How do you align your media alert with your PR goals and strategy?

1 Define your purpose

Before you start writing your media alert, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it. What is the main goal of your event or announcement? Who are you trying to reach and influence? How do you want them to react or respond? Having a clear purpose will help you shape your media alert and align it with your overall PR strategy.

2 Use the inverted pyramid

The inverted pyramid is a common journalistic technique that organizes information from the most important to the least important. It helps readers quickly grasp the main points and decide whether they want to read more or not. You can use the inverted pyramid to structure your media alert and make sure that you include the most essential information at the top. This includes the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your event or announcement, as well as a catchy headline and a brief introduction.

3 Keep it short and simple

A media alert is not a place to write long and complex sentences, or to use jargon and technical terms. You want to keep your media alert short and simple, and use clear and concise language that anyone can understand. Ideally, your media alert should be no longer than one page, and use bullet points, subheadings, and white space to make it easy to scan and read. You also want to avoid any hype, exaggeration, or false claims that might damage your credibility or reputation.

4 Provide contact details and visuals

At the end of your media alert, you need to provide your contact details and any relevant visuals that might enhance your story. Your contact details should include your name, title, organization, phone number, email address, and website. You should also indicate whether you are available for interviews, comments, or questions. Your visuals should include any photos, videos, logos, or graphics that might illustrate your event or announcement, and that you can share with the media. You should also provide links or attachments to these visuals, or indicate where they can be accessed or downloaded.

5 Distribute and follow up

Once you have written your media alert, you need to distribute it to the appropriate media outlets and journalists that might be interested in your story. You can use email, social media, online platforms, or press release distribution services to send your media alert, and make sure that you personalize your message and subject line. You should also follow up with your media contacts and confirm their receipt and interest in your media alert. You can also offer them more information, interviews, or exclusive access to your event or announcement, and thank them for their attention and coverage.