Do you want to get free coverage for something your business is doing in the community? Have no idea how to approach news outlets? Check out these four easy tips for getting media involved with your event or story.

1. Do your research.

You need to be informed about your local news outlets and reporters if you want to intelligently pitch stories. If you watch and read local news and keep an eye out for stories pertaining to your industry, you’ll gradually learn which reporters tend to cover stories like yours.

For example, your company repairs computers, and you’re having an event where community members can get their computers repaired cheaply. You watch the local news station three nights in a row and you identify one reporter who tends to have stories about technology. You know that this is the reporter that you should contact about your event, and you discovered that merely by watching and observing your local news station!

Another useful tip: set up Google news alerts for keywords in your industry. This saves you the time of doing research on a given topic and lets you know when issues that impact your industry are in the news. This way you can stay informed with little effort, get to know the reporters on issues you care about, and look for opportunities to engage.

2. Set up a press contacts list.

You don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute when something newsworthy comes up. You want an index where you can easily find contacts to tell about your event. Creating a spreadsheet with press contacts for both print and TV news will do you a world of good.

You’ll want the newspaper editors’ names, emails, and phone numbers, as well as the name of the newspaper. It will also help to have the contact info for community calendars and general news desk email addresses.

For TV, you’ll need the news director and program director’s names, emails, phone numbers, and station name. It will also be helpful if you include a reporter’s info who is relevant to your industry.

3. Offer photo opportunities.

For TV news, good visual are essential, and for newspapers, photos can do much to flesh out a story. When contacting reporters about your event, you’ll want to describe in detail what photo opportunities will be present.

In our computer business example, say you’ll have a raffle where you’ll give away a top-notch computer. You might describe what that would look like, so the reporter knows what kind of material they’ll be getting if they cover this event. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

4. Send out a media advisory.

Media advisories will be easier for you to send out than press releases. These are shorter than press releases and simply give the information about the event to the news outlet. You should include any appearances by VIPs as well as the basic who, what, when, where, and why of the event.

Media advisories should be sent out to your best contacts three to five days before your event takes place to give the news outlet ample time to prepare, and so it will be fresh on their minds. Remember that media advisories are only to be used for newsworthy events!

Now that you know the top four ways to get media involved with events relating to your business, you’ll be able to get the free news coverage that will help to improve your reach in the community. Good luck out there!

Last week we told you how Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram can help you build your brand with your target audience. This week, we’re covering Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

4. Twitter

Twitter has over 300 million monthly active users, and it’s easy to create a company profile and begin tweeting. Most companies use Twitter as a platform where they can share content and interact with customers, network, and manage their brand. Twitter is a more social interaction based service, so if your business model requires constant customer interactions, Twitter might be right for you.

Since many public figures, minor and major celebrities, and other brands use Twitter, connection with influencers is most important here. If you want to reach your target demographic through the other people they follow, Twitter is the platform for you.

More resources: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/twitter-marketing/

5. LinkedIn

With 500 million users, LinkedIn is a platform catering to professionals, providing a networking space online. If your product or service would be useful to businesspeople in professional settings, LinkedIn would be a perfect social media site to advertise your content.

Since users self-input their position, full name, location, and more, LinkedIn ads can be targeted specifically to certain demographics. If you want to reach, say, high-level business development professionals, LinkedIn provides a service to target them specifically and can be very affordable – as low as $10 per day.

More resources: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/linkedin-ads-guide/

6. Pinterest

At 100 million pinners, Pinterest is a platform that allows users to curate content, or “pins,” on various themed “boards.” The main benefit for brands here is that Pinterest acts like a search engine, so users searching for content like yours will be able to find it.

Favored by women and heavily image-centric, Pinterest’s demographic will be likely to buy concrete visually-oriented products, such as jewelry and home goods. Pinterest users also use the platform for advice and ideas, so if your product can be condensed to an infographic, it would do well with the Pinterest crowd. Below, company DesignMantic created a dos and don’ts infographic for web design. Clicking the pin would take the user to their website, driving traffic for their services.

With analytics available for businesses to see how well their various pins are doing, Pinterest allows for brands to play around with content and see what gets the most engagement. If your product or service is visually oriented and you want users to be actively searching for content like yours, Pinterest is a great platform for you to use.

 Source: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/pinterest-for-business/

This is a story about how Targeted Persuasion designed a comprehensive grassroots campaign to organize the voices of thousands of citizens and help our client win.

For as long as anyone can remember, blue laws in North Carolina have prevented residents and visitors in the state from enjoying alcoholic beverages in restaurants and bars or purchasing in retail stores before noon. While there was much demand from many in the business community to change these outdated laws, entrenched interests have long held sway and had been able to successfully prevent reform. We were hired to change that and rally support behind a bill that would at long last allow sales before noon on Sundays.

Click here to find out how we did it.

by Jeff Tippett and Clarenda Stanley-Anderson

Clarenda Stanley-Anderson

What if I told you lacking financial resources is not your problem? Your problem is resourcefulness. Most associations and organizations have more dreams than cash in the bank. Whether working with associations, non-profits, or even speaking during seminars that I lead, I often hear worthwhile goals. These visionaries know where they want to go to find success, but often view financial resources as a roadblock. What if they didn’t have to be? How do you find the financial resources you need to accomplish your goals? To answer this question, I turned to a top fundraiser, Clarenda Stanley-Anderson, to seek some input. I had five burning questions, and I knew she could answer them. Take a look:

If an organization is considering an initiative that requires funding, how does that company identify a professional fundraiser?

The first place to start is within your networks. Put the word out among your circles, Professional fundraisers with proven track records are often hired through referrals. Another place you would look is organizations with similar initiatives and missions. Who is already fundraising in this space and doing it well? The average period a fundraiser is with an organization is two years. This is largely in due to the fact that other opportunities present themselves. This doesn’t mean that you woo the other organization’s top fundraiser away, but instead look at the junior, up and coming talent.

Also, do not overlook in-house talent. Do you have a program manager that has taken the initiative to secure resources in the absence of a development officer? Is there someone on staff with transferable skills? Of course, using contract fundraisers is always an option. You will get a seasoned fundraiser well-versed in best practices. The cons are that the contract fundraiser will not have institutional history, the fundraiser will be limited in the relationships they are able to build with donors, and a contract fundraiser can cost considerably more. Contract fundraisers may be more practical for special events, grant-writing, or providing training to current staff and board members.

In all fields there are those that ‘get the job done’ and those that just merely coast along. How does an organization find a ‘get the job done’ fundraiser?

It is important that the fundraiser has demonstrated results in applicable experience. It is easy to be impressed when someone has raised $10 million, but what if they raised that through grants and the organization is looking for someone to raise major gifts? Also, the organization should find out if the fundraiser is a self-starting, entrepreneurial thinker. A simple conversation asking the right questions will give you clues to this person’s drive and passion. Are they able to make decisions independently? Come up with creative solutions to problems?

Passion fuels action. Make sure that you are hiring a proven fundraiser who is genuinely passionate about the organization’s mission. That is key in order to build authentic relationships with donors and colleagues.

I must mention that organizational leadership has to understand the role of the fundraiser. An effective fundraiser will yield results – not miracles. The organization’s executive leadership and board have to understand their roles in the fundraising process. Many times, they will be the ones to make the ask. A strong fundraiser will ensure that the leadership is prepared for this role and that the ask is made at the appropriate time.

What are three questions an organization should ask when interviewing a fundraiser?

What gift are you most proud of and why?

Give an example of an ethical dilemma you faced with a donor or prospect and how you handled it?

How do you see yourself advancing our mission and why?

You obviously have a stellar track record raising money for groups. Give me three things that you attribute to your success.

I only raise money for causes that align with my philanthropic core. There are organizations who are able to pay more or offer better benefits, but if you make that the determining factors, you will soon burn out. I also recognize that fundraising is an ever evolving profession so I am committed to being a lifelong student to ensure that I stay abreast of current trends and best practices. Lastly, I am a firm believer in self-care. I take vacations, surround myself with positive, affirmative people and am active in hobbies and passions that allow me to unplug from my professional life.

What advice do you have for organizations that have dreams and goals but lack the funds to make things happen? What could they do right now to move the ball just a little down the road?

There are a ton of free resources out there to help an organization get started. A couple of my favorites are the Association for Fundraising Professionals (most local chapters have member scholarships) and the National Council of Nonprofits. Both have a wealth of free tools and resources on fundraising.

Do your research and compile a list of questions. Then, ask a fundraiser for 30 minutes of their time to answer a few questions. We are some of the most generous people around! Community foundations are a great place to find fundraisers who are eager to help. Rely on your volunteers – those people who proved they are committed to advancing your mission. Employ them to assist in fundraising.

Lastly, look at various grants for capacity building. Foundations are recognizing the importance of a fundraiser to an organization’s sustainability and are funding initiatives to help organizations create a development office.

Clarenda has offered five nuggets of knowledge that could take your fundraising to the next level. But remember: Resources are rarely the stumbling block. Resourcefulness is. So, dream with me just a little. What good could your organization do if money were no longer an obstacle? What type of campaigns could you launch? How could you create change for your members? Let’s be resourceful and make things happen in 2017!

About Clarenda Stanley-Anderson

Selected as the 2016 Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the Association for Fundraising Professionals Triangle Chapter, Clarenda is a generalist who has earned the coveted Certified Fund Raising Expert (CFRE) designation. With more than $51M raised in her decade-plus career, she specializes in individual giving and major gifts. She currently serves as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Shaw University where she spearheaded the University’s 70% increase in private philanthropy last year. She can be found on Instagram,  Twitter, and Facebook.