Does Your Cause Feel a Long Way from The Headlines?

It’s been a busy summer on the news front, with the news cycle turning over more rapidly than it often does when the temperatures soar. In that context, I still believe most nonprofits and foundations are doing valuable work with good intentions. But if you’re doing such great work, why don’t the media want to write about what you’re doing?

It’s a question I get asked a lot. The answer is complex, but there’s a lot you can do to get closer. Here’s my insight.

The media generally focuses on news events. Those are major happenings of significance to the global community. Things like stock market crashes, presidential assassination attempts, and the outcome of the Olympic Games. Meanwhile, if your organization is focused on improving outcomes in a very specific area with a given constituency, it can be hard to break above the threshold of being newsworthy.

I worked as a journalist for ten years before switching careers to do nonprofit communications work. Over that decade I learned how to spot a story. It’s called “news sense.” With that in mind, my advice to organizations seeking to break through to the headlines is to start by reading the news. Following what journalists are writing about, particularly if it’s adjacent to your area of focus, is the best way to start building a list of writers you might eventually want to pitch a story to.

Now you want to develop your news sense, internally. What are the major developments in your work that people might be interested in? A big thing to be careful of, here, is the idea that everything is news. It isn’t. And most nonprofits create big reports to satisfy funders, not because they’re doing a lot inside those reports that’s genuinely new or terribly interesting to the broader public. It’s possible, in fact, that the biggest story in your nonprofit is something nobody has written a report about. The child who, thanks to your programming, is unlocking new opportunities beyond the field of your work. Or the family who found your services and has been able to thrive in unexpected ways. Note that those stories generally start with individuals, with people. Then, perhaps, you can extrapolate to the bigger picture. But if you’re looking for those stories then you’re thinking more like a journalist and less like a nonprofit communications person. That’s a great start.

When it comes to pitching reporters, there’s an art to it. It starts with being targeted, specific, and having a sense of humor. “I’ve been reading your work for years and have been waiting for the opportunity to tell you something you might be interested in” is a good start.

The major point here is that you don’t break into press attention overnight. If you’re serious about building your media profile, it can take years. I’ve had clients who understood that it’s hard to get press, and I’ve had clients who have felt that it was easy. I’ve retained the first lot. It’s always a huge red flag for me, when people begin a relationship talking about “quick wins.”

Sure, I can get you some quick wins. But wouldn’t you rather have some strategic ones that broaden the footprint of your organization and develop your fundraising for years to come?

The bottom line, of course, is that if you want to get press attention for your valuable work, you need to invest in it. The first question I ask myself when I’m sitting down with a prospective client is whether they evidently value my experience, insight, and ability to help. If they do, then I can tell you it’ll be a fruitful relationship. If not, then that’s okay, too. I’ve learned that life is too short to try to satisfy people who don’t know what they’re asking for. I’ll tell them, “best of luck in your quest to get more press,” and be on my way.

—Matt Davis is a communications consultant and writer for a wide variety of clients. He also teaches yoga and lives with his wife and son in New York.