10 tips for working with ag media: How to share your story

INDIANAPOLIS — Whether you want to promote an ag organization or share your own story, working with media may seem intimidating at first. The good news is we’re here to help.

I recently gave a presentation about how to work with ag media at an AgrAbility National Training Workshop. Here are the top takeaways.

1. Email or call with your story idea. Be persistent, but not overbearing. Sometimes we get buried in stories.

2. We love personal, local stories. Can you tie it to Illinois or Indiana? What makes the story newsworthy? A few things to keep in mind: Tell us the important facts first. Why does it matter? We need access to useful information and facts. The more recent the data, the better.

3. Know your audience. Our readers are mostly farmers and people in the ag industry. So, it may not work to pitch a story about fashion.

4. Make our jobs easy by offering to arrange interviews or suggest people we could speak with.

5. Keep it simple and clear. Avoid overusing jargon, acronyms or abbreviations.

6. Try to be understanding of our crazy deadlines. We need at least two weeks’ notice for event previews. But we can share information on social media any time.

7. If you’re being interviewed, keep it simple. Take your time to answer. Always tell the truth. Prepare for the interview by writing down some key messages you want to convey. Repeat those messages to emphasize them. And don’t be afraid to let us know upfront what your key message is.

8. Share your vision. We are open to unique story formats and ideas.

9. Try not to be nervous. We respect you and your opinions. Our job is to listen.

10. Provide photos if possible. We need publishable photos with no copyright infringement. If possible, provide the photographer’s name and a caption. High-resolution images are necessary, otherwise photos look fuzzy in print.