*Excerpted from SPIN Works! The nuts & bolts of good PR: A media guidebook for public interest organizations. By Robert Bray. Copyright 1999 SPIN Project/Independent Media Institute, 77 Federal Street, San Francisco, CA 94107. 415.284-1427, info@spinproject.org.

Cultivate personal relationships with reporters. This is one of the most important tasks an activist can do when it comes to making news. In his book, Making the News: A Guide for Nonprofits and Activists (Westview Press, 1998), Jason Salzman quotes a reporter from a major daily whose sentiments are probably echoed by journalists everywhere: "A lot of what gets covered depends on personal relationships at the paper." Can't get more explicit than that.

Here are some tips for strengthening relationships with individual reporters and expanding and prioritizing your media database:

Be a resource for reporters. Develop a reputation as someone who has accurate information, meets deadlines, and is able to offer a good soundbite. Provide other contacts for the reporter, even from the other side if requested.

Be accessible to reporters. They will usually try to get you on one phone call. If they cannot find you, they will often move on to other sources. Give reporters your direct line-plus your home number to key media. Carry a pager or cellular phone, especially at media events where a reporter might be calling you to get the news as it is being made. One group scored extra television coverage simply because an editor, scrounging for news on a slow day, phoned an activist at a rally to get a quote. Before the activist hung up she had persuaded the editor to send a news crew to cover the event.

Always be prepared to say something about an issue when a reporter calls. A reporter never likes to hear, "I'll get back to you in ten minutes." They may not have ten minutes to spare or you might not get back to them on time. Clever, fast-thinking activists can spin off a soundbite at will. It takes practice, but you get good at it. If you don't know the answer, offer alternatives. If you absolutely do not know the answer to a reporter's questions-especially technical or factual inquiries-say the following: "I don't know that information. I will find out and get back to you immediately. What is your deadline?" Then get back to the reporter on time. You may also offer one or two other expert sources for the reporter's rolodex.

Know your facts. Your reputation rises gloriously or crashes ignominiously depending on the accuracy of the information you give reporters. Never give reporters inaccurate or even questionably accurate information.

Do not call reporters just to be quoted. Sometimes you may be a major source for a reporter and still not be quoted. It is frustrating but those are the breaks. If you feel the omission of you or your group substantially affects the story, call that to the reporter's attention. But remember, reporters are wary of sources who whine about not being quoted all the time. Be a resource even if it means you might not be in the story. Maybe next time you will be featured.

Do not waste reporters' time. In other words, don't be a schmooze hog. This is tacky and will tarnish your reputation. Only contact reporters when you have newsworthy information, a good pitch or are responding to an inquiry or a story. Some reporters keep a mental list of news pests, media "sluts" and other obnoxious non-sources who aggravate them on a routine basis. Do not make that list.

Do not call to verify receipt of a press release. Many reporters loathe the caller who says, "Hi, did you get my press release?" Reporters do not have time to call everyone back to say whether or not they received the release. If you call a reporter, go ahead and pitch your story. In the course of the pitch, you can remind him about the media release and offer to send another.

Do not exaggerate. You can spin your news, but check the hyperbole. Be reasonable. Not every story pitch will be jaw-droppingly important. Reporters are primarily looking for the facts, additional contacts, your quotes to convey a sense of importance or controversy. They do not want Oscar acceptance speeches, used car salesman "act now!" pitches, or screaming drama queens on the other end of the phone. Avoid "sweeps week" on radio and TV. Leave reporters to do their other stories -- typically the murder and mayhem pieces and other sensationalist or sentimental items -- during rating periods. Call your local stations to find out when the sweeps week is scheduled. Try to avoid making news at that time.