Christmas is coming
Christmas is the perfect opportunity for your church to get coverage in local media. It’s the time when everyone’s talking about baby Jesus, so why not use the reason for the season to spread the message of hope to even more people?
If you’re a church leader, you ought to be thinking of ways the local media might be interested in covering your festive efforts. This is the moment in the calendar year when the media will gladly engage with your church and its activity.
Everyone loves a good news story at Christmas. It’s the time to smile, to give gifts and bring happiness, so if your story can bring some seasonal cheer, read on. These tips should help…
Your church is holding a carol service this year? Well, so are thousands of others. Sorry, but to gain media coverage, you’re going to have to think outside the box and announcing the usual traditions just isn’t going to cut it.
Are you doing any extraordinary giveaways? Do you have an event lined up that knocks every carol service out of the park? Are you supporting missions overseas for the festive season? These are all incredible stories that the local media should snap up. It’d put your church on the radar at a time when giving and generosity is being celebrated. But you have to think different!
Can you imagine if Santa turned up on December 26th? Your little ones would be a little disappointed. Well, local media journalists are similar. The word Christmas is banned in most newsrooms after December 24th, so if you want local media coverage this season, you better get it in early.
From early December, Christmas stories will be welcomed so it’s worth sending suggestions to local editors and producers ASAP. And don’t forget good photographs! These are vital if you want to gain newspaper or online coverage. It’s worth asking a local photographer to take some festive shots for you. They might even be willing to do it for free.
Most testimonies can include a Christmas spin. Think long and hard about who in your congregation might have a great tale to tell. Perhaps someone found Christ in an unusual and incredible way earlier in the year. Could this be their first Christmas as a Christian?
What about a family that’s fostered or adopted a child? How will Christmas look for them? Or there could be a sadder story of how someone is facing Christmas alone for the first time but their faith in Christ is helping them through.
The media loves personal stories, and the beauty about Christianity is that everyone has one! So get your thinking cap on and see who you know who might be able to be the face of your church’s Christmas campaign. As they communicate the greatest message ever told, others will undoubtedly be impacted.
Church: this is OUR season. The story of Jesus’ birth is being heard by millions of people this month. His name will be on everyone’s lips and in the midst of the commercial chaos, the rush to get and give presents and the ridiculous amount of food we all consume, we can take a moment to pause. The baby from Bethlehem still gets everyone talking!
What better way to celebrate his birth than to tell stories of what his followers are still doing thousands of years later?
Written by Matthew Murray, Press Officer, Jersey Road PR.
Securing local media coverage is an excellent way to raise your profile in your community, build trust and encourage people to take action. Here are five steps to help you get great local media coverage:
