Here are a few
tips for contacting the media directly:
1. First, read the
following pages on this Web site:
o
What
do reporters want to cover?
o
How
do I contact a local reporter?
2. Organize your
main points and any additional sources for the reporter to call. Have
your notes in front of you.
3. If you do not
have the name of the individual reporter with whom you wish to speak,
contact the business editor or assignment editor first and get the name
of the appropriate person. If the editor wants more information before
giving you a name, provide a short summary based on the following
points. Otherwise, call the reporter directly.
4. Introduce
yourself, your organization, and include a very short explanation of
what you do. Make sure that you identify yourself as a CPA.
5. Tell the
reporter that you have some news of interest to
readers/listeners/viewers. Then provide a clear, targeted sentence or
two that gets to the heart of the issue or idea you wish to express.
6. Always keep in
mind that you are on the record, even when making an introductory call.
The reporter can use any or all of the information that you present at
any time and be well within ethical boundaries.
7. Engage the
reporter in a short conversation that allows for additional information
based on what he/she finds most intriguing about your comments.
8. If the reporter
wants to develop the story, arrange for a time to do a full interview.
If there is a visual aspect to the story, suggest an appropriate
photograph and provide details.
9. If the reporter
is not interested, ask whether the news fits another department or
another reporter’s priorities better, and get the contact information
for that reporter.
10. Complete the
interview as planned, and offer additional sources or information as
needed. Ask the reporter when the story will be used and whether he/she
is interviewing anyone else. You may ask about the direction that the
story will take—what will be the focus?
11. Call the
reporter again in the next two-three days and offer to answer any
additional questions or provide follow-up sources or information. If
there is a newsworthy visual element to your story, follow up on that as
well, providing date, time and place, if appropriate.
12. Watch the news
for your story!
