Charities could better meet their challenges if they learned how to dress the part. Global TV’s News at Six anchor Jane Gilbert, and Susan Bloch-Nevitte, Director of Public Affairs at the University of Toronto, presented The Dos and Don’ts of Getting Media Coverage at last month’s Fundraising Day, run by the NSFRE’s Greater Toronto chapter. Noting that in today’s challenging environment, getting noticed is now even more crucial, they told the charities, “Position your cause by demonstrating worthiness, relevance, and impact. Acknowledge the act of philanthropy, but above all else, emphasize its consequences. And consider the anatomy of giving, but use the word campaign sparingly.”
Know both your audience and your medium and focus on your story and your audience. Define your story as either national, provincial, regional or local and chose the medium accordingly. “There is one exception to every rule,” added Bloch-Nevitte, “… the local news peg.” Sometimes if a local story is particularly unique, or if it can be tied to a national trend or issue, it will be picked up coast to coast – particularly if it tells a bigger story.
Give them the information they need
If you want journalists to respond to your approach provide them with the information they need: stories clearly linked to current issues or trends; `firsts’ or `bests’; stories with human interest and an impact on people; stories with conflict and chaos; or stories that are just plain quirky. Avoid anything with a narrow focus, repetitive, of questionable authenticity, self-congratulatory and/or patently promotional, or without a personal face and spokesperson available to tell the story.
“Give good clip,” suggested Gilbert. “Twenty to thirty seconds of succinct, meaningful and understandable information.” Other tips: avoid jargon; know what the reporter is after before agreeing to the interview; know the points you want to make and stick to them; and avoid the use of “No comment”. “The dynamic of interviewing is a matter of control,” she said. “Who holds that control, the reporter or the interviewee, is largely up to you.”
Some final pointers: try to make your contacts with the media during the good times; build trusting and working relationships before a crisis hits; consider taking the mass out of mass media; and tell your story to the affiliated, using existing vehicles for alumni, clients, donors, faculty or staff. Target announcements to funding partners, hometown newspapers, and corporate newsletters. Write a personal note. And invite prospects into your world.
