Hi Whitney,
I'm so glad you posted this because it prompts me to get busy getting some media attention too! We're in a very rural area with no traditional news outlets except a local paper. We do run ads in that weekly paper, and let them know whenever we have a story that would interest the community (examples have included rescuing 3 cats from a house fire, rescuing 20 cats and kittens from an abandoned home, and rescuing a stray cat who'd been spotted with his head stuck in a mayo jar). These were no-brainers because they were 'dramatic' but anything inspirational or showcasing human kindness will probably interest news outlets.
For TV or radio: radio stations have mandated PSA (Public Service Announcement) slots and would probably be glad to have you come on. Usually it's an 1/2 hr show at some ungodly early hour:)
For TV, make sure you are in their rolodex IF you're willing to drive in to the station and help with any stories involving animal rescue/care. Just send emails to all the reporters who cover that sort of story (check their website).
It's easier to piggyback on an existing story/situation than create your own. For example, weather stories - a reporter may love to have added visual draw by including 15" of reminding people how pets are affected by storms, for example. They'd just run your shelter's info and if you ask, a link to your website. If you're responsive, and easy to work with, they will start to regard you as their go-to person for animal angles in stories.
If it's not practical to drive to a town to help in these situations, and you really want one story on your shelter, maybe connect it to a holiday or other event in your community. There probably needs to be more than just your shelter to get them to send a reporter and camera person out. If you reach out about your annual Christmas Fair, for example, or a Farmer's Market, or whatever you have going on, they have the opportunity to get lots of good visuals and will probably let you appear on camera since you initiated it. Make the station's life easier and you're their friend!
Good luck and thanks again for getting my wheels turning too!
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Debra Moore
Board Member
RappCats
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-19-2023 07:09 PM
From: Whitney Zoghby
Subject: Media relationships
Does anyone have tips on how best to intice news stations to take on a story you pitch to them? We are a smaller rescue partner org located in between a few large towns, but not in any large town, so we tend to get overlooked by other larger shelters located in the same towns as the news stations who already have long standing relationships with them.
#CommunityPartnerships*
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Whitney Zoghby
Paws4ever
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