Press and publicity
Have You Got A Story To Tell?
Contacting your local press is a great way to get publicity for your fundraising efforts and also for the work that Breast Cancer Care does.
Appearing in your local paper or on your local radio station can help you maximise the number of people who attend your event or, if you are doing a sponsored challenge, the number of people who offer you sponsorship. To help you with this, we have put together some tips on how to contact the press and how to put together a press release.
How to approach your local newspapers
It is best to contact the news desk or the editorial team, explain what you are doing and ask if you could send them a press release about it. Ask for the name of a journalist who handles such stories to whom you can address your release.
At the bottom of the page is a sample press release that you can use as a guideline. It may be a good idea to enclose a photograph of yourself to personalise the release.
You should try to call your contact within a few days to confirm they received your information and ask if they are interested in writing about your event.
Should you obtain local press coverage, please send us a copy if you can, as we are always interested to see such stories.
How to approach a local radio station
Local radio stations are a great medium for publicising your event. Again, give them a call and ask for the news desk and then send them your press release inviting them to contact you.
If you know the name of a programme host whose show features this sort of news, address your release to them. Again, try to call your contact within a few days to confirm they received your information and ask if they are interested in covering your event.
You may be nervous about appearing on radio, try not to be, you will find that the station staff will put you at ease.
Who else can I contact?
- Local TV stations
- Local websites including businesses
- What’s on guides
- Local magazines including Church and School
- Ask local schools, councils, pubs and social clubs to put posters up for you
- Send an email to all your friends and ask them to forward it to anyone who might be interested
- Produce leaflets to publicise your event and post them through the doors of local houses
Please contact Breast Cancer Care in advance if you wish to approach national media and remember to run your press release by us before sending it out.
Downloads
Take a look at our sample press release for guidance on how to create you own:
