No one can predict what the news cycle holds, but seasonal activities can make forecasting a little easier. As temperatures drop and leaves change, there are fall trends and activities that mission-oriented organizations can hook onto to get media attention. Whether your nonprofit or company addresses housing or food insecurity, or supports environmental causes, there’s sure to be an upcoming news event that your organization can leverage . The key is to have pitches ready in advance, so reporters have time to do the legwork necessary to pursue the story. Don’t wait until the last minute.
Holidays & Awareness Months
- Mind your months – Breast Cancer Awareness Month is in October, and Veteran and Military Family Month is in November. If your organization works in this space or supports these causes, don’t miss opportunities to raise awareness about your work, share advice or resources, and get your organization into “causes to give to” stories and roundups.
- Encourage Giving – With Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday on November 28 (a day dedicated to global generosity and giving), and Christmas around the corner, the season of giving is upon us! Around this time of year, news outlets tend to highlight philanthropic causes and encourage donations.
- Offer Emotional Support – Despite the expectation to be happy during the holidays, the season can be a difficult time for many – especially, if it’s their first holiday without a loved one around the table. Of course, the lack of sunlight doesn’t help either. If you’re in the mental health space, this could be a time for you to provide advice on how to handle holiday stress or offer support to those struggling.
Weather-related Events
- Advice on Staying Warm – As the temperature drops, folks will be looking for ways to weatherproof their homes, find accessible winter clothes, afford rising heating costs, and shelter those who might not have a place to call home. If you help financially vulnerable communities, there are stories that you could offer – such as advice columns or information about the resources you provide in the winter, especially during storms. Be prepared to offer reporters resources and a spokesperson.
- Expect the Unexpected –If the thermometer doesn’t drop as much as expected, or the snow doesn’t fall, it will be a perfect time for green organizations to highlight the issue of our warming climate. Track the weather – including historic highs and low snowfall counts – and be ready to talk about the need for your environmental or sustainability solutions.
Politics
- Take A Stand – As we enter an election year, campaign issues will be center stage. Identify the causes that you want to publicly support, the ones you want to avoid, and be prepared to have a stance. Consider ways that you can be a part of the conversation – either by commenting on pending legislation with reporters or drafting an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Even if you don’t want to proactively pitch a stance, now is the time to prepare for political questions that may come up during interviews. The last thing you want is to be blindsided.
- Prepare for Events – If you’re in the climate or environmental space, Fall is an exceptionally busy time for you. For example, both the UN Climate Ambition Summit and New York Climate Week are this week. We recommend keeping an eye on news headlines, being prepared to react, and using this week to track headlines so you can plot future stories. Also, COP 28 starts in late November. The news landscape will be crowded and competitive during this time, so we recommend getting started on setting up meetups with reporters as soon as possible, if you’re attending the event.
Breaking through to the media is tough, especially when unexpected events are always happening. But, with a little bit of planning, perseverance, and PR expertise, you can make this Fall work for you.
