Your club participates in service projects that help the community in some way. With more than 48,000 clubs and 1.4 million members, Lions everywhere are doing remarkable things every single day.
Lions are the pinnacle of kindness in action. Serving our community is so commonplace for us that it is easy to forget that what we are doing is truly extraordinary and should be shared with the media and the general public.
The job of the media is to provide impactful news stories that are:
- New
- Timely
- Inspirational
- Entertaining
- Local
- Significant
These traits or a combination of these traits are what make a story newsworthy.
While we can make the argument that all the work we do is inspiring, some projects, although important, may not be “newsworthy.”
To determine what is newsworthy, ask yourself, “Would a non-Lion find this interesting or useful?” Public service gives information about a specific topic to help or assist the public, such as describing the warning signs of diabetes or encouraging volunteerism. You may also choose to enhance your media release with an inspirational story of a real person in your community who has a personal story to share. This creates more depth to your story, making it more meaningful to your audience.
Decide which activities are unique and may be of interest to the media. To be considered newsworthy, they should be about timely events or activities that:
- Enhance your local community (parks, school programs).
- Involve the general public or other community groups (fundraisers, eyeglass collections).
- Perform a public service (vision/health screenings, drug abuse education).
Read local newspapers, watch television news programs and listen to a variety of local radio stations to get a feel for what is likely to be covered by your news media.
Get involved early in the planning of Lions projects to determine their PR potential. The following are examples of club activities with possible news value:
- Service projects aiding community groups such as the visually impaired, disabled and elderly.
- Programs for youth/Lions International Peace Poster Contest/Scholarships.
- Special fundraising events and major donations.
- Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) grants or COVID-19 relief efforts.
- Holiday projects.
- Induction of new members and how this will benefit the local community.
When the time comes to draft your pitch to the media, remember that consumers of news like easily digestible information and don’t want to work too hard to find what is newsworthy. A simple outline to follow is:
- Tell them what is important.
- Tell them why this is important to them.
- Tell them what they can do with this important information.
That last step is especially important. We call this a “call to action.” Samples of a call to action could be inviting people to help with a specific event or service project. Better yet, tell them how they can join your club so they can participate in all your service projects. Don’t leave your audience wanting more, call them to act!
There are many media release templates in the Lions Clubs Resource Center to help get you started, including a new template for you to share how your club served safely during COVID-19. Visit the Lions Clubs Resource Center and get started on sending out your newsworthy stories today.
Shauna Schuda is the senior media relations specialist for Lions Clubs International.
