Ten Ways to Strengthen Your Relationship With the Media

1. Journalists are more tempted to contact you first on a story if you maintain a relationship where you respond to their requests as well as make requests.
    
2. Scouting is soft news. While the media must cover the hard, breaking stories, they try to balance them with a feel-good story. Make Scouting that feel-good story.
    
3. Every news outlet has a slow day. Maintain a relationship with the media and stay on top of events happening in the community to meet the media's need and provide news on such days.
    
4. Invite members of the media to be a part of Scouting events as event judges, essay reviewers, or speakers.
    
5. Because most journalists deal with adults, encourage Scouts to write a thank-you letter. Reporters enjoy knowing they have touched a child's life.
    
6. When contacting the media to cover an event, provide enough lead time and the essential five W's: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.
    
7. If you are new to the media or publicity responsibilities for your council or district, contact local media outlets to introduce yourself and ask about the types of stories they are interested in covering.
    
8. Scouting is a program of learning and doing. Become the local expert on camping, healthy youth development, Good Turns, and other Scouting topics. Help the media see that Scouting makes a difference in every community.
    
9. If a journalist covers a particular segment of the community—such as the disabled, ethnic groups, or gender issues—feed stories to them to show how Scouting meets the needs of many different groups.
    
10. Maximize your efforts by collaborating with other councils to promote an event or project.
     

The Merits of Marketing (marketing.scouting.org) is a resource for local councils, developed by the Marketing & Communications Division of the National Council, Boy Scouts of America.