How Stories Find Their Place
May showed how much effort, persistence, and timing go into getting a story covered. From op-eds to oysters to national broadcast news, the month was full of reminders that earned media is as much about the process as the placement.
Coverage Highlights
Baker Industries: A commentary on second-chance hiring ran in The Philadelphia Citizen. It’s a good example of how follow-up and steady communication can be the difference between a great idea sitting in a reporter’s inbox and it appearing in print. Read it here.
Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia & The Center for Black Educators: A joint op-ed made its way into Next City, a national outlet, because of the way it was framed: two leaders with complementary perspectives presenting a unified solution. Pairing voices amplified the impact. Read it here.
Fishtown Seafood: Oyster shell recycling had been covered before, but what made it newsworthy again was growth. With more restaurants joining in, the scale of the program had changed — and that became the hook for Billy Penn. Read it here.
Heroic Gardens: A veteran nonprofit received national recognition just in time for Memorial Day.
Featured on ABC News in a segment broadcast across the country.
Covered on WHYY, which had recorded the story earlier but held it until Memorial Day for maximum impact.
Picked up by NPR’s Up First newsletter, spreading through affiliate stations nationwide.
Shared by Glenside Local, bringing the national moment back to the community level.
Story Behind the Story
What tied May’s coverage together was the work behind the headlines:
Follow-up matters: A quick text can make the difference between silence and a published piece.
Collaboration adds weight: Two leaders speaking together in an op-ed carried more impact than either voice alone.
A fresh hook is essential: Even well-known stories need a “what’s new?” angle to earn another run.
Timing is everything: A story held for the right moment can break wide open, reaching audiences far beyond its original scope.
Coaching Corner
For anyone preparing for media, the same principles apply:
Be clear about what’s new or different in your story.
Think about how collaboration or partnerships strengthen the message.
Remember that timing can be just as important as content.
Wrapping Up
May’s coverage shows that earned media is less about big splashes and more about steady effort — nurturing relationships, reframing stories, and waiting for the right moment. When those pieces come together, the impact can stretch from a local paper all the way to national TV.
