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Click here to download Get Noticed in PDF Format EditorialIn a recent survey of local churches on the efforts they made to be visible in the local community, one answer stood out:
‘Why should we?’
It is at least an honest question. Many churches live (and often die) believing that in putting up a few pieces of paper on the notice-board, and handing out a few copies of their magazine, they have done all that can reasonably be expected in making their presence felt.
The gospels see it differently. Jesus told those who followed him that they were like a light set on a lamp-stand or a city set on a hill. They were there to be seen, so that others might look on the quality of their lives and their deeds and find themselves giving thanks to God (Matthew 4.14). In other words we are commanded to be visible for the sake of the gospel. If our purpose is to make disciples then we have to be seen to be offering a way of life worth considering.
And as so often when it comes to being faithful to Jesus’ words, there is also practical wisdom involved. A simple saying often used in the world of public relations is: ‘familiarity is favourability’. It is a well-attested fact that if people encounter the name of an institution or individual often, they are more likely to have a favourable attitude than to something or someone which is strange to them. The local church which establishes its name in a positive way in the minds of the local community is far more likely to be the place where people go when they seek guidance and support. Just as important, to be seen to be doing good short-circuits all the prejudices and half-truths people hold about Christianity, and about Christians.
Your paper needs youIf there ever was a time when the average local paper had a team of reporters with the leisure to get to know their area and sniff out less obvious stories, that time has gone. Like national and international media, life in the local paper has been affected by the constant drive to cut costs and increase productivity.
In many cases the local edition of a paper will rely on an office staffed by one person whose responsibilities extend far beyond reporting. A reporter will often be expected to produce so many words that there is hardly time to think about them. Many local reporters are simply desperate for readable material – the aim of the local church should be to provide some of that material.
Read the agendaLocal papers tend to be sympathetic to local churches – they represent readers and listeners and are often significant organizations in local terms. But that doesn’t guarantee publication of your stories. Material is far more likely to be used if it fits in with the agenda of the paper – are there any continuing interests or current campaigns in your local paper and, if so, could your church – with integrity – associate itself with them?
Success could hinge on something as simple as noticing that the local paper loves school stories. Sponsoring a prize in a local school could be a simple way to gain exposure. Associating with another institution or a celebrity who has no difficulty in attracting publicity is a winning tactic.
Or you might offer local media an opportunity to look good by associating with a good cause you are promoting – if a local paper becomes a sponsor of an event or campaign then you are guaranteed extensive publicity. What a picturePictures are a great way of generating publicity – provided they are good pictures. For some reason many local churches seem to think that a photo of someone they know, staring at the camera, against the plain background, will be interesting to other people. On the other hand a giant tomato handing over a cheque for the proceeds of the harvest auction to charity could well make the front page.
Anything which makes an image more unusual, even as corny as a giant cheque, can help. Make the picture interesting to people who know nothing about the event, and you have a chance of being published – provided that the photo is a good one.
Ask the ExpertEven the best ideas can be ruined by poor photography, usually the result of an inexperienced photographer or a camera which is not up to the job. If you have a good idea it is worth making the effort to find someone who can do it justice – again, most fellowships will have someone associated with their life who is an expert photographer and may be only too flattered to be asked to help. If the occasion is an important one (or the idea is a smash hit) there is nothing to be lost in asking the local paper if they will send a photographer.
If they say yes, you will get a good picture and an even better chance of publication – but even if they do say yes, it’s worth having your own back-up arrangements just in case the paper’s photographer doesn’t turn up.
Out and AboutFinally, remember that the best pictures will often be those created outside the confines of the church and its buildings. A large banner outside announcing 200 years of prayer and service to the community is a better picture than one inside. A miracle play in the shopping centre is a better picture than one in the church hall. If you are going to do visible things, do them in striking places.
Magic NumbersWhen secular organizations set out to gain publicity, they often make use of ‘magic numbers’. Churches often behave as if only major anniversaries can be used to create a special occasion or to attract interest. In fact, ‘magic numbers’ – important milestones in the life of the church – crop up all the time, it just requires a little thought and a little imagination to recognize them.
One easy source of stories is the church’s accounts. Churches which are active in giving to charity – as most are – will regularly find their giving passing magic numbers if they keep a close eye on their accounts. ‘Trinity on the Hill United Reformed Church passes the £5000 giveaway total since 2000’ is a good story and it costs nothing to organize – it simply happens.
A bit of imagination will quickly reveal all kinds of milestones in the average year: magic numbers of services (a minister who takes two services on an average Sunday may well pass 500 services within five years), the number of children passing through the various children’s activities, the number of people who have been members since the church started. The possibilities are endless and they can all be used to provoke stories in the local press and/or as the basis of eye-catching celebrations which keep your name in front of the local community. Wise as Serpents, Generous as DovesMuch of the key to success in attracting publicity lies in attitude – you have to believe that you are worth reporting and act accordingly. The use of money is an obvious example.
Many local churches disburse significant amounts of money in local terms. They also have the advantage that they are almost entirely free in how they use it, so they are free to do good with their money and to do it in such a way as to be noticed.
Part of the secret is to recognize that it is better, in publicity terms, to do good with money than to give it to others to do good with – and the end result need not be any different. There is a world of difference, for instance, between giving the local hospice a cheque for £1000 and buying a specialist bed costing £1000 for the local hospice. The first is a news item, the second is a story.
Small amounts of money can both do good and attract attention if used creatively. Sponsoring a prize at local school or a programme on hospital radio can make a significant contribution to the local community and, at the same time, generate publicity for very little investment.
And if the stakes are still too high, why not consider getting together with other congregations to put together a more significant sum. LettersSir,
I am writing to congratulate your paper on its excellent letters page. Over the years our church, Trinity on the Hill United Reformed Church, has received endless free publicity in the form of the publication of letters from our minister, elders and members.
We are a church with something to say, so whenever important issues arise, whether in the local community or the wider world, one or more of us will fire off a letter to you, not forgetting to mention the name of our church – Trinity on the Hill.
We usually manage to drop in some positive feature of the church, like ‘as a church which raises hundreds of pounds for charity every year’, ‘as a church with a lively young people’s group’ or ‘as a church which is active in serving the community’ so that readers not only hear our views on the issues but go away with a positive impression of the church.
Sometimes we will use a current issue as the basis for a brief Christian reflection couched in the form of a letter. Anyway, we just wanted to thank you for providing us with the opportunity of addressing your readers month after month for free. It’s an offer too good to miss.
By the way, did I mention that Trinity on the Hill is a lively Christian church which is active in the community and raises hundreds of pounds for charity every year?
Doris Smith Elder, Trinity on the Hill
Lonely HeartsLonely local journalist seeks friends in the local community.
‘I spend much of the week locked away in our local office in front of a computer. It’s good to receive press releases by email because it means there is less work getting the story onto the page. But I often wish that people would come in and talk occasionally. If they came in and chatted I could tell them the kind of items we like and maybe explain what was wrong with that piece of theirs that we didn’t use.’
Please release meOnce you have something interesting to say the time has come to get your story out in a form which is usable by the local media, usually in the form of a press release. That may sound like a very grandiose thing for a small organization to do but individuals and small organizations are doing it all the time and today, technology makes the process much easier.
Your aim in writing a press release is to produce something which is both interesting and immediately usable.
Those with an eye for these things will know that in many local papers what look like stories originating with a local journalist are in fact no more than press releases which have been given a quick makeover. Your task is to produce material which is just as interesting and requires little work by the journalist.
Success in creating press releases requires some humility. While everybody thinks they can write well, the truth is that only a few people can. The first task for a church seeking to get its affairs reported should be to look at the talent they have available – and that talent need not come from within the pool of those who run the church, nor even from within the membership itself. Flair for creative writing can often be found among younger members of families around the church.
Whatever the result of your search you need to write the best material you can within the talent available.
If you feel you can write the story in a form which would be immediately usable, do so. If not, head the release with a simple statement of why the subject is interesting, then set out the facts and figures as clearly as possible, answering all the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘why’ questions.
The classic press release conforms to what is known as the pyramid structure: the whole story is told, in outline in the first sentence. If necessary, a hard pressed editor, with a couple of centimetres to fill, should be able to take that sentence, put a headline on it and include it a short news item. In fact, they should be able to stop at any major point in the story and find that they have something which is usable:
Local man Joe Smith has become the first person from Anyshire to graduate from the Academy of Christian Clowning.
Joe, 56, a member of Trinity on the Hill United Reformed Church, has spent the last six months tossing custard pies, juggling clubs and dangling from a trapeze in a bid to earn the prestigious certificate, which is designed for church youth workers.
Receiving the award at a special service at Trinity, Joe commented: “I don’t think I have ever worked so hard or had so much fun in my life. I’m looking forward to using some of the lessons I’ve learned with our youth group.”
The £250 fees for Joe’s course were raised by the young people of the church themselves in a charity walk last October. Now the 20 members of the youth group are looking forward to an even livelier time at their regular Friday evening get-togethers at Trinity.
The idea behind Christian clowning is an old established one… Good NewsChurches are important.
Sometimes we are so busy being humble or aware of declining membership that we forget just how important local churches often are in their community.
They stage events every week (how many other organizations can get their members to turn out every week?), they raise money, they provide activities for children, they are involved in crucial moments in the lives of hundreds of people in the community.
Part of the secret of obtaining publicity is simply to believe that the church is newsworthy, that what it says and does matters. Realize that and you will begin to look at the events and activities around your church in a different light.
I am not ashamed of the gospel, said Paul. If your church is living out the gospel today, don’t be afraid to tell people – after all, it’s good news.
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