I have never worked with a nonprofit who doesn’t need more: more money, more volunteers, more guests, more clients. To get MORE you need to keep expanding your circle of friends. Public Relations is one way to do that. By getting information about your organization out to the public, generally through press releases, you have the opportunity to attract more volunteers and donors, inform potential clients or guests about your services and boost the morale and productivity of your staff and volunteers.
Be newsworthy.
The first requirement for getting publicity is to be newsworthy. As a nonprofit you’ve got a head start. Your work is inherently newsworthy. You are doing great work for the public good. But try that for a headline and you won’t get much publicity. The second requirement is a good story told in the form of a press release.
Don’t be shy. Your local newspaper may print every story submitted but a larger paper, radio, television, magazine or website may have plenty to choose from so you will need to stand out. What is newsworthy? Think of what catches your attention in the news and begin a list of possibilities, considering these ideas:
· How can you connect to something that is in the news now?
· Are you willing to do something a bit outrageous - create your own news?
· Could you profile someone who is really interesting or has accomplished the extraordinary?
Here’s an excellent example of being newsworthy from two of the most phenomenal marketers I have ever met:
The marketers are nuns, the principal and 8th grade teacher of a then struggling school in a depressed community of Philadelphia. They were determined to make their school a success. Hoping to put the school on the map they pulled out the stops with an “ass kickin idea.” The NASA space shuttle was in the news with plans to put a teacher in space. The marketing nuns decided to piggyback that idea and put one of their teachers in space - in a hot air balloon. Up went the nun and up went the school’s visibility. (By the way, they also invited everyone they knew which happened to include Prince Albert of Monaco, husband of former student Grace Kelly, and he came!)
Write great Press Releases.
Traditionally, free press has been generated through the distribution of press releases - a page or two mailed or faxed to the media. Now, most releases are distributed online and the Internet offers a whole new form of spreading the word and generating excitement.
Learning to write and distribute great press releases is essential (if you decide to pay for these services, use this information to prepare for and evaluate the services). A good press release:
1. Starts with an attention getting headline that set the tone for an informative and creative story. Look at newspaper (or web news) headlines for ideas.
2. Use a standard release format that is easy to read.
3. Provide contact information (phone, fax, email) for the person in your organization who is ready and able to provide more information.
4. Include a link to your (up-to-date) website and pictures on your site.
5. End with a brief statement about your organization. This should be carefully worded and consistent from one release to the next. This is similar to your mission statement.
If you are paying for public relations services, you should be getting a pro-active agent looking for opportunities to publicize your organization and control your image. A skilled volunteer could be on the lookout for newsworthy material and may also write your releases. Whoever is handling the responsibility should fully understand your organization and be up-to-date on all activities, programs, events and changes.
If you are writing your own press releases, spend some time reading examples online and look for more detailed advise on this and other sites.
To cast a wide net, you will probably want to pay to have your press release distributed. This is an economical alternative to creating and maintaining your own press list. Most companies will charge an additional amount for releases over 400 words. It may take a bit of work to get it down to that size, but the result will be a concise press release so I suggest using 400 words as a guide no matter how you choose to distribute it. One of the exciting things about the Internet is the instant response. If your release is sent out at 8:00 am, you will find it online by 9:00. After it appears online you should be contacted for more information so a story can be written for print or TV.
Be creative!
Your release can also be sent through the mail and it can be more than a piece of paper. If you want to grab the attention of the media, the package and the contents can be appealing, intriguing and interesting. You may want to send tickets to a preview if you are in the arts, a special invitation to a private tour if you are a housing organization or an invitation to a reception with a notable new board member, if that is what you are announcing.
Practice your creativity by writing some potential headlines for the news story I wrote about, the nun going up in the hot air balloon. Have some fun with that and then try out some headlines for your news.
Merle Benny is a published author and has recently released The Winner’s Circle, a practical, easy-to-use program for nonprofit success and growth. It can be found at http://www.Nonprofit-Champion.com/winnerscircle.html.
With over 25 years marketing and management experience, as well as being a lifelong volunteer, Merle now works exclusively with nonprofits to help them grow and succeed. Her creative solutions for nonprofit organizations have included events, websites, videos, branding, annual reports, brochures and development. She provides free ideas, tips and tools for nonprofit leaders at: http://www.Nonprofit-Champion.com.
