Reach ten thousand Catholics instantly
Would you like to reach tens of thousands of Catholics with news of your ministry via the local media?
Your religious community’s life, charism or mission is generally not well known to those around you – even among fellow Catholics.
Therefore, news about you that is put before their eyes would boost their knowledge of your Gospel life and spirit.
This promotion would have a good effect when it comes to vocations, fund raising or other purposes.
Free publicity for a local parish
Recently we were able get free publicity for a Chicago-area parish by approaching the local media – both secular and Catholic – with news about their ministry to Haiti.
When news last month that local gangs in Haiti captured 17 Christian missionaries and demanded a ransom, we wrote a press release for the parish with their response to the news.
The parish, St. Mary’s in the Chicago suburb of Huntley, has a ministry to Haiti that has been supplying material and personal help for their school and parish for more than ten years. We quoted a spokesperson for the ministry who reassured readers that the parish’s ministry was continuing, despite the violence. The parish’s help has been only in the form of funds for the last few years since their travel has stopped due to political instability.
The parish’s response to the international event provided news coverage for the Rockford diocesan newspaper, the Observer, as well as the secular paper, the Daily Herald, which has a daily circulation of 94,200.
(Above: Daily Herald article about St. Mary’s Haiti Ministry, Huntley, IL)
Provide the local angle
One good effect is that local donors can be reassured that the ministry will continue, and that they can continue to give generously since their contributions will be used to good effect, as before.
The parish’s ministry has also been contacted by the Northwest Herald, another news outlet in the Chicago suburbs, expressing an interest in giving coverage to the ministry.
The idea is to show the local angle of a national news event. We interviewed a leader in the ministry, wrote a press release, and provided photos to the newspapers.
Both religious and secular coverage
It should be noted that not all diocesan newspapers will give coverage to religious communities. We have found that although such communities may be in the diocesan boundaries, it could be that the Catholic paper gives publicity only to the diocese’s own ministries.
Secular coverage, while it reaches an audience of both Catholics and non-Catholics, typically has a much greater circulation. Include them on your list as well. If you have an event that is visual, you might ask the local media to send out a photographer or video crew. Or provide the camera or video coverage yourself and send it to the newsrooms.
No matter the coverage, any favorable publicity is good. Moreover, such news outlets are good for further coverage down the road since the newsroom editors know that once their readers have been informed about a local group they tend to be curious about more such news in the future.
News is what’s new
To catch the attention of local news media, you must come up with an angle. You might be thinking about your members’ jubilees or your charism. While meritorious, these typically do not catch the interest of the news media – certainly the secular media. Here are some ideas of news angles you can look for:
- Response to a national or international news event
- New activity, or new ministry
- New way to approach an old problem
After you get publicity, you can send notices to your own members, donors or other publics with links to the coverage. These are great bragging points. Thus the news event has legs and can be repurposed for an even greater effect.
This press coverage can work outside of the United States as well.
Would you like this coverage?
We at Vocation Promotion will work with you. Together, we’ll dig deep to find a news hook, or something that will attract the local media. If an idea seems newsworthy we will suggest a route to take to get this publicity for you.
The Haiti Ministry member whom we worked with, Jeannie O’Leary, said of our work,
“Kevin did a great job of writing an article about our church ministry and getting it published in our local newspaper. He listened and worked with me to print factual information.”
Our writer Kevin Banet has had professional experience as a newspaper reporter. He is familiar with the ways and quirks of a modern newsroom. He can sniff out a story idea for you and take the work of your apostolate and life to the thousands.
Whether you’re in the U.S. or in another English-speaking country, let’s work together to get you some well-deserved publicity. Let us know of your interest by contacting us.
