What’s the almost-free fundraising tool that’s super effective and fairly accessible that your nonprofit has been missing?

It’s public relations.

A basic definition of public relations is working with media resources to have positive stories about your organization featured in the news.

Although the time someone puts into PR isn't free, it does not require the hard cost that ads or direct mail do, yet a lot of nonprofits ignore it.

If your organization wants to get started with PR but isn’t sure how to begin, read on for some tips for best practices.

Do your homework. One of the best ways to ensure media outlets publish your stories is to pitch the right reporters and media outlets. Make sure the reporter and outlet actually cover the types of story you are pitching and familiarize yourself with their editorial guidelines. Do some research to see what kinds of things they have published before and use that to make your connection to the reporter. Your introductory email may say something like this: “I really enjoyed your story last month on the former bank executive turned fundraiser for an organization who provides clean water in third world countries. Our nonprofit is doing the same kind of work and just raised $50,000 to bring food and medicine to the children of a small African village.”

Tell compelling stories with engaging visuals. While the information is important, of course, you’ve got to move beyond the basic facts when pitching a news reporter. Find the most compelling, interesting angle and highlight that to craft the news release. As you’re creating the pitch, continually ask yourself, “So what? Why should they care?” Support your stories with engaging visuals. Attach photos, videos, or infographics to your pitch for an even greater impact and chance for getting published. Consider including a short case study or two to further tell your story.

Piggyback on current trends, pop culture, and calendar dates. What’s going on in the news media right now? While you may be able to anticipate the buzz around the calendar (holidays, or #GivingTuesday, for example), you are rarely able to predict a news headline or cultural trend. Always be mining social media for trending hashtags and keep watch for compelling and impactful news stories that relate to your organization’s work. Anytime you can offer a “local angle” or “personal insight” to a larger, national story, reporters should be receptive to your pitch.

Become an authority in your space. Identify a key person (or two) in your organization who is especially well suited to write “bylined” articles or guest submissions for various news outlets and blogs that speak about your topic to the audience you want to reach. Always be ready to pitch your key person to the media as an “expert” to speak on a topic as opportunities arise. Collect links to these articles, posts, and interviews into a central location (into a digital media kit, for example) for easy sending to interested media.

Getting more positive PR for your organization isn’t hard. It just takes a little bit of forethought, so make sure at least one person on your staff is on the outlook for ways to maximize PR. Challenge yourselves to send out at least one news release about your organization monthly, as you get started. Soon, you’ll begin to reap the rewards of an increased media presence through public relations.