How to Request Press Outreach from Help Hope Live (2026) 

• Your campaign story must be personalized on the Campaign Page. 
• You must have a client photo added to the Campaign Page. 
• Your campaign must be Disbursable. Medical verification must be complete. 
• If your press release is for an upcoming fundraiser, the fundraiser must appear on the Campaign Page with key details (date, time, location, cost, etc.) 
• You (or the media contact you specify in your PR Request Form) must be able to reply quickly to any requests from us on behalf of the media.  

Yes: You’ll be able to review and approve the press release before we send it out to your local media. 

While we include some information about Help Hope Live that always stays the same, most of the content of the press release can be edited or changed at your request.  

Please give our team a minimum of 4 weeks.

You may request 1 press release every 2 months with some exceptions. 

Keep in mind we must have updates to include in a new press release before we reach out a second time to the local media.

We cannot send out an identical press release, so communicate with us if you have key updates to share in a new release, such as:  

• Something you’ve been able to achieve, purchase, or improve thanks to the funds raised in your honor so far 
• Fundraising progress towards your goal 
• An upcoming fundraiser 
• A medical milestone or treatment opportunity 
• A transplant date or living donor 
• A personal milestone, such as a graduation 
• A special community moment, such as a homecoming or award 

If our outreach on your behalf doesn’t result in a story this time around, we can always reach out again in the future (once every 2 months).

As mentioned above, it’s important to have something new to share with the press before we reach out again.

In our experience, here are 6 things that help to make press outreach on behalf of Help Hope Live campaigns successful:  

1: A story that is easy to understand.

Your story doesn’t have to be simple. However, part of our job is to figure out how to make your story easy to understand for anyone who receives it, including someone with no experience with the diagnosis or a medical crisis. 

We like to share what you need, why you need it, and how much it will cost to get it.  

It’s helpful to explain complex medical diagnoses by breaking them down into symptoms that impact your day-to-day life and future.  

It’s also helpful to share specific out-of-pocket costs associated with what you need to heal, live, and thrive. Keep in mind that many people have no idea that insurance doesn’t cover 100% of medical and related costs.  

2: The opportunity to do an interview.

Many reporters will ask for an interview if they receive a press release and are interested in doing a story on the topic.  

If you can be available to participate in-person or virtually (or both), we’ll have a better chance of turning a reporter’s reply into a story. 

3: Plenty of photos.

It’s helpful to share 3-5 photos with a press release, particularly photos of you with your family or community. 

4: Showing momentum.

Whether a campaign has $100 raised or $100,000 raised, generally reporters and the public are more interested in getting involved when a campaign already has some visible momentum behind it. 

Momentum does not have to be donations only. We also make a point to share special moments or opportunities the community has made possible, ways that the community has rallied personally to support a cause or family, and other meaningful signs of momentum.  

5: Showing the goal and funds raised so far.

We recommend that campaigns engaging in press outreach have a visible fundraising indicator showing both the funds raised so far and the goal. 

We do recommend setting micro-goals when possible so that reporters and the public can celebrate these wins with you as they happen over time. A large fundraising goal can sometimes make it feel like one donation won’t make much of a difference.  

Your Coordinator can help you decide on a goal, and you can always increase, change, or hide the goal in the future.  

6: Details on local connections and impact.

If you’ve made an impact on your community as a volunteer, employee, organizer, or family member, these details can really help to solidify your local identity for press outreach. 

It’s also helpful for the press to know how long you’ve lived locally. Many news outlets exclusively share local news, so explaining your local roots help us to show that connection to the area. 

On average, our press outreach receives a response 60% of the time. Of the reporters who reply to our releases, about 60% go on to publish a story or interview. 

Whether press outreach is successful depends on lots of factors, not just your story. Reporters may be interested but may have breaking news that takes up their time for extended periods in your area.  

The short answer is, not always. News coverage can lead to donations, but sometimes, coverage gradually raises local awareness about your story and need.  

There is not always an immediate jump in donations once a story goes out.  

We have found with time that sometimes press coverage can lead to other kinds of opportunities, such as connections with other organizations, resources, or local businesses. 

It’s helpful to see press coverage as a gradual and ongoing process that raises awareness of your story with time. 

We highly recommend that you work with your Coordinator to take advantage of ALL the fundraising opportunities and ideas available to you. Press outreach is just one tool in your toolkit. 

We use a database to find all the reporters within a certain geographic area of your town or the location of your fundraiser. 

Typically this list ranges from 40 reporters to over 300 reporters depending on the size and population of a particular area.  

We will include all outlets that we can find within that area, including newspapers, magazines, online news websites, TV stations, and radio stations.  

You are welcome to suggest reporters and stations for us to include! Send the suggestions to your Coordinator and we will ensure they are on our list.

We want all of our clients to make the national news. However, we have found that the best way to secure national coverage or appearances on national programs is to get coverage in your local news first.  

Typically if a story gets a lot of local attention, it will get picked up by larger national news stations. 

Focus on local press outreach and allow local coverage to naturally help your story make its way to the national news.

Our press outreach is exactly that: press outreach. We do not send press releases to businesses, non-press individuals, or social media. 

You can talk to your Coordinator if you’d like to expand your outreach beyond a press release. We can provide ideas and templates to help you contact the right people.

Yes: you can send your press release out on your own. If you have any personal contacts in the media, share the press release with them!  

Keep in mind that press releases are created in a very specific format that is only suitable for reporters and other members of the press to read and publish.

We don’t recommend sending out a press release for any non-press outreach.

Yes: If you would like to be able to provide an online link to the press release to someone directly, let your Coordinator know. We can ensure your press release is published as soon as possible on our website and share the link with you. 

As noted above, just keep in mind that press releases are in a specific format that is typically only suitable for members of the media to receive and use. It is typically better to share your Campaign Page link, not a press release link, for non-press outreach.

Everyone gets nervous before an interview opportunity. Don’t panic! We would love to work with you to help prepare for an interview opportunity!

We can provide you with simple talking points, tips, things to focus on, and a practice session.  

Just reach out to your Coordinator to request help for an upcoming opportunity. 

And remember that it’s okay to be nervous. It’s a reporter’s job to help you feel comfortable and get all the key information across for an opportunity.  

Yes: If a reporter is open to it, we can participate virtually in interview opportunities or be quoted in coverage.

Keep in mind that we will likely not be able to participate in these opportunities in-person, however.