Guest Blogger: Use phenomenal, fantastic facts to get reporters’ attention

Fact Finding Mission
Guest Blogger
Valliere Jones, President, For Immediate Release

When it comes to writing news releases, taking the Joe Friday “Just the facts, ma’am” approach is generally the way to go. But for community relations news releases, facts are so much more than name, rank and serial number.

Beyond covering the basic Five Ws and an H – who, what, when, where, why and how – your release should include statistics from credible sources that support the need for your event or program. The organization you are helping is a great start; most nonprofits have tons of information about the need for their services. Check their Web sites and brochures; they are usually chock full of compelling nuggets.

Once you find powerful statistics, don’t bury them at the bottom of your release – use them to get reporters’ attention. For example, suppose your event will support a local food pantry and you’ve learned that half the children in your area go to bed hungry every night. Instead of starting your release with, “Company X collected 1000 pounds of food for Nonprofit Y,” lead with, “Because half the children in the town go to bed hungry every night, Company X teamed with Nonprofit Y to collect 1,000 pounds of food.”

Another great way to incorporate compelling facts is in your company’s quotes. Instead of quoting a spokesperson as saying, “Company X is pleased to help Nonprofit Y fight hunger in Phoenix, blah blah BORING,” have him or her use a fact to say something much more meaningful: “Company X worries about so many families cutting back on fresh fruits and vegetables during the economic downturn,” says Spokesperson Z. “The recent 30 percent increase in scurvy is alarming, and teaming with Nonprofit Y to collect produce is the first step Company X is taking to combat the problem.”

Then there are the facts you may not realize are relevant – some numbers seem “business as usual,” but are actually pretty impressive. A release announcing a customer appreciation event benefiting a local charity won’t sound very exciting to a reporter, but one mentioning upfront that 160 local companies are rallying around the cause will get a second look. Likewise, be sure to mention milestones or anything else noteworthy about your event. Is it something your office has done for five years? Call attention to that by referring to it as the fifth annual event. Did you double the amount of money raised over last year’s event? Don’t just mention that – work it into the headline!

Incorporating these kinds of facts into your community relations news releases will make even by-the-book Joe Friday-type reporters turn into Paul Harvey to ask for “the rest of the story.”

Valliere Jones is president of For Immediate Release in Gilbert, Ariz.
Besides Teri’s “Building Communities” newsletter, she has written countless news releases, bylined and ghostwritten articles, speeches, executive communiqués, brochures, media advisories, Web content and award entries. She can be reached at 480-250-8270 or valliere@forimmediaterelease.com.