Gaining local and regional news coverage requires a different approach than pitching a story to say, Charles Gibson at World News Tonight. The practical blog Getting Ink recently asked 101 trainer Linda Jones what PRos should be doing to get local and regional coverage.

Jones’ tips include helpful, yet seemingly obvious suggestions like spelling names correctly, making sure your news is timely and, of course, relevant to that small town or specific region, and respecting local journalists by paying attention to their deadlines and any email/photo clutter. The problem is not a lack of knowledge in dealing with local media, but is instead a lack of professionalism in dealing with local media. Perhaps, because PR practitioners know these aren’t the big wigs—heck, they may even be reporters straight out of the local college—local media are sometimes treated with less respect and attention than they deserve. Spelling names incorrectly, pitching a story about Crater to a reporter in Salem—mistakes like these happen when dealing with local press and are mistakes that should never happen, no matter the occasion, no excuses.

This lack of attention becomes a particular burden when the local media is useful and, in fact, necessary to your PR campaign. Case in point: local crisis management. PR professionals working on small-town cases, alerting communities about disasters and emergencies, need to have local media on their side and willing to assist in damage control as much as possible. Like the story I linked to on my very first post about the news media strategist in a child kidnapping case, local crisis calls for hand-in-hand work to be done with the local media. This strategist site can be used as an addition to Jones’ tips for getting ink in local newspapers. I encourage you to revisit this site and notice the focus this local crisis has on local media. National or local, professional or newbie, all interaction deserves professionalism and respect.

Photo courtesy of WLNY-TV at http://www.wlnytv.com/tv55-news-team.shtml.