The way some people talk about it, you might think getting your story picked up by the media is the hardest thing in the world. You might also assume press coverage is the be-all and end-all^[1] for your nonprofit.

However, getting press coverage isn’t impossible. People get their stories published every day, and journalists are hungry for content. Your nonprofit news can be one of those covered, but you have to approach the media correctly from square one. Here’s what you should do.

1. Perform Your Due Diligence

The simplest step towards press coverage—the prep-work—is often overlooked. That’s problematic because it’s one of the most important parts of your journey to get press coverage.

Getting your story picked up is all about the details. The deeper you take your research, process, story, and outreach, the bigger your chance of securing press coverage. Spend your time reading and researching sites and journalists to feel out their content preferences and specific beats.

Always ask the following questions:

• What market category does my story, news, or announcement fall in?
• Which sites cover news for that market vertical?
• Which reporters write the best about this subject?
• How many relevant reporters fall into this category?
• What is their email, Twitter handle, and other contact information?

These questions are designed to narrow your focus and help build a list of contacts. You should never put all your eggs in one basket, so don’t put all your effort behind one site or journalist. Diversify your list as much as possible. Then, segment it further.

2. Segment Your Press Coverage List

Marketers prioritize list segmentation^[2] all the time, and you should focus on it with journalists.

Maximize open and engagement rates^[3] by segmenting your list in several different ways. You could break contacts up by gender, age, interests, or industry. The level of data available for segmentation, though, depends on the depth of research you conduct.