How to get publicity for your non-profit organization
About us:
Toronto Community News publishes ten community newspapers in Toronto: Annex Guardian, Bloor West Villager, City Centre Mirror, Parkdale-Liberty Villager, Etobicoke Guardian, North York Mirror, Scarborough Mirror, Beach-Riverdale Mirror, East York-Riverdale-Leaside Mirror, and York Guardian. These newspapers reach almost 450,000 homes across the city.
The Scarborough Mirror, North York Mirror and Etobicoke Guardian have two editions per week, publishing Wednesday and Friday. The others publish on Friday.
Toronto Community News is part of the Metroland group of community newspapers, which is owned by Torstar, which also owns the Toronto Star and Harlequin. Metroland currently owns about 100 newspapers across southern Ontario.
Each of the newspapers published by Toronto Community News focuses on its own community. Since municipal amalgamation, we have found that some city issues apply to all areas, but we make every attempt to localize those for our individual papers. But our first priority is to report on what is happening in each unique market in which we publish. That is why you may not get the coverage you are seeking from the newsroom if an event or issue you wish to be publicized is not specific to a community.
What we’re looking for
Always, we are looking for a local hook to a story. Please keep this in mind when you are writing press releases or pitching a story via phone or e-mail. We can’t possibly make return phone calls or e-mails on the hundreds of releases we receive weekly, so we are forced to base our responses on the information initially provided.
Please give us advance notice of your upcoming event. If you leave it until the last minute, we may not be able to accommodate your request for publicity. If we are made aware of an event well in advance, there is a better chance we can do something for you.
Our calendar of upcoming events, submissions for which are needed at least two weeks prior to the day of the event, is available only to non-profit groups. In addition, some events will be selected for additional coverage, perhaps photos and/or a story.
A picture says a thousand words, and requests for photography at community events are plentiful. Although we do our best to accommodate those requests, because of our limited photo space, we have to be selective about what we cover and only the best photos make it into the paper. We try to avoid ‘grip and grin’ photos, like cheque presentations because they are boring. Get creative when seeking photo coverage. See if you can get access to the roof of your building for an unusual angle. Instead of seeking a photo of the passing of a cheque, arrange for a photo of whatever the cheque is going to purchase. For example, if your group is donating money to purchase wheelchairs, forget the giant cheque and plan a photo of the wheelchair and its recipient.
Though politicians and other dignitaries attending your event might be important to you, it usually isn’t interesting to readers. Remember, it’s the community event itself that’s important, not those who choose to drop by.
General notes
Not every one of your group’s events is going to get the kind of coverage you’d like. Although it’s important to you and the organizations you serve, there are many other organizations that deserve equal coverage and we need to rotate and accommodate as many requests as we can.
Please ensure any press releases are legible, and that they include the five Ws: who, what, where (exact address, street name and number, nearest intersection and postal code), when and why. Please keep it brief. If it’s something we’re interested in, we’ll follow up with a phone call or e-mail and the item will be written by a staff member.
Deadline days are busy. Please don’t be offended if we are unable to take a great deal of time to speak to you on those days. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are deadline days, with Thursday being the most hectic. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
We prefer to have requests and press releases in writing. It’s a great starting point for the reporter who may be assigned your story.
Make sure there is a contact person and daytime phone number listed on every release. If that number is not to be published, please indicate clearly which number is for media contacts and which is the number for the public to call.
When calling about a non-profit event, please tell the receptionist you wish to speak to someone about a press release or public service announcement. If you refer to it as an ad, you will be put through to the advertising department, which, incidentally, has reduced rates for non-profit groups.
How to contact us:
Editor-in-Chief
Deborah Bodine
416-774-2260
Regional Managing Editor
Steve Houston
416-774-2232
Managing Editors
Alan Shackleton
416-774-2257
Scarborough Mirror/ East York-Riverdale-Leaside Mirror
Paul Futhey
416-774-2256
North York Mirror/ York Guardian/ Toronto Business Times
Grace Peacock
416-675-4390 ext. 237
Etobicoke Guardian/ Bloor West Villager
Antoine Tedesco
416-675-4390 ext. 237
Annex Guardian/Beach-Riverdale Mirror/City Centre Mirror/Parkdale-Liberty Villager
Our calendar events can be viewed at http://events.insidetoronto.com
The North York Mirror
The York Guardian
The Scarborough Mirror
The Beach Mirror
The East York Mirror
The City Centre Mirror
The Bloor West Villager
The Annex Guardian
Parkdale-Liberty Villager
The Etobicoke Guardian
