done it before.
We’re here to tell you it’s not as impossible as many would have you believe. With patience, research, and good pitching skills, the media coverage possibilities are virtually endless, especially with access to the internet.
Use this guide to gain media coverage and use it as your launch pad to create opportunities for your fundraising event.
First, establish your PR goals. As a nonprofit organization, being in touch with possible donors and investors is essential. But doing this long-term to any tangible effect can be hard.
While some might focus solely on the needs of one singular fundraising event, we believe it’s better to build a full PR strategy and then incorporate fundraising events into that strategy.
By taking a look into your marketing capabilities and the goals you want to achieve, you can create strategies that have actionable steps that put you with the right donors.
Put together a nonprofit marketing plan and establish your NPOs goals.
Once you know the investors you want for your nonprofit, you can look for the media outlets they are more likely to frequent and trust.
After you have decided on the demographic you would like to invite to participate in your fundraising event, it’s time to decide on the media outlets you want to use.
Look for the publications that have authority in this section. If you are looking online, use the internet to see who has an established online presence. Search the relevant topics online and make note of the most common top spots and who occupies them.
You can also research online forums and communities to establish which media publications have sway in the target niche.
If you are looking for traditional media options, sleuth through media channels, niche publications, and other news sources to find the right publications.
When you choose your preferred media outlets, it’s okay to aim for the top spots. But be realistic and don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
When you have found which outlets you want to aim for, do research on their content. Consume relevant media and see what their tone is, their historic NPO trends, and how you can leverage this to gain access to their users.
Next, it’s time to research your potential future contacts. It would be a waste of time pitching to journalists that aren’t in your NPO category. Instead, do research on journalists that may have a vested interest in your cause or an adjacent one.
To do this, check the publication's top spots for relevant content and check who the journalists are. Do online searches to find other content credited to their name and build a profile on the content they cover.
Set up notifications for these journalists, follow them on social media, and see who they work with. Look at publications in their past and what style of story they choose to cover. In a file, keep track of their name, their publication/s, and their social media handles.
Once you have narrowed down the journalist you like who works with publications you like, you can get in contact with them.
Most publications, whether online or traditional, provide the journalist's contact information, which is usually an email address. To avoid embarrassing overlap, pitch to only one journalist per publication. Get this information and move on to the next step.
It’s time to send in your pitch. Journalists receive tons of emails every day and it’s your job to stand out.
Here’s where your earlier research comes in handy. You know your goals and your business strengths, and you know what this journalist likes to talk about.
Use this information to create a pitch that they can’t ignore.
When you have finished writing your pitch, double-check the information and your mission statement before sending it off to your chosen journalists.
If all goes well, you’ll have made some great contacts that may agree to cover your fundraising events.
It’s important to build a good relationship with these contacts. Keep in touch and share relevant or interesting information or help with articles if they call on you.
It will help you gain access easier for future fundraising events and help you build a network. Reputation is important and treating your contacts with empathy and respect will go a long way in establishing a good one for you.
Gaining media coverage can feel overwhelming. Without the right plan, you could waste valuable time casting your net without ever catching a fish.
Use this guide to learn about your NPO niche. Learn about the journalists and the publications that will have an interest in your content and create custom pitches that will help you stand out.
With smart research and focused intent, you stand a much greater chance of catching that fish.
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