How to Distribute a News Story for Maximum Exposure

News is the pulse of American society and the world. What should you do when you have a great news story to share with the world, but aren't a reporter for a news organization yet? Follow these steps to get maximum exposure for your news story.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Make sure your news story or press release has been proofread and is ready to go before you ever submit it. It needs to be error-free to be considered worthwhile. If it is a press release, submit it to as many news organizations possible, including free press release websites. The more submissions, the greater the change of getting it run.

2. Research the media that surrounds the genre of your news story. If your article pertains to suspected drug use on your local minor league baseball team, for instance, you could contact both news organizations and sports reporting organizations.

3. Call or email the local media outlets (newspapers, radio and television stations, and news websites) in your area in order to establish a relationship with the editors or producers. Make sure to include them in all your email distributions of your organization's press releases and news items.

4. Contact the national media outlets to find out their submission guidelines and distribution schedule. Follow the instructions to the letter, otherwise your news story could be thrown out and not receive any exposure.

5. Give the agencies a chance to respond to you first. If you don't hear from them in the time that they have specified, follow up with them politely.

Tips & Warnings

• Get the largest audience possible by submitting your story to as many applicable places possible. Make sure to include websites like eReleases that run press releases for free.
• Story shelf life is very important so try to time seasonal articles with the appropriate time of year. If your story is more of a timely nature, strike while the iron is hot; don't sit on something too long that it becomes outdated. Submit a story early enough to allow time for it to be edited before press time.
• "No" does not always mean "no." Ask editors for tips on reworking the article or changing its focus to see if it could be made to better fit their audience. This shows the editor you are flexible and willing to work with them.
• Be respectful and professional when dealing with editors and professionals.
• Don't waste your time submitting an article written in a genre whose audience does not fit your story. For instance, don't attempt to sell an article about NASCAR racing to a women's publication that runs primarily housekeeping tips and recipes.
• Don't forget about using online news sites to spread the word, but read the fine print carefully. You could be handing over your rights to the piece.

Resources

• eReleases
• Send 2 Press