By Massarah Mikati

You did the thing: the community engagement, the story that’s not just relevant to communities of color, but also serves them with appropriate language and framing, in addition to critical information. But how do you get the story in front of the communities you wrote for? Here are a few ideas for you to reach communities traditionally unengaged with your news outlet after publication.

1. Distribute physical copies of articles at community spaces

Don’t underestimate the power of print, especially when it comes to reaching new communities. If you work at a print newspaper, grab a stack of papers and distribute them in-person at trusted community spaces — just make sure you connect with community members affiliated with those spaces beforehand so as not to intrude. If you work at a digital news outlet, you can always print out physical copies of your article and do the same. This is particularly useful for rural communities that have limited internet access. 

Bonus: In-person distribution doubles as community engagement — big win! Ask community members for their thoughts on the story or the topic you wrote about while you’re out there.

2. Utilize social media

Numerous studies have shown that communities of color get their news from social media more than any other source. Strategize with your team on the social media platforms most used by the communities you’re trying to reach. (For example, Documented uses WhatsApp regularly to reach the immigrant communities they serve.)

3. Partner with trusted community members

If you have a story that will serve a specific community, try partnering with trusted community members to share it out. This can be a powerful way for you to increase both your community engagement and your trust among community members.

4. Experiment with different formats

As much as we all love “capital J journalism,” it’s not necessarily useful to community members, especially depending on the topic. For example I remember writing a story about the new humanitarian parole process for Haitians as a traditional news article. In retrospect, I think a Q&A format would have served communities so much more, as there had been a lot of misinformation circulating on the topic. When working on your next story, be sure to ask yourself: What format makes the most sense to deliver the information at hand?

5. Ethically partner with community news organizations

Community news organizations, particularly ethnic news outlets, often have trusting relationships with community members because of years of being in community with them. Partnering with them is a great way to expand your reach — but be careful in how you approach those partnerships. If done poorly, those partnerships can be extractive and exacerbate the harm traditional news has inflicted upon communities of color. But when done well, both newsrooms, in addition to the communities they serve, leave feeling empowered.