Our client, the Girl Scouts of Greater New York, recently launched Troop 6000,
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NYT's Nikita Stewart with girls from Troop 6000 |
a homeless shelter-based troop. The news was EVERYWHERE.
What made it such big news?
It was CURRENT: homelessness is a hot topic. And this was a homelessness story.
It tested CONVENTIONAL thinking: let's face it, when most of us think about the homeless crisis, we don't think of kids (even though there are 24,000 homeless children in New York City alone.) And, when most of us think about Girl Scouts, we don't think of homeless girls. This story took two topics we think we know, combined them, and turned them on their head.
It brought out COMPASSION. Stories about homeless girls who are getting an opportunity to do something we see as common, but something that's been out of reach to them, touched us. Not surprisingly, Girl Scouts of Greater NY raised nearly $200,000 from individuals donors, most of whom had never given to the organization before.
To be fair, there were a few other things that made all this PR success possible:
1. The New York Times' Nikita Stewart wrote a great first story on this troop.
2. The New York Times put it on page A1 and heavily promoted it.
3. We responded to every media request quickly and effectively. While we couldn't accommodate every outlet visiting the Troop, we figured out creative ways to get reporters and outlets what they needed. We had photos to share, facilitated interviews via Skype, made more interviewees available to expand the pool of interview options, and combined multiple noncompeting outlets for press visits.
What does this mean for you?
To be fair, stories like the one about Troop 6000 are few and far between for most organizations. But, as you look for potential press opportunities or developing press stories, focus on the 3 C's above - make your stories Current, test Conventional thinking, and play to audience Compassion.
