How to get your nonprofit on local TV news

in Marketing for Nonprofits,Publicity

This idea is relatively easy.  Better than that: It works.  Get your nonprofit feature on your local TV news station by hosting a pumpkin-carving contest.

I need to give Joan Stewart, Publicity Hound credit for this.  I read it in her newsletter yesterday.

Again, have your nonprofit host a pumpkin-carving contest and have your employees participate.  The twist that will bring the local TV news station and their camera to your nonprofit is this:

Let the TV station know that someone will carve the station’s call letters into a pumpkin.  They’ll definitely want to show that as part of the news clip.

My husband carved this eerie pumpkin!

Oh, and why not ask if someone from the TV station would be willing to judge the contest? 

They would choose the winner from among all the employees who carved anything they wanted into their pumpkin.

Tis the season to take advantage of this publicity idea!  Don’t make it complicated.  Just have fun.  And don’t delay.

Invite the press as outlined above.  And remember to have a fact sheet about your nonprofit ready to hand the reporter.  You have a good chance of getting onto the local TV news with this pumpkin-carving contest.

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