To effectively advocate for historic preservation in your community, you'll need to develop a good working relationship with members of the press. An essential tool to help develop those relationships is a detailed and comprehensive press list. A press list is a set of key contacts who work in news media, including writers who work for newspapers and local magazines, radio journalists, television journalists, and editors.

Your press contacts can form part of your advocacy network – not just as contacts but also as individuals who care about preservation and can support your cause through their work. In fact, you might include your press contacts with your other contacts of preservation-friendly developers, city council members, and local business owners. You should consider creating a separate press contacts list if you:

• Share press responsibilities among staff, board members, and volunteers
• Intend to substantially boost your press outreach
• Plan to make a staff transition soon

Start Your Press List

When you are just beginning to create your press list, you may only know names and email or phone numbers. As your list grows, it might resemble a bibliography or clippings file. In fact, a lot of press lists aren't lists at all, but clippings files on local historic preservation news.

To get started on your press list, you'll need the following resources:

• Cell phone
• Fax machine
• Internet access
• A keen set of eyes
• A public relations mindset

Your press list will most likely be focused on local and regional news professionals. However, don't forget smaller markets, such as neighborhood newspapers and online discussion groups, including local blogs. Neighborhood newspapers and newsletters will often publish larger pieces on items a citywide or regional paper might not cover. Your neighbors read these small papers.

Good record-keeping is essential to building a great list of press contacts. A spreadsheet of local press contacts will help you keep track of who is saying what about your issue — or who might be an ally. If you are more comfortable with paper than computers, keep track of your press contacts on index cards. Your spreadsheet or index cards should include basic contact information, but also make note of past articles or conversations you've had with a contact. If a writer has a "beat," or designated subject area, include that in your notes.

Cultivate Your Connections

Once you make contact with a writer who is interested in preservation issues, continue to develop this connection over time. You can do this by providing the writer leads on new stories relevant to that person's interests. You can also build membership and support for your preservation group by connecting engaged and interesting citizens with writers who will reward them with press recognition. This is one way to put your public relations mindset in action.

For example, maybe a homeowner in your community wants to restore her 19^th century house after decades of mistreatment, including vinyl siding. Members of your preservation group decide to join the homeowner's neighbors in planning a weekend vinyl-stripping party. The homeowner knows that the house belonged to a prominent area family. She has regularly found clues about the house's past as she peeled back its layers. The combination of the party and the home's lengthy history could make an interesting news story for a local writer from your press contacts list. Press coverage of the event would thrill the homeowner — and possibly inspire others in your community. Without even promoting your group directly, you would advance your group's mission through a well-publicized example.

Learn More

Historic Preservation Advocacy Guide

Find more how-to articles about historic preservation advocacy.