A news alert is a quick notification of a developing story, typically sent to a variety of media outlets for broad distribution. Often times, these alerts are disseminated as live updates that run simultaneously with a regular newscast or as push notifications on mobile devices. They can also be included in a video feed or shared on social media for instant audience reach. These notifications raise important ethical considerations around accuracy and sensationalism, and responsible journalists should prioritize verified information over speed while taking the sensitivity of tragic incidents into account.
The goal of a news alert is to attract the attention of local reporters and convince them that the event in question is worthy of coverage. Media alerts can be as simple as one-page announcements for reporters in a specific geographic area or as comprehensive as a press release that’s distributed via wire services. Take a look at this sample media alert for a local Lights On Afterschool event to get some inspiration.
Regardless of format, all media alerts should clearly communicate what is happening and when, as well as include contact information for someone from the organization who can answer reporters’ questions. If a newsmaker like the mayor, governor or member of Congress will be attending, make sure to highlight this in the alert.
In addition to creating your own media alerts, setting up Google Alerts is an efficient and free way to monitor conversations about your client or industry keywords. These notifications will send you emails when any news articles containing those words or phrases appear online.