A news alert is an immediate notification of a developing story. They are typically disseminated across multiple platforms including TV, radio and websites to ensure broad audience reach. They may be broadcast live as part of a regular newscast or shared through push notifications on mobile devices. These types of alerts raise important ethical considerations around accuracy and sensationalism, but are effective in capturing attention during critical situations.
If you’re looking to generate press for your Lights On Afterschool event, consider creating a media advisory (also known as a news alert). Media advisories are one-page announcements of an upcoming event specifically intended for journalists and designed to convince reporters that the event is a genuine newsworthy story.
A successful media alert includes all the key information about your event and explains why it’s newsworthy. It also provides contact information for someone from your organization who reporters can reach out to for more information or to arrange photo opportunities. If a newsmaker like the mayor, governor or member of Congress is expected to attend, be sure to highlight this fact.
If you don’t have the resources to create your own media alert, setting up Google Alerts is an efficient and free way to monitor conversations about your client, competitors or industry keywords. The alerts will send you emails whenever new content is published that contains your search terms. You can then use this data to identify and respond to potential PR issues.