Kirsteen Thorne: Tips for Charity Media

Former BBC Local producer delivers insights to charities to help them get the most out of their media engagements.

On Thursday, 19th September, we had the pleasure of hosting a breakfast workshop at our office, bringing together a variety of local charities for an inspiring session led by Kirsteen Thorne. With her background as a presenter and producer for BBC Local, Kirsteen has extensive experience interviewing local charities and helping them share their stories.

After some time to network and enjoy a warm drink, attendees were treated to an informative and dynamic presentation from Kirsteen. Charities gained valuable tips on making their stories more captivating and newsworthy, along with key insights into current trends in the media landscape. She also provided helpful advice on preparing for radio and TV interviews.

We’ve compiled a list of our top takeaways from Kirsteen’s lively and informative session.

1. TV news may not be king, but its influence remains.

TV news is no longer the primary means by which people access news. Online took over for the first time this year, with 71% of adults accessing their news primarily online. Nevertheless, TV remains rated as one of the most trustworthy sources of news – much more so than online news.

2. Embrace interviews without fear.

Kirsteen advised against over-preparing or relying too heavily on a script during interviews, as interviewers are there to help you shine, not catch you off guard. She also suggested involving different team members in media appearances to keep things dynamic and fresh.

3. Shrinking news teams bring both challenges and opportunities for press releases.

Turnover in news teams is high and the size of teams is shrinking, but demand for stories is still high, so well-produced, ‘ready-made’ stories have a good chance of being picked up. Send complete, ‘ready-to-print’ press releases with statistics, photos and quotes. Try to send it to a named person at that publication – most news websites have a list of staff emails.

4. Human stories are key.

It can be challenging to articulate the full scope of our work, but connecting on a personal level makes this much easier. Kirsteen emphasised that focusing on a single case study—a specific individual you’ve supported—can effectively showcase the broader impact of your organisation. Ensure your team understands what makes a compelling story so they can bring attention to cases you might overlook. Unusual, powerful, or emotional stories tend to grab attention, but at the core, it’s the human element that makes stories impactful.

Kirsteen’s quick tips for TV and radio interviews:

Relax! – Keep it natural, conversational, don’t worry about interjections or pauses.
Trust the interviewer – let them set pace and take control. It’s their job to keep it going.
Be honest – try and answer truthfully if you don’t know the answer, just say.
Be concise – stick to answering the question, be conversational but keep it tight. Don’t waste all your time on one answer, particularly if live.
Prepare, but DON’T SCRIPT!- have some important details to hand, don’t try and script answers.

“It was really useful to hear from Kirsteen’s expertise in producing and presenting, what the realities are like for people working in the media right now – how hard pressed they are, but also about their priorities, interests and motivations. I liked her tip to not script answers: to instead just get the background info in our heads, and know that the interviewer will likely start with a ‘leading’ question then pick up on something that grabs their interest.”

Attendee

More than just a funder…

Kirsteen delivered this training as part of Norfolk ProHelp, funded by Empowering Communities. This partnership between Voluntary Norfolk and Community Action Norfolk, alongside Norfolk Community Foundation, Norfolk Community Advice Network and FUSE Norwich, draws together skills and experience from across the voluntary and community sector to enhance support for Norfolk-based groups.