Writing a Nonprofit Media Alert in Four Steps

Markus Stadelmann-Elder reports:

"You’re about to make a big announcement. It’s something important and practical that will benefit many, and something that your organization has put a lot of time and effort into. It’s big news. You’ve planned a press conference to let everyone know about it – but how do you get reporters to show up? A well-prepared media alert can help you get the attention of the right people at the right time...You should spend as much time writing the headline as you spend writing the rest of the advisory (some may leave this to last). A strong headline will make it less likely for your alert to get lost (or ignored) in a journalist’s email box. Your headline should be catchy, but not so cute that it loses its meaning. It should tell the journalist what the alert is about...In one or two sentences, describe what’s happening and why the journalist should care. You may want to add a bit more information to convince the journalist to attend the event, call you for more information or set up an interview...[F]ocus on the Five Ws [as the important details you provide] (who, what, where, when and why)...Finally, add more information about the organization and how you can be contacted. If you’d like to see another example of a media alert, have a look at this one for an in-person event celebrating the winners of the 2013 Diversity in Governance Awards. Now that you’ve written the alert, you need to send it to the right people."