media relations — Nonprofit Communications & PR Firm | Nonprofit Marketing Agency | Forthright Advising

Decline a media interview request with confidence

A reporter reaches out to request an interview, and it’s…just not the right fit. You have to say no to the reporter’s request, and that could be for a million different reasons, such as: You don’t have the expertise. You don’t have the bandwidth. Your team can’t agree on what to say. The reporter hasn’t been friendly to your work in the past. So…how do you handle this delicate situation without burning bridges? Well, here’s what our team has learned from working with the media for many years.

Nonprofit Communications, School District Marketing, Writing and Messaging, Media RelationsKatie Test DavisFebruary 1, 2024Decline media interview request, say no to reporter, decline interview, no to media, media relations, reporter relationships, interview requests, media training, spokesperson

Our top tip for pitching reporters

Smart communicators are moving away from press releases and using pitches — short emails tailored to specific reporters about specific topics. But we know writing the perfect pitch — and building personal relationships with journalists — can be tricky, so we’ve created a pitching checklist just for you! Download this free resource today and pitch with confidence, knowing that you’re following the best media relations practices possible.

Nonprofit Communications, Communications Campaigns, Media Relations, School District MarketingNiki JuhaszDecember 5, 2023media relations, pitching, pitching reporters, journalists, public relations, pitching checklist

Our Favorite Rule for Successful Media Relations

If you’ve ever been a Forthright client, you’ve probably heard us say this a million times: “You don’t talk TO the media, you talk THROUGH the media!” While we value journalists for all they do, a simple conversation with an individual reporter rarely accomplishes an organization's end goal. That’s why we’re sharing our favorite rule for successful media relations!

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Media RelationsNiki JuhaszJune 24, 2021communication, communications tips, media relations

Never Miss a Media Mention Again

Media monitoring tools scour the internet for you and send you email alerts when the search terms you’re interested in are mentioned in the media. Here are our recommendations for the best (free) tools to use, along with a step-by-step guide for getting started!

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Media RelationsKatie Test DavisJuly 29, 2020media relations