1. Five keys to getting your story covered

2. Defining Newsworthy Thinking Visually Making it Unique Being Timely Writing Good Releases

3. Who cares? Would I stop to watch this? Would I stop to read this? What would make a great story? Ask yourself these questions?

4. What is a great news story? It is timely. It impacts people. It is unusual, popular or controversial. It is just about anything that will hold someone's interest.

5. Don’t Be Ordinary! Reporters don’t cover the ordinary, they cover the extraordinary. Dog bites man, old news – man bites dog, lead story. A story is memorable because it’s unusual – something you don’t see everyday. Twist your story to make it memorable.

6. Tele-VISION and Front Page Pictures Reporters tell stories with pictures. Non-visual stories can be made visual with a little creativity. A picture is worth 1,000 words. Even radio needs visuals.

7. Find the right time to pitch! Know that hard news will always trump soft news. Pray for slow news days or just know when they are. Any day that government offices are closed will most likely be a slow news day. Be a follower!

8. How to write a good release NEVER more than one page. Make your headline bold, clever and attention-grabbing. Make your opening sentence bold, clever and attention-grabbing. Follow-up with who, what, why, where and when. Have contacts that are reachable!

9. Make sure your story is newsworthy. Give your story a unique twist. Make sure you have good visuals. Think about your timing. Write a great release.