By Scot Kersgaard, JVA

Media relations is all about storytelling—except when it’s not. Last week, we wrote about finding a story good enough to pitch to the news media. This week, we ask the question: So, who are the media anyway?

I have known nonprofit directors who had such good stories, and such a gift for storytelling, that they were pretty much able to go straight from identifying a story to palling around with New York Times reporters and well-known TV personalities.

Another nonprofit founder and executive director recently told me—during a discussion about how to pitch ideas to the media—that he doesn’t watch TV news, doesn’t read the newspaper and does not visit online news sites or blogs. It’s hard to identify a good news story within your organization and it’s hard to know who to pitch it to if you don’t pay attention to the news yourself.

Who to make your pitch to

Once you have a good story pitch, your next step is deciding who to pitch it to. You can start with the Times or CNN if you want. No harm in that. You should also create a list of reporters who you think—based on the stories they have written or produced in the past—might be interested in your story.

You do this by reading the paper and watching the TV news and perusing the internet. When you see stories that are similar to the one you want to pitch, make a note of it. Follow the reporters on Twitter, create a list with reporters’ contact information.

What do I mean by similar? Obviously, if you see stories that are too close to yours, then it may be too late–the story’s been done. What you are really looking for is stories about nonprofits, about social issues, stories that make you think, “if she liked that, she’ll love my story.”

Then you reach out. You make the ask.

What to say

Before you do that, though, you write down your pitch. Not word for word, but create a list of points you want to cover. Something like this:

  • Your name and who you are with
  • I love that piece you did on…
  • I thought you might be interested in…
  • What makes it a good story is…
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
  • Can I send you an email with the details?

That is for the telephone. It would be a little different with an email pitch. Either one is fine. You need the bullet points so you don’t forget your pitch and begin to ramble.

You may not get a bite the first time you dangle the hook. That’s OK. Big donors seldom give on the first ask, but that doesn’t mean they won’t give. Same with reporters.

As long as you didn’t bore them or lie to them or otherwise annoy them, you will live to ask another day.

More on media relations

Check out JVA’s other media relations blogs:

Find Your Story

Press Releases That Get Results

Your Opinion is Your Shortcut to Getting Published

Minor Media=Big Results

Community News Sites Let You Write Your Own Story

A Brief Guide to Crisis Communication