The following document was originally published in the Libertarian Party Success ‘99 Notebook:

36 tips to increase your media coverage

Here are 36 tips about how to get more media coverage for your state or local Libertarian organization. These suggestions are straight from media professionals — the White House reporter for USA Today; the Washington correspondent for the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain; a booker from CNN cable network; and a producer for a Washington-area radio station. These tips were collected at a seminar at the National Press Club entitled: “How to Get Media Coverage for Your Issues and Spokesmen,” sponsored by one of Washington, DC’s most successful public relations firms, Creative Response Concepts (CRC). Quotes are verbatim from the various journalists.

1. Good media coverage starts with a good media fax or mail list. “There’s quite a bit of turnover; keep your list up-to-date.”

2. “It’s important to have a regular list of contacts. Have a ‘core’ list that always gets your press releases.”

3. Keep your press releases to one page. “Two pages just annoys them.”

4. Write good headlines. “Make it sexy and interesting.”

5. Use a subhead in your press release. “There is supporting evidence that a subhead will encourage the reader to read the first paragraph.”

6. Write about breaking news. “Piggyback on headlines. What’s compelling to you isn’t always news, but what’s news is always compelling.

7. Don’t call journalists late in the afternoon. “Try to contact reporters in the morning — before 1 or 2:00 in the afternoon. By 4:30 or 5:00, they’re scrambling on deadline.”

8. Send out press releases on a regular basis. “If there is no consistent contact, they’re going to forget about you. Regular contact is important.”

9. Try to craft your press releases as a “horror story.” “That’s what sells newspapers; that’s what gets TV ratings.”

10. Put a human face on your story. “Nothing sells like a human face. You need to have your facts and figures, your statistics, but a human face will trump your facts.”

11. Try to localize your story. “You want to give an example of how your issue will impact your neighbor, your community. Many smaller newspapers will only take stories with a local angle.”

12. Avoid the beltway mentality. “We think what’s important to us is important to the folks back home.” Frequently, it isn’t.

13. Take your message to alternate media sources like talk radio. “There’s nothing to reach the masses like talk radio. There’s nothing to get your message out like talk radio.”

14. “Recycle your press clips” on a regular basis to show the media that you’re already newsworthy.

15. Be creative. “The more creative you are, the more the media wants to keep in touch with you.

16. Be immediately accessible. “This transcends everything else. I can’t stress this enough. When I need information, I need it now.”

17. Be honest. “Once crossed, a reporter will never trust you again. Once you’ve breached that trust, it’s gone. If you don’t know an answer, tell them so.”

18. Be personable. “It goes a long way.”

19. Take advice. “Listen to what the media tells you about their business.”

20. Target your media message. “Know the publication you’re reaching out to. Understand your various options of coverage.

21. Provide novelty. “We’re always looking for new people to talk to — fresh angles.”

22. Be the first to spot a trend. “Help us identify trends; give us solid examples. Two [things happening] is a coincidence; three is a trend!”

23. Put a specific journalist’s name on every fax. “[USA Today] gets more than 1,000 pages of material each day,” and faxes without a reporter’s name get tossed into the trash.

24. If you leave a phone message, “Keep it short!”

25. If you mail your press release (instead of faxing it) try hand-addressing the envelope. “A lot of people say they’re more inclined to open hand-addressed mail.”

26. Provide your home phone. “Home phone numbers are invaluable. Please give me your home phone number” to contact after business hours.

27. Never call a reporter after 4:00 pm. “Don’t call me on deadline. If it’s after 4:00, I’m on deadline.”

28. Don’t send a press kit unless requested. “I must confess, fancy press kits end up in the trash.”

29. Call reporters back ASAP. “If I call you, you can assume I need you right away. Don’t neglect call-backs.”

30. If you leave your phone number on voice mail, “slow down, and maybe say it twice.”

31. For events you want televised, give advance warning — but not too much. “It’s helpful to call on Monday if you have something going on on Thursday or Friday.”

32. Be (politely) persistent. “If I don’t call back, call again. Sometimes, the only way you get noticed is to call two or three times.”

33. Faxed press releases still work better than e-mail. It will be “three to five years” before the Internet is a primary conduit for news. “We do not receive press releases by the Internet. It’s still down the road.”

34. When calling a reporter, your first question should be: “Is it a good time to talk?”

35. On talk radio, be interesting and provocative. “We want people who will make our listeners say, ‘Did you hear what they said on WWRC?’”

36. Grab people’s attention with the first sentence of your press release. “If someone hits me in the first sentence, I might get to the second sentence.”