Journalists are often quite busy and popular reporters get tons of tips and pitches to sort through. This process may take you a few weeks, or even months, depending on how busy the news outlet is and how long the story will take to investigate or report on. A breaking story about a child kidnapping deserves to be on a major media outlet. However, smaller, area-specific stories, like mall openings and fundraisers, are more likely to be picked up by local organizations. You can contact multiple news outlets at once. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to multiple organizations with the same story.
For example, if you’re hosting a fundraiser for your neighbor who lost their house in a fire, contact a local news outlet. The local community will care about the neighbor and their readers/viewers will want to know about the fundraiser, which makes it likely that they pick the story up. If you want to pitch a story to a local news organization, contact local newspapers and television stations at the same time. Both mediums are excellent resources for getting a story out.
If you have firsthand knowledge of a crime and the police are unaware that the crime has occurred, contact your local police district before taking the story to a reporter. Reach out as an anonymous source by using a VPN and a new email account or calling the media outlet from a pay phone if you’re worried about retaliation from the subject of the story.
An example press release may begin with the headline, “Magic Kayaks opening a new store on Foster Avenue. ” In the body, say something like, “Magic Kayaks, the brand behind the patented double-decker kayak, will be opening a brand new store in early August at 2025 Foster Avenue in Springfield. The store will feature 3 floors of products and will even include a custom kayak service. For more information, call 555-5252 with questions or concerns. ” If you have a lot of reporters contacting you about a story, writing a press release is a great way to give them information without spending the time to craft a unique response to every inquiry.
The only reason to remain anonymous is if you’re scared of retribution or are releasing sensitive information that could get you in trouble. If you’re trying to promote something, don’t make an anonymous contact with the media.
Some newspapers and magazines will list their contact information on the back or inside of the first page.
Reporters often maintain social media accounts to promote their stories.
You may end up struggling to find contact information for smaller publications.
For example, saying, “My home was broken into but the police aren’t picking up my calls” will incentivize the reporter to look into the story on their own. However, “The police in this town are corrupt, malicious, and neglectful. Some vagrant stole all of my belongings and the police refuse to even file a report” will make them suspicious that you’re making the story up. Don’t write more than a paragraph. Reporters are typically quite busy and they may simply stop reading if you keep adding unimportant details.
Say something like, “I believe this story is relevant to the parents of our city because our school’s principal is in violation of state laws” or, “I haven’t seen any reporters covering this crime, but it sounds like a pretty outlandish event. ” If you’re pitching a story involving criminal or immoral behavior, it can look like you have a vendetta against the subject if you insert your personal commentary about someone’s guilt. Use bland language and don’t go over the top to seem impartial and honest.
For example, you might say, “Thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about what’s going on in our local community. I appreciate your work and hope to hear from you in the future. ”
