MMC: Why should faith-based organizations seek publicity?

SB: This type of free media exposure is affordable and gives faith-based organizations credibility with their target audiences. Publicity has that implied editorial endorsement that’s lacking with other marketing methods such as advertising and direct mail.

MMC: Successfully getting attention from my publicity efforts seems so random, what’s the best way to get consistent coverage for an organization?

SB:The best way to get consistent coverage is to develop a publicity plan that includes regular outreach to the media – and then to stick with it. You really do have to plan your success. The next key to success is “time.” Generating good publicity takes time – time to plan, time to execute, and time waiting for results. But it’s not hard to do.

MMC: How do you get the audience information you need to determine which media you should target with your publicity efforts?

SB: First you need to determine the demographics of your target audience, including age range, income level, and ethnicity. Then you need to know what media outlets your target audience tunes in to – newspaper? radio? TV? online? There’s information on demographics and media categories in my book, Publicity for Nonprofits: Generating Media Exposure That Leads to Awareness, Growth, and Contributions, but survey people you’re already serving who are representative of your target audience and get good input that way.

MMC: How can faith-based organizations get attention from more than just religion editors?

SB: Oh, this is the fun part. Think in terms of what is happening in your organization that is interesting to a larger audience or problems you have that might be shared by other groups.

For example, do you have a marriage support group and have you spotted trends in participation – maybe younger couples or older couples or unmarried couples? Use these observations and your group leader’s experiences to pitch a feature story on marriage trends. Is your group struggling to recruit volunteers for community outreach programs and are other nonprofits in your area having the same problem? Pitch a radio public affairs program – or a newspaper feature – on why and how your community needs more volunteers, what to do about it, and how people can volunteer. Do you offer a men’s support group? Pitch a feature story on how men use your service and others like it, what they talk about, and how it helps them cope with life’s pressures.

MMC: Breaking into local media seems easier than getting into national media, what can you do to get broader exposure if people need to hear about your organization on the national scene?

SB: For starters, you’ve got to have information that’s of interest to national media outlets. It’s all about being newsworthy. Start by making sure your Web site has information about all of your noteworthy programs and services and that it has been submitted to search engines so that reporters looking for sources on any of these topics can find you with an Internet search.
That’s the bare minimum. Then determine your target media outlets – where do you need exposure? In which outlets? Study them to determine the content they use and brainstorm about how you can contribute to that content.

Unfortunately, it’s impossible for me to get more specific about this without more information. But it is possible for a local group to get national exposure if it has something going on that’s interesting to a national audience.

Stay tuned for part two…

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