Improving Your Chances of News Coverage

If you hold a press conference and no one from the media attends, will it still make news? The short answer is: maybe. How can that be you might ask? 

In this climate of smaller news rooms and fewer reporters, some media outlets have a hard time deciding which stories to cover. There are no-brainers, like a major announcement from the mayor, but other events are more subjective.

Your press conference simply might not be able to compete with the other stories vying for coverage on any given day. But that doesn't mean it can't make news. There are four things you can do to improve your chances of getting coverage:

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1. Call the news rooms in your target area before the event to try to make sure they have seen your news advisory and to encourage them to send a reporter. The fact that you call will make an impression. You can also help them to better understand the news value of your event.
2. After the event, call specific news rooms that were willing to do the story but just couldn't send a reporter. Offer to do an interview over the telephone. Excerpts from the interview can be used as sound bites on a later radio or TV newscast. 
3. Send out the press release electronically to all media outlets after the event. Many will print much of the press release with very little editing.
4. Have the press conference videotaped and post the video and audio on your web site. Radio stations can easily grab sound bites for their newscasts.
   

So, all is not lost if no one attends your press conference. You just need to take a few additional steps to improve your chances of getting on air or into print.

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