Media Relations and

Outreach Package
Ragfinery



Compiled May 2016 by:
Carolyn Trainer,
Moira Landvatter
Yaelle Kimmelman

www .ragfinery.com

Introduction

This package has been put together to help your company for the future. As
your company grows, so will your need for media coverage. The package
includes:

Press release templateincludes best way to format and send out

press releases to media outlets of your choice.
Feature Pitch templateincludes how to best send out story ideas to
local news sources, highlights how to organize the pitch as well as
what kind of information to include
Media Advisory templatesimilar to a press release, but is viewed as
an invite for media to attend future events
A Bellingham media lista list of relevant media sources that you can
pitch to in the future
Best practicesan organized list of how best to promote your company
and work with the media

This package will benefit your company by helping to guide you through the
media in Bellingham as well as save you time.
The next time Ragfinery puts on an event or would like some media coverage,
simply use one of the templates, put the information pertaining to the story
in the allotted spots and send it to a media source provided in the media list.
By following these guidelines, the media will best be able to serve you and
your needs. Please follow the templates as you see necessary.

Press Release Template

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:
Forest St.
Artwork attached
Bellingham, WA, 98225

Contact: (360)738-6977
1421 N.

www.ragfinery.com
HEADLINE GOES HERE (8 WORDS OR LESS)
You can include a subtitle if necessary
BBELLINGHAM, Wash. Use a dateline at the beginning of your press
release, as shown to the left. Datelines generally contain the city and state,
which should be abbreviated, as designated by the Associated Press. Your
first sentence should always be written as a lead, and should contain the
most important and noteworthy information. You should come up with a
compelling lead, which states what the event is, who is in charge of the event,
and where it is taking place.
Indent the next paragraph. This paragraph should contain the second
most important information. For example, why Ragfinery is hosting the
event, and what the greater significance of the event is. It is important to
remember that opinions and promotional language should be left out of the
body paragraphs of the press release and should only be used when quoting
someone directly.
It enhances your press release if you include a quote about the event.
Your quote can contain opinions and promotional language.

Finally, list any other information that is useful for the reader to
know. These are additional details that do not belong in the first paragraph
as crucial information but still inform the reader further about the event.
(more)

If your press release is longer than two pages, it is important that you
put the word more in parentheses and center it in the middle of the page, as
shown above. At the very end of your press release, remember to include
three pound signs and center them, signifying that the press release is over.
At the end of your press release, always tell the reader where the can
go to get more information. For example:
For more information about this event, please visit
www.ragfinery.com.
###
About: At the end of your press release, include a boilerplate that provides a
brief overview of what Ragfinery is, when Ragfinery was founded, and list the
overall main mission of the organization. It is useful for the reader to
mention how many staff members are employed at Ragfinery, and especially
to list those in higher positions of power (such as the executive director and
the manager).
Below is an example of a boilerplate that Ragfinery could use:
About: Ragfinery is a nonprofit organization, founded in 2014, that is
committed to keeping textile waste out of the landfill and sustaining a local

economy by providing job training for low-income community members. The

parent company of Ragfinery is ReUseWorks which is headed by Executive
Director, Duane Jager. The manager of Ragfinery is Shan Sparling, and the
organization currently employs eight staff members.

Feature Pitch Template

[Date]
Dear_________________
Write your introductory paragraph here. What is newsworthy that you are
hoping the local media will cover? Remember to leave your breaking news
and event information for press releases, instead of using this template,
which is for feature pitches. An example of a good feature pitch would be a
spotlight feature about a local artist. You could even submit a spotlight
feature to the local media every month, which would help your organization
gain exposure and demonstrate your passion for community involvement.
It is also important to give the local media background information about
your organization. This also keeps the information that they release in your
control, so that they portray your organization accurately. Below, is an
example of a possible boilerplate you could use within your feature pitch:
Ragfinery is a local, nonprofit organization that is committed to keeping
textile waste out of the landfill and providing job training for low-income
Bellingham residents by educating them on ways to improve their
sustainability. As opposed to a thrift store, Ragfinery is focused on upcycing
instead of recycling, which is the act of turning waste into something more
valuable. The parent company for Ragfinery is ReUseWorks and the sister
company is Appliance Depot. All three companies are overseen by Executive
Director, Duane Jager.
Another important detail to stress, is why media coverage is important to
Ragfinery. For example:
Because Ragfinery is a nonprofit organization, our financial support comes
solely from workshop fees and the sale of textiles and upcycled creations. The
local media is a vital partnership for Ragfinery, because the exposure
provided by media coverage is necesssary, in order for Ragfinery to continue
operating as a self-sustaining business.
Remember to always include a media backgrounder to go along with your
feature pitch, providing further information about your organization and a
fact sheet detailing the problems with textile waste and the fast fashion
industry.
At the end of the feature pitch, you should always provide
Ragfinerys contact information.

Please feel free to contact us via email at wwww.ragfinery.com or by phone at

(360) 738-6977.
Our store hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
We are located at 1421 N. Forest Street, Bellingham, WA 98225.
Sincerely,
Your Name

Media Advisory Template

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [Your name here, your title
Your e-mail and phone number]

MEDIA ADVISORY

[Insert title/event name here, 8 words or less]

BELLINGHAM, WASH. There should be two to three sentences giving a
brief description of the event. How it relates to your organization and what
the end goal of the event is.
WHAT: One line of event, time and date and if there is a cost
WHO: Include the organizations that are participating in the event if you
have partnered with other local organizations
WHERE: where the event will be held
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES: Give the media options and ideas for what angle
they should come from. You can include news ideas, feature ideas or even
multimedia ideas. The more specific this area is, the better the media can
cover what you want.
RSVP: Please contact [event coordinator name and email] if you plan to
attend or have any questions about the event.
About Ragfinery:
Here is another opportunity to include a boilerplate at the end. It should
contain the basic information about your company, here is an example you
can choose to include at the end:
Ragfinery is a nonprofit organization, founded in 2014, that is committed to
keeping textile waste out of the landfill and sustaining a local economy by
providing job training for low-income community members. The parent
company of Ragfinery is ReUseWorks which is headed by Executive Director,
Duane Jager. The manager of Ragfinery is Shan Sparling, and the
organization currently employs eight staff members.
###

Best Practices
Pitching to the media and journalists is an important skill to have when
working to get coverage for your organization. Here are some tips to get the
most out of your pitches.
Before hand:
Decide if you want coverage before the event, so that people see it and sign
up. Or would you like a reporter to be at the event to write about it
afterwards? Or would like you like both? This will help you pinpoint your
pitch.
Strategies when sending the pitch:
Keep the pitch straight and to the point and make it very clear what your
angle is and why it is unique or important. Answer the question: why
should they care?
Send each pitch and press release to each reporter separately, do not
send as one big chain email. Adding a personal touch (such as a past story
they wrote that you enjoyed) will show you know exactly who they are.
Add visuals if appropriate to help them picture how the story could be. For
example, send them a clip from the runway challenge from the year prior.
If possible have a sheet ready with the all the facts of the event or project
ready, if you are pitching or doing follow ups over the phone the media will
most likely have questions.
Even try to connect with reporters over social media through casual
interactions, that way they may be more willing to recognize the organization
when you send them an email.
Timeline for sending press releases and pitches:
2 months 1 month: Send the initial pitch and press release out
2 weeks before: Send a media alert to get this one newspapers event
calendars
5-7 days before: resend the alerts to the outlets that are most expected to
cover the event
3 days before: Send any follow up emails and calls to get them to confirm
their attendance. Then create a media list for the confirmed reports, so you
know exactly who is coming and how to prepare space for them.
At the event: Create a check-in spot, where you can make sure who came
as well as give them any extra material about the event that you see fit.
After the event: Send follow-up emails to the reporters that came to the
event and ask if they need additional information.
Timing the day of the pitch:

The best time to pitch to a journalist or the media is between 8 am and 11

am. Sending your email and pitch at this time is important because
journalists typically check their emails when they wake up and on their wake
to work and most of those can easily get ignored. By pitching after they have
gotten settled in at work, you can avoid getting clumped in the early morning
pitches that get disregarded.
Avoid sending the press release on a Monday or a Friday because Mondays
are too busy and Fridays are slower.
Send the emails out on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday instead.

Media List