Why bother with local media

• You have a story to tell - the media is hungry for stories.
• The local media can help you reach people who will never otherwise come into contact with your church.
• Being 'in the news' helps build your profile and positions the church at the heart of the community.
• It can change perceptions of what the church can offer people
• It's good for the morale of the congregation.
• If you take the initiative, you have a chance to shape the story, rather than letting someone else set the agenda.
• The media can be your allies in tough times.
• News coverage is free - and it's not that difficult!

What makes a newsworthy story?

The new - There’s no point publicising an event that happened a few weeks ago. Does it pass the ‘so what test’?

The unusual/different - '50 people go to church on Sunday' is probably not news. '50 people go to church on Thursday' might be. Or 'Church goes to people at car boot sale'.

The quirky - 'Church holds harvest festival in supermarket'.

The first/biggest/oldest/youngest - the media love statistics and milestones.

Genuinely local - local media want a local angle.

Something visual -  a good photo opportunity is much more likely to attract the media.

Case studies - if your new church hall can now offer excellent value wedding receptions, do you have a couple who' be happy to say why?

People not things - look for the human interest - 'church gets new gate' is not very interesting; 'local craftsman makes gate from ancient oak' is more so.

Connection to current issues - eg if there's a national report on young people and ASBOs, the club you run for teenagers excluded from school would interest the media.

BUT REMEMBER, news value is relative. A minor story can make the media on a slow news day, but may be binned if a major story breaks.

So now what?

Research your local media; get to know what they like to cover.
Plan in advance - and write a press release (see our guide on how to write a press release).