How to work with local media

Journalists want real stories from real people: your plans, and your progress. Regular coverage can build community awareness, boost your activities, bring in more support and funding, and help create change in your community. This page covers how to build relationships with local media, write and pitch a story, and give a good interview.

Find your local media

Start by listing the media in your area: commercial and community newspapers, radio and TV stations, and local news websites. Then research each one:

• what stories do they cover through the week?
• who is their audience?
• what catches your eye: headlines, photos or personal stories?

Each outlet reaches a different audience. Community radio, for example, often has programs for particular cultural groups, interests or age groups, such as seniors or teenagers.

Be realistic. It’s unlikely a national current affairs program will run your story, so start small. Build coverage locally, then use it to reach a wider audience.

Get to know local journalists

Make a list of key contacts at each outlet, such as the newspaper reporter who covers health or youth stories, or the radio presenter with a weekly community segment. Call to introduce yourself and your group, and if you can, offer to meet for a coffee. Face-to-face is always better than a cold call. Be genuine, and be ready to go to them.

Ask each journalist:

• How often would they like to hear from you?
• When are their deadlines?
• How far ahead do they need to hear about an event to promote it beforehand?
• How do they prefer you to stay in touch?

Don’t assume they know about AOD issues. Ask about their experience reporting on them. If they’re less experienced, they may welcome guidance on language, such as avoiding words like “junkie”, “addict” and “alcoholic”, which deepen shame and can push AOD use further underground. Share the ADF’s Power of Words guide with them.

Keep a media contact list

Keep a simple spreadsheet or database of your media contacts, notes from your conversations, the stories you’ve pitched and the coverage you get. It helps you avoid pitching the same story twice and track the time you spend on media. Ask one person in your group to keep it up to date.

Keep the relationship going

• Respond quickly. Journalists are always on deadline. If you return their calls and give timely comments, they’ll see you as reliable “talent” and be more likely to cover your stories.
• Don’t take it personally. A story may be postponed or dropped because of other news, and the journalist will usually run it at the next opportunity.
• Remember journalists have a job to do. They present more than one side of a story. You can’t tell them what to write, but you can present your work in its best light.
• Choose what you comment on. Once you have a media profile, journalists may ask you to comment on AOD issues unrelated to your work. Comment only when it helps your work, and never on something you don’t know about.

A media release is a short news story you send to journalists so they can report on your work. To give it the best chance of being published, it should answer who, what, when, where, why and how. For example, if you’re announcing funding, say how much, who from and what it will pay for. If you’re promoting a public event, give the details, how to attend and what the event is for.

Your release must be news: something fresh and topical. You can raise an older issue, but only with a new angle.

Before you write

Ask yourself:

• What’s the hook, the line that will catch a journalist’s attention?
• What tone suits the outlet you’re sending it to?
• What are the key points you want to get across?
• Who will you quote, and do you need more than one spokesperson?
• What do you want readers to do, such as attend an event, complete a survey or visit a website?
• Will you provide a photo?
• Who should journalists contact for more information?
• Who needs to approve the release before it goes out?

How to structure a media release

Release date: at the top, write “IMMEDIATE RELEASE”, or “EMBARGOED UNTIL” with the date and time if it can’t be published before then.

Headline: short and catchy, around six words, in bold. It should summarise the story.

Lead: the first paragraph holds the most important information. Someone who reads only this paragraph should understand your story.

Body: put the most important information first and the least important last. Use short sentences and active language, such as “the group launched the program” rather than “the program was launched by the group”. Check every fact, and give the source for any statistic.

Quotes: quotes add a human element. Use one spokesperson per organisation, make sure each quote adds something new, and check that everyone quoted is happy to be included.

Ending: finish with “For interviews and media enquiries, contact” and a name, phone number and email.

Ask someone else to check it for clarity, spelling and grammar before you send it.

Pitch your story

• Send it early. Some local papers are finalised weeks in advance, so don’t send an event release the day before.
• Don’t send one release to every outlet. Generic releases get lost in busy inboxes, and competing outlets rarely run the same story. Start with the outlet most likely to be interested, send a short email with several days’ notice, and follow up. If they say no, thank them and move on to the next one. Note it in your contact list.
• Make people care. Ask why your audience should care, and lead with the people affected rather than the statistics or dollars. A pitch with a human face is more interesting than a release full of figures.
• Offer something new each time. Journalists won’t run a story that’s already appeared elsewhere. Look for a fresh angle, new data or a new take on the issue.
• Plan ahead with a media calendar. Space your stories out over time and across outlets. Some stories are best pitched before they happen and some after. Link them to relevant awareness days or weeks, such as Mental Health Week, and avoid clashing with big local events.

Provide good photos

Newspapers will always want a photo, so have people ready and willing to be photographed. Make sure photos suit your message. For example, don’t send a photo taken at the pub for a story about alcohol harm.

Everyone in a photo or video needs to sign a release form saying where their image can be used. Cover every use you might need, because permission for a poster doesn’t automatically cover social media. Children need a parent’s or guardian’s consent. If someone isn’t comfortable being identified, there are creative ways to take photos that protect their identity.

Choose a spokesperson

It’s usually best to have one spokesperson, so your message stays consistent. Choose the person who connects best with the media and your audience, not the most senior person. You might have a second spokesperson for a different topic, such as one for your activities and another for research and data.

Have your spokesperson, and if possible some participants, ready before you approach a journalist: “I have someone you can talk to, and people available for photos.” The less a journalist has to organise, the more likely your story will run. If you agree to an interview, always follow through.

Prepare your key messages

Be clear about your goal and stick to it. For example: “Our group works with local young people and mentors to prevent alcohol and other drug harm, because the evidence shows this approach works.” You can tailor your story to different audiences, but keep the core message the same.

Write down the three main messages you want to get across. Whatever you’re asked, bring the interview back to them, while still answering the question. If you can, include a call to action, such as visiting your website or joining your group.

Prepare carefully if the topic could be controversial or the interview is live. Practise with someone you trust.

During the interview

• Live interviews: you can’t take your answers back, so be sure of what you want to say.
• Pre-recorded interviews: it’s normal to ask to start an answer again.
• Radio interviews by phone: keep your key messages in front of you, but try not to sound like you’re reading. Imagine you’re talking to a friend.
• Be factual and honest: trust is very hard to rebuild. If you don’t know an answer, say you’ll check and get back to them. Double-check any statistic or quote before you use it.

After the story runs

Ask the outlet for a copy of the final story and keep it. Review your coverage, think about what you’d change next time, and record it in your contact list.

Local Drug Action Teams can contact their ADF Relationship Manager for help with media.

Related information

• How to run events, meetings and forums
• Social media for your local community projects
• AOD and community partnerships

Last reviewed: 30 October 2026