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If your nonprofit is strapped for time,
money, or both, follow these 10 tips for generating thousands of dollars
in print, broadcast and online publicity.
- Create one-page press release
templates for frequent news items such as new employees or board members, events you’re sponsoring or hosting, or when
you’re searching for volunteers. Then simply fill in the blanks.
- Write letters to the editor and op-ed columns for local, regional and
national publications. Always adhere to their length limit, and submit the author’s
photo. (See
"How to Use Newspaper & Magazine Editorial Pages.")
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Call talk show hosts at radio and TV
stations and offer to have someone from your staff fill in if a guest cancels.
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National Public Radio can be a great resource for nonprofits.
Go to their website at and use
their search box to see which NPR programs have aired programs about nonprofits. (See
"How to Get Booked on National Public Radio")
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Create one show, or an entire series of
shows, for your local cable TV company’s public access channel. Air time is free, and you can usually rent
the camera equipment for a small fee.
- Regularly
publish "Top 10" tips lists (just like the one you’re reading here) that
explain how to do something, or solve a problem. Include the name of your
agency and contact information at the end of the list. (See
"Special Report #16: How to Write Tips Sheets That Catch the Media's Attention.")
-
When pitching a story, suggest other
sources who reporters can contact and who you know would agree to be interviewed, along with contact
information. This makes the media’s job easy.
-
Use Google
Alerts to find out which media outlets are reporting on topics
associated with your nonprofit. Then pitch ideas to those media outlets, or respond
to the stories.
- Create a blog
and post items several times a week. The search engines love blogs, and
blogs pull traffic (including journalists) to your website. Also, post
comments on other blogs devoted to your topic. (See
"Blogging for
Business")
- Write 500-word "how-to"
articles for article directories such as EzineArticles.com. Editors and publishers frequently use these directories to search for
content. (See
"How to Write How-to Articles for Newspapers, Magazines & Trade
Journals.")
Also see "Failproof
Publicity Tips for Your Nonprofit"
Direct comments or questions about this article, including requests for
reprint rights, to:
Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
Phone: 262-284-7451
JStewart@PublicityHound.com
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