What is News?

When it comes to your local news outlets, you already have a foot in the door. Any information about your church will get attention simply because it involves the community they serve. They may not run the story, but they'll at least consider it--whereas they would ignore the same press release if it involved a church 200 miles away.

Don't just dump information on the news media. Try to understand their needs. What is news in your church may not be news to the local paper. Here are some insights into what they want and need.

Local Happenings

When one person dies in a car accident in your community--that's news. When three people die in a car accident in another state--that's not something your local press will cover. The best local news has local significance.

Name Recognition

If a person with some broad name recognition is speaking at your church, you have a good chance of getting some free publicity via a press release. It may be a person known within your area, or it may be a person with a national reputation.

Sometimes, a speaker or musician who comes to your church will be known within the Christian community, but not necessarily to the average editor. So the press release might need to explain this person's credentials and why he/she is known by Christians in your community--through a Christian radio, or bestselling Christian books, etc.

Magnitude

The press are interested in stories about the biggest, the fastest, the record-setter. This could involve a record attendance, the most ambitious fundraising campaign your church has tried, or the youth group's World's Largest Banana Split.

Newness

The media regularly cover new drugs, new government programs, new businesses coming to town. Sometimes, these are fodder for feature stories. In your church, this could involve new ministries or updates on ministries your church is involved in (especially if they directly touch the community in some way), a new pastor or staff person, a new building program, or a new church being planted.

Timeliness

Underlying everything is the matter of timeliness. Is it happening now? Or is it old news? In the newspaper world, what happened yesterday is old news.

Novelty

Is your church doing something that no other church is doing? Is your youth group holding an event with a strange twist? Your local media will be interested. TV stations will be especially interested if they can get film.

Personal Achievements

This can be fairly ordinary. Like playing the church organ for 50 years. Or teaching Sunday school for 40 years straight. Or the pastor being named president of a local club. Or a member being appointed to a denominational task force.