Bail Agent Publicity: 20 Ways to Gain Positive Media Attention
- September 12, 2011
- by Collateral Staff
- Marketing
News outlets tend to ignore most of the good things that bail agents do while focusing on the negative stories that pop up from time to time. This trend has been going on for years, but there is a way to rebel against it. By doing newsworthy things to help your community and also urging the local media to recognize your efforts, you can do your part to ensure that newspapers and news stations show their audiences the good side of the bail industry.
In this article, we'll give you some ideas on how to generate publicity, as well as highlight ways to get the media's attention.
Benefits of publicity
The benefits of community involvement don't stop at personal satisfaction. The publicity generated through community involvement also helps your bail agency grow through word of mouth and enhanced reputation. It's a win-win situation that you should combine with other marketing efforts you are conducting. Some large corporations pay big money for publicity campaigns, but you can conduct your own for little to no financial expenditure.
20 ideas to generate publicity
What you do for your community depends on the resources and knowledge you have available to you. If you have specific skill sets, you can teach classes or hold seminars. If you have spare funds, you can sponsor events or donate money to good causes. To get you thinking about how you can contribute, here is a list of 20 publicity-generating ideas that could provide photo, video and article opportunities for the press.
- Donate school supplies to children.
- Give free self-defense classes to the community. This can help to combat bullying or crimes against women.
- Sponsor community events such as festivals, marathons or movies in the park.
- Sponsor local sports teams (or larger sports franchises if you have the funds).
- Organize fundraising drives and other charity events, or get involved with others' projects.
- Participate in local community improvement projects, such as parks committees or city cleanup efforts.
- Donate money to a legal aid organization.
- Donate time to one of the many volunteer organizations out there.
- Donate goods to a food bank.
- Help with community safety organizations, such as Neighborhood Watch.
- Start scholarship funds for students who desire degrees involving law enforcement or related areas. Encourage the community to donate to your fund.
- Mentor high school or college students interested in the surety bail or bail recovery fields.
- Volunteer to remove graffiti.
- Teach weapons safety classes.
- Organize informative events where local figures (police, firefighters, politicians, interesting people, etc.) speak.
- Volunteer yourself for public speaking at groups' events. These groups include Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis, and law enforcement associations.
- Help around the holidays by donating Thanksgiving turkeys, organizing a Halloween hangout for kids, bringing Christmas presents to an orphanage, and more.
- Help organizations such as Habitat for Humanity that provide homes for needy people.
- Instruct local kids on how to fish, play sports, or anything else your personal talents qualify you to teach.
- Get involved politically if you feel that you can help guide the community and make beneficial changes.
How to alert the media about your efforts
Performing good deeds is only half the battle for getting publicity. The other necessary step is getting the attention of the local press. Here are a few tips to get you started.
- When contacting the press, make sure to identify the right person for you to pitch your story to. Call the person or send a thoughtful email describing what your bail agency will be doing. Give the person plenty of time to consider your story and potentially cover it in the news.
- Issue press releases before and after your bail agency does something worthy of publicity.
- Take many photos during the event and encourage people and organizations to post them on their sites, in their newsletters, social media, etc.
- Post photos and stories about your community involvement on your website, blog or social media platforms.
- If you have citizen journalism outlets in the area that allow you to submit your own news stories, use them. It's free and easy.
Conclusion
Keep an eye on your community and listen for its needs, which you may be able to fill by giving time, money or knowledge. Chances are you'll find many opportunities to put a smile on someone's face, improve your city, or otherwise make a difference (and grow your bail agency).
If you have established some good ways to garner publicity for your bail agency, feel free to share them on the LinkedIn group for bail agents.
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