Telling your nonprofit story

We are often asked “what makes a good news story?”  Interestingly, the answer is in the question.

If you run a nonprofit, you probably have a strong desire to see your organization written about in positive, feel-good ways in the press, online or on television.  Of course you do.  Media coverage brings recognition and often, recognition brings donor dollars.

But what is a good story?  What do the media cover and what do they look for?

Like I said in the beginning, the answer is in the question.  The media look for good stories.

The media are not in the business of promoting nonprofits or any business.  They are in the business of writing stories that are interesting, engaging and will hold their readership or viewers.  That’s why when you structure your message in story form, the chances of it being reported in the press are much higher.

So when you write that next news release, don’t talk about how great your organization is.  Talk about the people you help and how the efforts of your nonprofit are changing peoples’s lives.

You just may get a nice new story out of it.