PR in Community Newspapers – It's Easier than You Think

By Ed Van Herik

For many organizations, getting mentioned on local TV or in the region's largest newspaper can be a daunting task. An alternative that might be worth pursuing is attempting to get an article in neighborhood newspapers.

Community newspapers have different standards for including news. For one, since they are tightly focused, they are much more interested in agencies and organizations that are based within their circulation territory. They also will cover local news that wouldn't make it in a larger publication just because it is local. Also, they are usually not deluged with press releases, so they are less likely to lose track of one, which often happens at larger news outlets.

It is even possible to  write a story in such a way that it is picked up almost entirely by a community newspaper.

Here's how:

Look at the publication to determine if all their stories are written by their own reporters. If not, then take a look at how their stories are written, and by whom. If they are written with a business owner or agency head as the author or no author listed, then it is might be possible to plug a story into their news operation relatively easily.

Draft an article that uses the same style as the stories they already run. If the publication uses an objective news style, fill the article with the same kinds of information: Who, What, Where, When and How. If the publication favors feature articles with anecdotal leads, then use that style.

If it isn't clear what style they prefer, then give them a call and ask to talk to an editor. Generally, editors at community newspapers are accustomed to dealing with such calls and are open to sharing their needs.

Don't forget to send along photos if you have them. Photos take up a lot of space, and editors with large editions might give better play to an article with good photos.

Finally, don't think you're settling for second-best by not going for the biggest newspaper in town. Often, community newspapers in metropolitan areas are parts of chains, meaning that a single story may make multiple editions, reaching thousands more readers than in the original publication.

(Written for Suite101, an online original-article web service.)