Why Other Schools Get Media Coverage… and Yours Doesn’t

Does it seem like other schools are always getting news coverage for activities your school has been doing for years?

Do most of the press releases you distribute go ignored by journalists?

If you answered yes to either question, you are not alone. Many school leaders share similar disappointments. 

The good news is that you can change that scenario quickly.

You only need to learn a few simple steps. Once you start applying what I’m about to share, your school will begin to attract media coverage. If you continue these practices, the media will eventually contact your school to create stories or seek your input on important issues, such as state education funding.

To begin securing consistent media coverage for your school, the first step is to build your media list.

You might already have a list.

If so, great. But you need to review it.

Ask yourself what kind of media list it is.

Is it a current, well-researched, and high-quality list?

Or is it a basic list scraped from the internet? 

Most people who are not in the business of creating news stories go straight to a news outlet’s website ’s “contact us” page. From there, they copy a generic role email like newsdesk@abc.com or bookmark a form. 

Generic emails and forms are acceptable if the media outlet is small. However, for daily newspapers and broadcast news, generic emails and forms often become dead ends in cyberspace. 

In busy newsrooms, college interns are often the first to review pitches sent via email or through website forms. Interns are individuals aspiring to become journalists, but they are still developing their skills. They haven’t yet gained enough experience to identify which press releases have the potential to become compelling stories. They are beginning to learn what to look for, but usually lack the expertise that helps journalists and editors spot good stories. Therefore, when someone sends a press release blindly to a generic email or form, he or she is trusting an inexperienced person to pass the document along for further review.

Also, not all press releases, media advisories, and website form submissions are the same. Some very well-written press releases that sound like news reports end up being empty and filled with fluff. Conversely, some poorly written press releases hold the potential for great stories. Various people send tips to the news media about school-related stories, including administrators, teachers, volunteers, and caring grandparents.

An experienced editor knows how to quickly identify a great story regardless of how it’s presented. So, don’t leave your media list to chance. 

As you compile or review your media list, research who reports on education. Review those journalists’ work. This is especially important because not all education writers are friendly. You don’t want to invite a hostile reporter to your event. Know the journalists’ interests and biases. You can only do this by reading, watching, or listening to their news reports.

Also, research journalists who cover peripheral beats. If your school has a STEM focus, identify both education reporters and those who report on science. You might also want to get to know the local meteorologist. If your school emphasizes the creative arts, find out who writes about the arts and the entertainment industry. If your school centers on technology, you need to know who covers disruptive applications. 

Building an effective media list takes time because it involves more than just matching names with beats and collecting email addresses. You need to understand who writes about what so you can tailor your press release or media advisory, as well as how to pitch the story over the phone. Speaking of the phone, you’ll also need to record the assignment editors’ numbers, as you’ll require them for follow-ups. Use an Excel sheet or Word document to make a list of the writers’, editors’, and broadcasters’ names, email addresses, phone numbers, and notes about their beats, interests, and any biases you notice.

That brings us to your press release.

Next, I want to discuss an assignment I’ve given to our interns and new hires, both recent college graduates and those with experience: spend some time online watching news reports. Observe their nuances—how they say things and their phraseology. Learn how they tease an upcoming story, because in that, you’ll gain insight on how to pitch.

Here’s the catch: the more your press releases and media advisories look like news reports, whether it’s a newspaper article you want or coverage on primetime news, the more you’ll stand out. If you have a compelling story and sound like a media professional, you’re ahead of many other schools competing for coverage. 

Now how about some of those terms, I’ve been throwing at you?

Let’s discuss press releases, media advisories, and submitted stories. Each one is a ticket you need to secure media coverage for your school. 

A press release or media release is a longer document created to provide the media with detailed information about a topic. It is usually written in a narrative style, including important facts and quotes from key individuals. Press releases are used when seeking in-depth feature coverage of a story. For example, a school that sends students abroad on learning trips throughout the year needs more comprehensive coverage than a pep rally. The story would require a much longer news segment than the 20 seconds allocated to cover an event.

A media advisory, also known as a media alert, is a brief summary of an upcoming event. Advisories follow the who, what, when, and where format. They do not need quotes. If you want your event to appear on the evening news—such as students getting off the bus on the first day of school, a vocabulary day parade, a musical performance, or a state testing pep rally—a simple advisory is all you need. 

A submitted story is a finished article sent to the media for use as-is, along with camera-ready multimedia. If your school is located in an area that has a weekly newspaper or a popular hyperlocal news site, you should take advantage of opportunities to submit stories. These outlets typically have small staffs and welcome expert source submissions. Be sure to pitch your story idea to the editor first to confirm there is space available for it. 

Now, let’s cover a few pitching tips.

Today, pitching begins with an email or social media outreach. Email is the best way to keep track of the pitching process, so I’ll focus on that and save social media pitching for another episode.

Instead of sending a mass email to all news outlets, take the time to include a personalized message to individual reporters and editors.

If you are seeking a feature story or article, the time you take to personalize emails is well invested.

However, you can, and should, send semi-personalized batched emails for event media advisories using an email distribution system like MailSuite.

MailSuite lets you send the same generic message to multiple email addresses. Each recipient gets a personalized email, and they do not see the other addresses in your distribution. So, if your message is something like “we hope you will consider covering our event,” or “I wanted to point out the updated time below,” you can use this distribution system.

How do you know when to individualize versus send batch emails?

If your school has a compelling story, media outlets will want an exclusive. They don’t want to be reporting on your story when others are. They want to be the ones to break that news. 

When it comes to events, editors expect the school to invite as many media outlets as possible. Therefore, you can send those emails in batches with a generic message or just the advisory itself. 

Another advantage of distribution systems like MailSuite is that they notify you when someone opens or forwards your emails. This is an essential PR tool because you want to avoid following up with a journalist too soon. However, if you see a reporter or editor open your email shortly after you send it, you can follow up the next day. Otherwise, wait another day before checking again to make sure you didn’t end up in spam. 

Now a word about following up with the media.

If you send a release for a feature story, follow up by email within a few days or another suitable timeframe. Use the phone for event follow-ups. Send the advisory several days in advance, follow up the day before the event to confirm receipt, and check in on the morning of the event to see if coverage is being considered. Even if Mail Suite shows your email was opened or if a previous follow-up seemed promising, follow up on the day of the event. Consistent follow-up has secured most of our event coverage. By following up before their morning planning meetings, you keep your event top of mind. There have been times we obtained coverage after being told we wouldn’t because we stayed proactive when scheduled events canceled or started late—more than 80 percent of media coverage results from follow-ups.

While there is much more to the art of public relations, if you follow these simple steps, I promise your school will begin receiving the coverage it deserves regularly.