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The nonprofit One Warm Coat used a virtual news conference to kick off its annual winter coat drive campaign.

Nonprofit communicators are preparing for a year-end giving season unlike any other.

But while Covid-19 will make it downright impossible to host in-person fundraising events and quite difficult to bring members of the media onsite for site visits and interviews, it also creates some new opportunities.

For example, we’ve discovered that Zoom and other virtual meeting tools make it much easier for resource-strapped nonprofits to gather the media for briefings and news conferences.

Throughout the pandemic, we’ve staged a number of virtual news conferences and have found the format offers nonprofits an easy, accessible way to share important announcements and information with the media. As the year-end giving season looms, nonprofits have an opportunity to generate media coverage by holding virtual briefings with the media to discuss the extraordinary need for donations and offer advice on how to give wisely during the holiday season.

They can also help position your leaders and board members as expert sources.

Advantages of Virtual News Conferences

Virtual news conferences offer several clear advantages over traditional, in-person events. These advantages include:

Logistics — On-site press conferences have always been labor-intensive, with the need to find the right location and proper supporting visuals. Often, these are outdoor affairs, so you also have to contend with the potential for rough weather.

Conversely, the logistics for a Zoom news conference are simple. You simply set up the meeting through your Zoom account, and send the log-on link and call-in info as part of an alert to your media list.

Media members, meanwhile, don’t have to worry about traveling to the event, setting up cameras and microphones, and navigating around each other.

Increased media participation — Because the logistics are simple, virtual news conferences can be well attended by the media — provided, of course, that you’re offering them something newsworthy.

Local TV stations, for instance, don’t even have to worry about sending a reporter to record a live stand up. They can simply have a producer record the session and grab a video sound bite and the reporter can add his or her piece later.

Virtual news conferences also make it easier to attract out-of-town media. We recently coordinated a virtual news conference to announce an important new development in an effort to secure state funding for a community college in Erie, Pa. Because it was hosted online, we were able to get a reporter from the state capital in Harrisburg (located nearly five hours away) to log onto the conference and cover the announcement. That is something that would have been all but impossible at an in-person news conference.

Easier, more substantial follow-up —  You can also make the news conference available to journalists who are unable to attend. Simply hit ‘record’ at the start of the press conference, and, voila, you have he complete session video-recorded and ready to share. Reporters can go back later, watch the recording, and grab the quotes and sound bites they need on their own time.

How to Stage a Successful Virtual Event

Like all virtual events, online news conferences have a different feel than their in-person counterparts.

As a result, it’s important to spend time up front working through the logistics and making sure you come across as professional and prepared. Here are a few tips:

Keep it short — With a virtual news conference, you’re promising convenience. Avoid abusing that promise by wasting their time with a long presentation. Keep the prepared remarks relatively brief (no more than 15-20 minutes) and make sure you’re focusing on what’s going to be of interest to a reporter covering the story. This isn’t a commercial about your organization but rather an opportunity to share important news and insights.

Include multiple voices — Most news reports rely on multiple sources to give them color and credibility. As a result, it’s helpful to try to include multiple speakers who are available to provide insights and answer questions. Recently, we worked with the nonprofit One Warm Coat to host a virtual news conference that explained the dangers of the upcoming winter season and the incredible need for warm coats during Covid-19. To tell the story, the nonprofit’s CEO was joined by the leader of a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., that provides services to those in need, a mother and son who lead coat drives, and a winter weather expert from the Weather Channel.

Develop a clear run-of-show — If you are having multiple speakers, make sure you give them clear instructions on who is speaking when and key talking points. It’s also important to designate someone was the emcee who can introduce all of the speakers and monitor questions at the end.

Nail the logistics — Make sure you spend ample preparing the visual presentation. You want to make sure all of your spokespeople look good on camera. You should also schedule a run through before you go live – mostly to ensure everyone is properly lit and positioned at an ideal distance from their screen. This will also allow you to make sure all of your speakers understand the run of show and how you’ll moderate questions.

Remind participants that everything is being captured on video — After months of living our professional lives on Zoom, most of us are familiar with the idea that the camera is always rolling. But because this is being broadcast to the media — and because they’re potentially using the video in their reporting — you’ll want to make sure that people remember to stay focused and alert (and avoid stepping away or picking their noses).

Finally, remember that your virtual event promises something that will actually be useful to the media. We recommend organizing these events to provide practical advice that will resonate with audiences or to discuss a unique or pressing challenge.

You might even consider partnering with other nonprofit organizations to help cover multiple angles.

With the right hook and enough preparation, a virtual news conference can help your organization share its message and gain media coverage — even during this challenging time.

The post How to Stage a Successful Virtual News Conference appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

Flickr Creative Commons photo.

When I advise nonprofits on how to build effective media relations strategies on a modest budget, I preach the importance of being focused.

Instead of casting a wide net, nonprofits are often better served by identifying a handful of journalists who are influential in reaching their highest-value audiences – then working to build relationships with those journalists.

In turn, they are more likely to get their story told in a meaningful way to the people who are most likely to support their work.

I lean on this strategy because it works.

When nonprofits concentrate their media relations efforts on a limited number of high-value targets, they are more likely to get consistent, positive and meaningful coverage.

But as many organizations are assessing whether their practices and strategies are reinforcing racial and social inequities, our PR firm has been taking a long look at whether this strategy unintentionally leaves some important audiences out.

In some cases, that answer is yes – particularly if the efforts are focused exclusively on getting stories told to wealthy donors, business owners, or policymakers.

Moving forward, we’ll be designing strategies that also explicitly attempt to reach more diverse audiences.

And as you develop your media relations strategy and calendar for 2021, it’s important to consider doing the same.

This is critical — especially if your organization is taking steps to diversify and expand its donor base, have its board more accurate reflect the makeup of its community, or build trust and greater awareness.

This doesn’t mean you should stop working to get your story told in the local business journal or on the society pages.

But you should also be making sure you’re taking deliberate steps to expand your circles.

For some groups, this might mean devoting a portion of your time and budget to developing relationships with journalists at neighborhood weeklies and websites in parts of your community that don’t include the richest Zip codes.

For others, it might mean identifying story ideas that resonate with outlets that specialize in providing news and information to Latinx, Black, Asian-American, LGBTQ, Indigenous people, and other audiences.

You can start leveraging resources like BlackPR.com – a service that distributes press releases to the Black media – and enlisting consultants or volunteers who are adept at reaching diverse audiences.

It also makes sense to have ongoing conversations with all of your organization’s stakeholders to find out what media they rely on, and where they typically get news and information – and where they think you might be missing opportunities.

If you’re not taking any of these steps right now, it’s time to take a step back and consider whether your media relations efforts are aligned with your values.

The post Do Your Nonprofit’s PR Efforts Include Diverse Audiences? appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

Creative Commons photo by Marco Verch: https://foto.wuestenigel.com/elections-reminder-in-calendar-with-red-and-blue-pen/?utm_source=49669289966&utm_campaign=FlickrDescription&utm_medium=link

By Peter Panepento

Getting your nonprofit’s story told in the media is not easy.

It’s even harder during the lead-up to a Presidential election, when the media devotes outsized attention to the race for the White House at the expense of its coverage of other issues.

And this is anything but a normal Presidential election year.

Not only are we witnessing a race that will ultimately double down on the vitriol and division what we saw during the Trump-Clinton throwdown in 2016, PR pros are also vying for attention during a pandemic that has disrupted everything – including the news media.

As a result, it’s important to adjust your expectations and brace your organization’s and leadership and board for the fact that you might see fewer media mentions for your nonprofit between now and November. After all, it’s better to under-promise and overdeliver, especially when it comes to something as unpredictable as media coverage in 2020.

But while you should manage expectations, you don’t have to put your PR efforts on hold until Nov. 4.

In fact, there are a number of ways you can leverage the election to attempt to garner some positive coverage.

Here are six things you can do to improve your chances of earning valuable coverage between now and November:

Schedule Around the Big Dates – If want to avoid getting crowded out of the news cycle, it’s important to think about timing releases around big events on the political calendar.

That means avoiding big announcements during the week of Nov. 2 to stay away from Election Day and the coverage that will follow that week.

You should also take note of the Presidential debates, which are scheduled for the following dates:

Sept. 29
Oct. 15
Oct. 22

Many outlets will be devoting significant extra attention to the debates – so it’s important to plan around them, if you can.

Fact Check the Debates – Speaking of the debates, while you likely want to avoid any announcements about non-political events around those events, they do provide opportunities for coverage. One tactic is to fact check what the candidates say about issues that are important to your organization’s mission and – if appropriate – issue a release that points out incorrect statements or missing points. You can also offer up experts in your organization for interviews.

Avoid Taking Sides (Unless That’s Your Goal) – It’s best to avoid making any statements that would appear to align your nonprofit  with one candidate or the other (Goya and Goodyear are recent examples of what you might expect if you choose to open up that can of worms). The caveat is if you have a stake in the outcome and aren’t afraid of the potential backlash that would come with publicizing your stance.

Focus on What’s at Stake – If you’re a nonprofit, a busy Election season offers an opportunity to comment on why voters should care about your key issues. Environmental organizations, for instance, can use the Election to offer a primer on what’s at stake related to climate change. Businesses can talk about how policies might impact their ability to hire workers or navigate international trade.

Seize opportunities – One thing you can count on during Election season is an endless stream of issue-related headlines. Look for opportunities to pounce on a hot topic that relates to our mission with either a timely op-ed or story pitch.

Look to the Future – For many groups, the most promising opportunities will come after Election Day, when they can use the result as a springboard for opinion pieces that provide advice to the winner on how he can make a difference on an important issue – or serve as a call to arms to supporters on how to make their voices heard. It’s not too early to begin putting together that piece – with different versions for each potential victor.

The past several months have been especially difficult for nonprofit communicators. That’s not likely to change in the months leading up to the election.

But by picking your spots and looking for the right opportunities, you can still find success.

Join Peter and Nicki Faircloth for How Your Nonprofit Should Communicate to a Divided America on September 10th.

The post How to Get Your Nonprofit’s Story Told During The 2020 Election appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

Flickr Creative Commons photo by Alvin Chua

Many communicators overvalue the importance of press releases.

Yes, a press release is an important part of your nonprofit’s media relations toolbox. But it is just one tool.

Most nonprofits that are successful in getting meaningful media coverage do so through building relationships with journalists and other influencers — and then leveraging those relationships into placements in stories.

It’s much less common — especially in today’s competitive and chaotic media environment — to get coverage by simply sending press releases to every newsroom on your media list whenever you have something new to announce.

Instead, the release should be thought of as a supplementary piece — something you use to provide critical supporting information.

But that doesn’t mean you should stop there.

Press releases can have other uses beyond getting your story covered in the local newspaper.

View it, instead, as a foundation for getting your message out and starting conversations around the news coming out of your organization. Here are 6 ways to make it happen:

1. Use it as the source of an op-ed or thought leadership piece: 

There’s news, and then there’s what that news means. Take a look at the content of your news release and consider if there are any angles or facts you can expand on to offer unique insight that would be relevant to your audiences.

2. Share it directly with your donors and volunteers:

This may sound like a no-brainer but lots of organizations don’t think about consistently sharing news with their core stakeholders. Get the news out in your newsletters, internal channels, and online communications.

3. Pitch it to like-minded organizations:

It’s not only the media that can amplify your message. Think about trade and advocacy organizations that might welcome the opportunity to share your news. My firm recently reached out the American Association of Community Colleges to let them know about a nonprofit client’s successful effort to get a community college approved for Erie County Pa. They plan on publishing our press release in their daily newsfeed to members and the public and may do a follow-up piece for their bi-monthly magazine.

4. Reach out to media that might have a connection to your newsmakers: 

Does your press release focus on an individual who would be of particular interest to specific publications? For instance, if you hire a new executive director or CEO, share the news with your new hire’s hometown newspaper. “Local product makes good” stories are often a slam dunk. You can get you some glowing coverage to share online, and you can’t really put a price on the potential benefit of your newsmaker’s mom proudly sharing the news around the old neighborhood. Also, send the release to colleges the person attended so they can publicize the news in their publications.

5. Build a micro-social media campaign around it: 

You can get more mileage out of a press release if you think about it in Tweet-sized pieces. Definitely promote the release itself via your social networks, but you can also build engagement by pulling out some interesting facts or quotes from the release and then rolling the posts out in a period of time.

6. Think hyper-local and radio: 

Of course, everyone wants to land in the Wall Street Journal or New York Times, but the competition is fierce. Same goes for daily papers and TV stations in mid-size to large markets. One way to potentially reap at least some limited coverage is to pitch to smaller daily or weekly newspapers in your area and also local radio talk shows. Also don’t forget about local radio for paid advertising if it would be relevant. It’s pretty affordable and depending on the topic might connect with a key demographic you are trying to reach.

So, while we don’t want to overvalue the press release, we shouldn’t pity it, either.

Look at it as one tool that can be the catalyst for many promising communications opportunities.

The post 6 Ways to Get More Value Out of Your Next Press Release appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

Flickr Creative Commons photo by fotologic.

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s to be prepared for the unexpected.

During the first half of the year, we’ve been confronted with two events that have turned our world on its axis — the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd.

In both instances, nonprofits had to confront urgent and tragic situations that they weren’t planning for. And, in doing so, they had to make quick decisions about how to communicate effectively about complex, sensitive, fast-changing events.

It’s safe to say that we’re not finished with having to confront big, unexpected crises.

At some point — likely soon — your nonprofit will face another defining moment where it will be essential to provide clear, timely communications.

Whether it’s a worldwide crisis like COVID-19 or something of your own making, you need to be ready.

So if you haven’t already, it’s important to have a crisis communications protocol in place so you’re not caught flat footed and so you can manage your communications effectively and with integrity.

Here’s some advice on what you can do now to ensure that you’re ready to respond:

Assemble a team

Your organization should have a designated crisis team that you can mobilize quickly if needed.

This group will likely include your CEO or executive director, your head of communications, and your board chair. Some organizations choose to include other top executives and/or its legal counsel as part of this team.

This group should be considered always on call and empowered to make rapid decisions about how it should handle a crisis.

Because crises don’t always happen between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays (in fact, it’s rare they do), contact information for this group should be at the fingertips of your communications director or top executive — and members of this team should be informed in advance that they could receive a call in the middle of the night.

With any luck, that after-hours call never happens.

But it’s important to make sure you’re ready in case it does.

Designate a spokesperson

If your organization is faced with a crisis, it’s important to designate someone who is empowered to speak on your behalf.

Often, this person is the top executive. In some cases, though, you might choose to have your communications lead or your board chair fill this role.

He or she should be prepared to face tough questions and be briefed on the facts before doing any interviews.

As a result, your spokesperson should have some experience in front of the camera — and you might consider providing them with media training so he or she is equipped to handle the heat.

Be ready to issue a statement

Silence is often your worst enemy in a crisis.

The longer you wait to say something publicly, the more it looks like you have something to hide.

There are some exceptions to this rule. For instance, in the early days of the recent racial justice protests, many organizations chose at first to listen before speaking publicly.

But pausing too long to listen could have dire consequences in fast-moving situations.

This is especially true if your organization is at the center of the storm.

As a result, you should be ready to quickly put together a written statement that shares everything you know about the situation — and tell the truth.

Crises often grow worse when organizations withhold information that — when revealed later — make it look like they were hiding something.

State the facts clearly and, in cases where you’re investigating what happened, make it clear that you’re still gathering information.

As you draft your statement, it’s important to try to step outside of your role with the organization and think about what you’d want to know as an outsider who was reading or seeing a story about the situation.

What would you want to know? What would make you trust the organization? What would force you to doubt its account?

Be careful about jumping to conclusions in your statement.

Sometimes, you simply need to share the basics and acknowledge that you’re gathering the facts. If the story is fast moving, you cannot afford to wait until you have all of the information before you put out a statement.

Get something out quickly, show you’re on top of it, and say that you’ll have more to share later.

Coordinate with others

In some cases, your organization’s crisis might involve other groups — such as law enforcement or another nonprofit.

In these situations, identify who are the spokespeople for these organizations and, if possible, work to coordinate your efforts.

Have a media kit

In crises, it’s also important to provide context.

Your organization does great work and has a mission — don’t be afraid to make the media and the public aware of what you do and why you do it.

At the very least, you should develop a fact sheet about your organization ahead of time that outlines what you do, your outcomes, and other vital information about how you operate (including facts about your budget, your history, etc.). Make it as easy as possible for the media and your supporters to have context and information that helps people understand who you are and what you do.

Keep this information up to date and have it at the ready whenever you are talking to a member of the media — whether it’s for a positive story or during a crisis.

Manage the message

Whenever possible, try to direct the media to talk to your designated spokesperson. But also understand that reporters will also be looking for other sources.

If the story is big enough, a reporter might contact other members of your staff, members of your board, donors, volunteers, or others who are connected to your organizations.

Be prepared for this by communicating clearly with your team, your board, and your supporters about the situation. Provide them with information about what you know — and offer them advice for handling questions.

Think of all of your audiences and channels

While most organizations default to making statements to the media, it’s important to remember that the news media isn’t your only audience. You need to think about how you’re going to communicate internally — as well as to your donors and those on social media.

If appropriate, be ready to issue any statements via your social channels, through email, and on your website.

And have someone on your team who is prepped on how to address questions and criticism on social media.

Be honest

It bears repeating that your should always aim to tell the truth. This is especially true in a crisis.

Tell as complete a story as you can. If you don’t know the answer to something, don’t speculate. Make it clear that you don’t know the answer.

If you learn relevant information  — positive or negative — that affects the story, meet with your crisis team to discuss it and decide how to address it, whether it’s by issuing an update or being prepared to talk about it when questioned.

Crises tend to disappear more quickly when you get in front of the story, acknowledge your mistakes, and show that you’re moving forward.

Hopefully, you never have to follow this advice. But if your organization ever faces a controversy, planning ahead and being upfront can help you deal with it quickly and responsibly.

The post Is Your Communications Team Ready for 2020’s Next Big Crisis? appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

Flickr Creative Commons photo by Michael Swan.

Why can’t they get it?

That’s a question so many of us ask about people who have a different view than our own. And it’s getting asked even more today as we collectively face a terrifying pandemic that has put our health and our livelihoods at risk.

Some of us can’t understand why others are sticking to their guns and wanting to keep our society in lockdown as our nation teeters on an economic depression.

Others can’t understand why some of their neighbors are so brazen. Why are they gathering in packed bars and beaches over Memorial Day weekend or protesting at state capitals without wearing masks?

I’m going to focus on the latter group, since nonprofit communicators are more likely fall into the camp not understanding their mindset.

If you are reading this, you likely have a college degree. You likely have a job that allows you to work from home. And, because you are a professional communicator, you likely have a platform of some kind to broadly share you (or your employer’s) positions.

In other words, you have some form of social influence. And because of your perspective, you’re more likely to trust and follow the advice of others like you.

Now, let’s assume for a moment you’re living under different circumstances. You don’t have a college education. You’ve lost your job.

And you’re being told – by people with college degrees and jobs who live in a world much different than your own – that you have to keep staying home.

You’re healthy. Your neighbors are healthy. Your family is healthy. You may even be able to count the reported cases of Covid-19 in your county on one hand.

Nothing you’re experiencing tells you that you’re in danger. The only people who are telling you that you’re in danger are those who live someplace else, have a different life experience, and are not feeling the same pain that you are.

Would you fully trust what they’re saying? Or would you instead believe someone who you think is speaking from a perspective that mirrors your own experience and with your best interests in mind (whether or not they actually do)?

Understand the Perspective of Others

It’s very easy these days to view those who don’t agree with you as being wrong and dangerous. We see it every day in our news, on our social media feeds, and likely within our own families.

But if you’re a communicator or thought leader who is trying to convince others who have different experiences and opinions that you’re worth trusting, it’s important to remember that while we all want many of the same things, the way we talk about those things – and even who is doing the talking – matters.

This is true whether we’re talking about Covid-19, climate change, equity, hunger, or one of the myriad other issues that might be central to your work.

It’s easy to adopt a tone in which we preach to the choir and rally those who already agree with us. It’s easy to chastise those who disagree as being wrong or having the wrong motivations.

It’s much harder to bring those who might not agree with you on the journey.

It means communicating with empathy – not just with those who agree with us.

It means listening to the concerns of those who have different experiences and views.

It might even mean finding ways to get other voices to carry our messages.

To some, Dr. Anthony Fauci isn’t as credible of a voice about this pandemic as a person in their town or social feed who is facing the same risks and challenges.

I know his credentials and trust his expertise. But not everyone trusts the “experts.” In fact, they have the opposite reaction to expert advice.

It’s Time to Lead the Way

It’s hard to trust someone who is telling you that they know best – especially if they are different than you in some way and they have a form of power and influence that is out of your reach.

That doesn’t mean you’re wrong.

But if you’re not breaking through, it might be time to think differently about how you’re delivering that message.

As nonprofit communicators, it’s time to lead the way — with empathy and listening.

And it might even be time to think about who we enlist to help us deliver the important truths that are central to our work.

The post More Than Ever, Nonprofit Messaging Needs to Express Empathy appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

Flickr Creative Commons photo by Steve Bustin.

By Peter Panepento

It’s not easy for nonprofits to get news coverage. And that’s especially true during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the news industry has changed, fewer journalists have nonprofits as part of their beat — and during Covid-19, most have been reassigned to cover some aspect of the pandemic.

Making matters worse, many are working in newsrooms that are smaller than they were even a month ago, due to layoffs and furloughs. And all are adjusting to having to cover stories virtually.

But just because it’s more difficult to get coverage, it doesn’t mean you have no shot.

In fact, there are some great opportunities out there to get attention if you’re mindful about what reporters are looking for — and are willing to be flexible.

Here are four ways to stand out:

1: Pitch positive stories with a personal face

— We’re all looking for good news right now – and people are craving uplifting tales and silver linings. If you can offer a hopeful angle or a unique way forward, you have a good chance of grabbing attention. But simply having a positive angle isn’t enough. Many nonprofits make the mistake of making their organization the center of their story pitches, but the real power in positive stories is having a strong emotional hook. And that usually comes through personal stories. Instead of pitching a story about the number of meals you’re serving, think instead about an inspiring volunteer who is helping prepare or deliver those meals — or a family that has been helped. You won’t necessarily be the subject of the story, but your chances of coverage are much greater — and you’ll still be a part of the final tale.

2: Pitch local expertise on national trends

If your nonprofit is locally focused, use that to your advantage by pitching your leaders as experts on national trends that connect to your mission. It’s likely your nonprofit can help put a local face on the fact that many arts organizations have gone dark, provide a local perspective on the impact of social distancing, or talk about the challenges faced by students who are learning remotely. If your goal is to try to get visibility through the media, think about how you can leverage your knowledge to provide local context.

3: Embrace Zoom and FaceTime

In every pitch or news release, make it clear that you have an expert or experts who are available to be interviewed via Facetime, Skype or Zoom. This can be a huge differentiator as reporters are working in virtual environments.

4: Submit an opinion piece

Op-eds remain an especially smart option right now for organizations seeking news coverage. Even if they don’t get picked up, you can use them in your own channels to amplify your message.

Of course, even the best pitches will get ignored if they’re not delivered to the right people — and in a thoughtful way.

In my work with nonprofits, I’ve found much greater success when I can deliver personal pitches to reporters. So rather than blanketing newsrooms with press releases, I recommend taking a more targeted approach.

For the reasons outlined above, that’s especially important now — but it’s also a bigger challenge.

Thankfully, the media database company Cision this week released its annual State of the Media survey, which included some timely guidance from journalists about how to pitch them during these challenging times.

Here are three tips they offer (all of which we can validate through our experience working with the media over the past six weeks):

1. Email should be your primary channel
   This is true all of the time, but it’s especially true now. Like all of us, reporters are facing a lot of unusual pressure. Now is not the time to be cold-calling them or trying to get cute with mailings or social media. Stick with email – and keep your pitches short.
2. Do your research
   Beats are fluid – especially now. Before you do outreach, check out what a journalist has been covering in recent weeks to see if they are still the right person for your pitch.
3. Be patient
   As noted above, journalists are underwater, so it might take them longer than normal to reply. Don’t be afraid to follow up after a few days if you haven’t heard back. But set your expectations appropriately and avoid being a nag.

These are challenging times — and the media can play an important role in helping your nonprofit advance its mission.

While there is no surefire way to ensure the media will cover your organization, now is a critical time to be lifting your voice and attempting to draw attention to the issues that matter most to the people you’re trying to help.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post How to Get Your Nonprofit’s Story Told During Covid-19 appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

It’s also forcing all nonprofits — no matter the mission — to rethink their short-term media relations strategies.

Here are five tips to consider as you think about how you want to communicate with the media during the coming weeks and months:

Rethink Your Calendar

The spring is often an important time for nonprofits seeking news coverage. For many organizations, March through May are the months when we release new reports, host public events, and schedule important announcements.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to consider a backup plan for these releases.

If you can, delay your announcements for later in the calendar. If there’s no compelling reason to release the information now, it’s likely better to wait until we have made it through the crisis to make it public.

If you can’t delay, plan to make your announcement virtually and adjust your coverage expectations accordingly.

Most media is focused exclusively on COVID-19 for the immediate future, so if there isn’t a connection to the pandemic, your announcement will likely draw less attention than it would during normal circumstances.

Consider New Approaches for News Conferences and Interviews

Because of social distancing, press conferences, in-studio appearances, and (in many cases) in-person interviews aren’t happening.

If you’re making a COVID-19 announcement that you’d normally make with a news conference, consider a video message or a virtual event instead.

Prepare experts in your organization to do TV-interviews via services such as Skype or Facetime — and coach them on how to show up properly.

Focus on What’s Most Important

COVID-19 isn’t just a crisis for your nonprofit. It’s a crisis for everyone.

With that in mind, pitches and releases that focus on how the crisis is disrupting your organization aren’t likely to get much traction.

However, if you can find ways to show the impact on the people you serve — and the need that exists for helping them through the crisis — you’re more likely to get results.

Whenever you can, avoid making your messages and announcements about you. Make it about the people who depend on you.

Partner with Others

A pitch about how COVID-19 is impacting your arts organization’s financial future is likely to get lost among the avalanche of similar pitches that are coming into newsrooms right now.

A pitch that shows the impact of COVID-19 on your community’s arts scene as a whole will likely get much more lift.

Now, more than ever, think about how you can work with your fellow nonprofits to crowdsource information and resources and work together.

A number of U.S. community foundations have been taking this approach — and they’ve been able to work together to share information that shows the collective magnitude of their work during this crisis.

If possible, find opportunities show your collective impact and/or need.

And Remember, Journalists Are Swamped, Too

This crisis isn’t just upending your work. It’s completely changing the way journalists are approaching their work for the short term.

Many of them have been assigned to cover temporary beats as a result of the crisis — and most are working remotely and needing to practice social distancing.

As a result, adjust your expectations accordingly when you send information. It might take them longer than normal to reply — and they might not cover your news the same way they do during less chaotic times.

The post COVID-19 and Media Relations: A Quick Guide for Nonprofit Communicators appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).

Don’t frustrate the reporters you’re trying to reach.

When your nonprofit has something newsworthy to announce, you spend hours putting together a pitch and press materials to accompany your big announcement.

Then, you take the time to review your media list to make sure your contacts are up to date and decide who you should be sharing the pitch with.

Then you hit “send” — with the hope that you’ll get a flurry of responses from journalists who are eager to share your news with the world.

And then … crickets.

What should you do?

Your initial reaction might be to follow up early and often — with the hope that your persistence will convince the reporter that your story is worth covering.

This urge is likely amplified when you have an anxious executive director wondering why her phone isn’t ringing off the hook with reporters who are looking for the scoop.

Instead, take a deep breath … and take the following steps instead.

Step One: Follow the 3-day rule

Reporters get a lot of pitches — and they often have pressing deadlines.

As a result, it’s rare that they’re just sitting at their desks waiting for your email to light up their inboxes.

Give them some time to actually read your email and consider whether they’re interested.

Unless the pitch is extremely time-sensitive, I typically like to give reporters three to four days before I follow up to see if they received the pitch and if they have any questions.

Sooner than that and you come across as aggressive and desperate. You also send a signal that you’re not being respectful of their time.

Step Two: Keep it short and sweet

You don’t need to send a fresh pitch or go into sales mode when you follow up.

Instead, you just need to keep it simple.

My preferred tactic is to reply to the initial email with a short note saying that I just wanted to follow up to see if they have questions or need more information.

That’s it.

Again, the idea is that you want to be respectful of their time while also giving a polite reminder about your pitch.

More often than not, you’ll get a reply to your follow-up note with either a request for more information, an update on where the story stands, or a note saying that they’re not interested.

Step Three: Avoid pestering

If you don’t receive a reply to your second note, you can assume that the reporter isn’t interested and move on.

At this point, resist the urge to follow up again — or to try calling.

You want to avoid getting blacklisted by the reporter for future queries — so there’s little to gain by sending multiple notes or bothering them with an unwanted call.

Treat the reporter how you’d like to be treated by someone who was pitching you.

Step Four: Pivot forward

All is not lost if a reporter says no or gives you the cold shoulder.

If the outlet is really important to you, you can consider sharing the idea with a different reporter or editor — noting that you had reached out to one of their colleagues previously.

If you’re hoping the reporter will consider future pitches, you might consider sending a separate note a week or two later inviting them to provide you with some guidance on how they prefer to be pitched and the type of stories that they are looking for.

I used this tactic recently on behalf of one of our nonprofit clients with a reporter at the Wall Street Journal who was not interested in a previous pitch.

She took me up on my offer for a quick call so I could learn more about how I could provide her with ideas that would be valuable to her — and by the end of the call I had offered her an idea that sparked her interest

If you’re smart, you send your pitch days — or even weeks — before you want media coverage in order to give reporters a chance.

The bottom line: You shouldn’t be afraid to follow up with reporters after you send your initial pitch. But you should be thoughtful about how you do it.

By being patient and polite you’ll get more coverage — and you’ll help build relationships that will pay off in the future.

The post When — And How — Should You Follow Up After a PR Pitch? appeared first on Nonprofit Marketing Guide (NPMG).