Outside the echo chamber
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Although social media is a powerful way to talk to your supporters, social channel algorithms may stand in the way of connecting with the broader audience that individual journalists can deliver.
The three legs of the milking stool of non-profit PR are agitation, acceptance, and action. While every non-profit will have its own goals with media engagement, they all will include at least one of these focuses, with some including all three.
Agitation
Whether it is responding to science deniers, those who want to turn back the clock on social reforms or those who have a plan to maintain the status quo, working with journalists is a great way to get the facts into the mainstream and break through the cultural and identity barriers created in social media. As they say, the best disinfectant is sunlight, and the press can shine the light into even the darkest corners of the conversation.
Acceptance
The LGBTQIA+ will tell you that personal interaction is the best way to break down entrenched beliefs. Humanising an issue is the most powerful way to push back against those who use primal fears to ignite hate and misunderstanding. To gain acceptance of any issue or problem, you need to bypass the barriers of identity groups and gain the approval of individuals. Promoting events or opportunities to have one-on-one engagements through the media is a proven strategy for breaking down barriers and achieving acceptance.
Action
No matter if your organisation’s mission may focus on a specific illness, or you may focus on progressive social issues or climate, your end goal is action. Whether it's funding research, supporting those in your care, preventing climate degradation, changing laws or government policy, only action can deliver real and lasting change. To make a change, you need community support. That requires you to make connections and have conversations with the public, and the best way to engage the public is through the media.
The role of a self-service online newsroom solution
Journalists are amongst the most curious people in society. Their guiding principle is to follow the story. To do this, they must first know where to find the story. For many journalists, this starts with an online search. Like many of us searching online, that process might begin with a keyword or phrase. Next-generation newsrooms like Lookatmedia™ are designed to help your story be discovered by journalists, providing other story ideas, research materials and the images they need to create visual narratives. Allowing journalists 24/7 self-service access to your story ideas and secure authorised access to the pictures and videos they need to tell those stories in their way is one of the best ways to elevate your mission and message into the public arena, allowing you to agitate for change, drive the conversations and connections essential to accept and promote your action plans.
