Advancement · Communications

Good news, placed
and handled well.

Schools and nonprofits have more good stories than coverage, and most pitches die for small reasons: the wrong reporter, no follow-up, a peg that passed, a release nobody collected. Log each pitch with its outlet, peg and status. The organizer counts days since the pitch, flags the follow-ups due and stops a camera crew from arriving before student releases are signed.

Log a pitchWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Development and giving kit, $39 for 27 items.

Pitches

The worked example is made up, with invented outlets: a robotics title pitched five days ago with no answer, a TV feature with students and unsigned releases, and a radio story that ran last month. Saved on this device only.

Loading the pitch form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Advancement · Communications$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per pitch: outlet, kind, beat, the story in a line, date pitched, news peg, whether students appear, status and five checks. Works out days since the pitch and to the peg; shows the response rate and stories that ran; flags pitches with no answer after three days, students featured without signed releases, pegs coming up with no answer and stories that ran with no thank-you.
Who it is for
Communications directors, school public information officers and nonprofit staff who work with local media.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per pitch. Prints one pitch, every pitch in a table or a blank pitch sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Development and giving kit ($39) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Communications space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Find the reporter who covers the beat.
  2. Write the story in one line with its peg.
  3. Collect student releases before pitching.
  4. Follow up once after three days.
  5. Share and thank after it runs.

Log a pitch

Pitching that works

A pitch a reporter can use1The right personA reporter who covers thisbeat.2One lineThe story, and why now.3The factsNames, numbers, a fact sheet,one contact.4Consent firstReleases for every studentshown.5Follow up onceThree days later, withsomething new.6After it runsShare it, and thank them.A pitch a reporter can use1The right personA reporter who covers this beat.2One lineThe story, and why now.3The factsNames, numbers, a fact sheet, onecontact.4Consent firstReleases for every student shown.5Follow up onceThree days later, with something new.6After it runsShare it, and thank them.
Student consent comes before any interview is booked, never after the camera arrives.

Students on camera

Districts set media release rules, and families can usually opt out of having their child’s name or image shared. Check the release list before a reporter is invited, and steer cameras away from any student without one.

The peg

A story is easier to place with a reason it is news now: a game, a ceremony, a date, a national week. Pitch one to two weeks before the peg; after it passes, the same story becomes a feature that may never find room.

Sources

  1. National School Public Relations Association. Media relations guidance for schools (nspra.org).
  2. U.S. Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy Office. FERPA and directory information, including photos (studentprivacy.ed.gov).
  3. Society of Professional Journalists. Code of Ethics (spj.org).
  4. Associated Press. The Associated Press Stylebook, on fact sheets and attribution.

The worked example is made up and the outlet names are invented. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.