Want Coverage? We've Got Tips for You

Want coverage? We've got you covered. Rockville Patch offers up a few tips for making yourself—and your news—known, with an assist from Reston Patch editor Karen Goff.

Patch has been a part of Rockville for six months now. We hope that the fact that you're reading means we've become part of the community.

But as we've grown, so have the demands on our time. There's a lot going on in Rockville, and that is why we need the community's help in making sure we can cover it all. Or at least most of it.

We are hearing from you on a daily basis about events and stories. Here are some tips to have a shot at your news or event getting on the site.

1. Post it! If you are organizing an event—say a fundraiser or school fair—you can add it to our events calendar yourself. If you have a Patch login, you can go here. Patch will guide you through what you need to do to to get your event on the calendar.

The same goes for our announcements page. Want to tell the community big news about your company getting an award or scout troop earning an honor? Go here and create an announcement.

2. But can't Patch come and cover it like a news event? Often, we can. But we are a limited staff and there is a lot going on. If you want event coverage or have a story idea you would like to pitch, here is what to do:

Send an email to Rockville Patch editor Sean Sedam (sean.sedam@patch.com) with the basics of what you are trying to say: What's the story? When is it? Is the event to benefit the community? Who will be there? What does it cost? Why is this news?

Let us know about your event about two weeks ahead of time (seriously, we get lots of inquiries telling us about something going on that day). Don't forget contact information so that we can get back to you if we want to know more.

3. You can be a reporter, too! Let's say we didn't make it to your event. You can still send us enough info that we can post it on the site.

Send Patch (sean.sedam@patch.com) a recap of the event. (Think about what makes this "news." Did Rockville beat Richard Montgomery for the third straight time? Did 500 people walk through the Town Center in support of cancer research? Did the third graders participate in a stream cleanup?) Remember the five Ws of reporting: Who? What? Where? When? Why? (And for good measure, add an "H"—How?).

Time is of the essence. Try to send us something within 24 hours. In online journalism, any later than that is "old" news.

Don't worry if you are not a professional writer. We are, that's why we will likely tweak your submission to match our Patch and AP style.

Sorry, we can't pay you for your contribution. But we appreciate it and we're sure the community will too.

4. Think visually. Sending us something? Snap a couple of photos too and attach them to your email in .jpg format. We will give you a photo credit.

The best photos are clear and have action. Posed group photos usually don't reproduce well; candids of a group doing something (walking dogs, accepting awards, dancing, etc.) are far more interesting.

5. A few words about news judgment. If we don't see you there or you don't see your submission on the site, it is not because we don't like you. Seriously, we just have to use news judgment. We can't make it to every 5K and we can't print every publicity piece. We have to make the call on what is going to have the most widespread appeal or whether something is Rockville-centric enough. Please don't take it personally.