44 Things the Media Wish You Knew

The media want to cover your organization and its goings-on. Problem is, they have limited resources and need YOUR help putting together compelling stories. So, in order for everyone to succeed, you need to know a few things.

Here are 44 things the media wish you knew:

1. Not everything your organization does is newsworthy
2. A press release, while still a useful outreach tool, is rarely enough on its own
3. How to think like a reporter
4. That they’re often overworked and underpaid
5. That they use and are active on social networks
6. When their deadlines are
7. Not to contact journalists near their deadlines
8. Rich media – video, photos – helps them understand what you’re trying to say
9. The medium via which they like to receive pitches
10. How to write a compelling email subject line
11. That Twitter is a great way to interact pre, during and after a story pitch
12. That you should help them with something before asking them to cover you
13. Jargon confuses consumers of content
14. That sometimes, even if you pitch perfectly, you get no coverage
15. What news is
16. That corporate messaging goals and good journalism are often at odds
17. How to create and use a social media release
18. That bloggers aren’t journalists (except when journalists blog)
19. That citizens aren’t journalists just because Twitpic, Instagram and Yfrog allow them to snap and share pics quickly and easily
20. How to write a press release
21. Media is the filter not the enemy
22. That they’ll sometimes behave like a pack of sheep
23. The importance of displaying your contact info in a clear, easy to find way
24. They make mistakes (often)
25. People who work in industries in crisis – i.e. media – worry a lot
26. Loads of PR people pitch loads of crap
27. That, in some cases, you need to pay or ship truckloads of swag  in order to get editorial coverage (really)
28. That some of them remain confounded by the internet
29. The value of transparency
30. That the audience/news relevance of a story pitch needs to be spelled out clearly
31. That their beats change and they’re forced to learn new things very quickly
32. Slanted coverage is inevitable
33. That there are slow periods of the year, during which your not-so-newsworthy pitch will get play
34. That sometimes the busy-ness of journalism means big delays in replying to you
35. That leaving insightful blog comments and sharing their content  makes them extra happy
36. Leaving inane comments on their blog posts, like “Great post, dude” is vexing
37. The time-sensitivity of their work
38. Saying thanks is, and will always be, appreciated
39. That tough interview questions are not personal attacks
40. Video is the medium of the internet age
41. That spin is downright annoying
42. The utter importance of saying it quick and clear
43. That, like you, they are just human
44. Once again, that not everything your organization does is newsworthy!

Do you have anything to add?