Maintaining Media Coverage

The executive director of a non-profit poses this question: "We used to get great coverage, and now it seems as though we have fallen from grace. What can we do to maintain media interest?"

The simple answer is to become a resource for reporters. Be the kind of newsmaker producers and journalists mark in their database as someone who is always good for a soundbite. That means you are accessible, articulate and willing to say, "I'm not the expert you need for this story, but call my colleague, who would be perfect for the angle of this story."

As for talk shows, coordinators are always looking for local guests who can come into the studio on a moment's notice, who offer ideas for future topics and who are interesting and provocative behind the microphone.

You can fall from grace if you tell the same old story every time. Or one too many times you are tied up. Reporters will find someone who has an expertise close to yours, and he or she could become the go-to source.