A news alert, also known as a media advisory or press release, is used to promote events that are happening in your community. Whether your goal is to attract media attention to your afterschool program or to highlight a successful student activist, the right strategy will help you reach and resonate with reporters.
The main goal of a media alert is to inform journalists of an event and encourage them to attend. To do so, it’s important to include the five Ws – Who, What, When, Where and Why. This way, any reporter who reads the advisory will have all the information they need to decide if the event is worth covering.
To increase the chance of your media advisory being covered, you should send it to local media outlets, including local newspapers, television stations and radio stations. These are more likely to cover community-based stories. If your town is large, you can also reach out to the paper of record in nearby communities.
When drafting a media alert, you should always put the most critical details first. You can use bullets or a narrative to convey the important information. Be sure to include the who, what, where and when of the event, as well as a contact person for further information. It’s also a good idea to include photos, as these can catch the interest of reporters and help them decide if they want to attend.