You’ve crafted an award-winning press packet – all the information the media will ever need for your big event. But it only gets a couple inches in the paper, or a big storm arrives the same day your packet comes in the mail and the storm is the only thing that gets coverage. And even if you do attract some media, you’re disappointed because they left so much out!

Unbundling to the rescue. Unbundling refers to breaking your story into smaller parts to be sent out separately. It’s is particularly important for stories with a cumbersome amount of information. If released all at once, most media outlets will cherry pick an element or two and ignore the rest. By increasing the number of stories, you expose more information. You also soften the blow should a big news event smother other news on any given day. Each story also becomes shorter, making it more likely to find room in a newscast or newspaper. And finally, you have a better chance of catching a slow news day when the media will be hungry for content.

As an example, let's say your group sponsors an annual concert fundraiser. One way to contact the media is to send out that fancy, expensive packet with everything they'll need: the schedule, a list of performers with glossy photos, ticket information, media credential information, details on interview opportunities, parking and shuttle information, improvements from last year, and a profile of the nonprofit organizations supported by the concert. Very slick, but it will probably result in only one preview story before the actual event and include just a fraction of the information.

Here's how it might unbundle over several days, plus some post-concert follow-ups:

1. Initial announcement of the schedule, performers and ticket info.
2. Improvements from last year: more toilets and new stage.
3. Profile of an interesting concert volunteer, employee or founder.
4. Advance phone interviews with performers. Media credential information.
5. A heartwarming story of how the proceeds help humanity.
6. Reminders on rules, security, parking and shuttle busses.
7. Day of event coverage.
8. Post concert information on attendance and cleanup.
9. Thankful nonprofits receive big checks.

Smaller stories can also unbundle. For example, let’s say you’d like coverage for a “green” community picnic that includes people from many cultures. You’ve planned a wonderful event, and the typical press release would bundle all the information together:

-- Day, time, location
-- Many different venders and groups participating
-- Speakers will share their vision for a green community
-- Musical groups will perform
-- Games for children
-- Local foods served … some from recent immigrants that offer an ethnic twist

Let’s imagine all that information unbundled and sent out over several days.
1. An early announcement emphasizing a theme that highlights the healthfulness of traditional diets.
2. A profile of one of the speakers, someone with a compelling personal story and message.
3. A feature on one of the musical performers.
4. Send out a special feature on the local, yet ethnic food. It could include the story of one of the cooks. (Maybe send this one to the food editor.)
5. One of the children’s games is unusual, comes from another country.
6. One of the participating immigrants has a particularly interesting story (What immigrant doesn't?)

One final benefit of unbundling is that it provides multiple opportunities to make the point that the event is worthy of coverage. By hitting the news editors with several different angles, each with its own appeal to the news consumer, you raise the event’s profile, and the editors will be more likely to appreciate the news value and assign coverage.