I am constantly approached by e-mail, phone and social media and asked to cover stories, events, businesses and charities. People ask me all the time how their business or charity can get on television. Here are a few tips and ideas I have for you – coming straight from the horse’s mouth.

When writing and contacting a media outlet for coverage, the one rule you must remember is: Keep it simple. You should tell me about your business in three to four sentences tops! We already work in a time-sensitive environment. Getting a full-page e-mail that lists tons of information will be deleted. Tell me the who, what, when, where and why in a few sentences. Here is more.

Keep it short. Get good at writing short (two- to three-paragraph) news releases and remember to tailor each release to the specific media outlet you’re pitching it to.

For example, if you want coverage for your charity event, send it to the PR department of the news station or the reporter known for covering those events. Does the station have a green reporter, a health reporter or a style reporter, for example? E-mail those folks. Research the big bloggers who take on these issues and reach out.

TV shows. Contact the morning shows that tend to cover these events (like “Great Day SA” or “Good Morning Texas”). Include one or two pictures in your e-mail that show your concept and appear “TV-friendly.” These shows are great because they generally have more time to give to your topic than a 30-minute newscast.

Ask why. Ask yourself how this story will help the public. In other words, why would viewers want to hear about this? Why is this important to the public? Answering these questions will narrow down your answer and keep you on point.

Follow the news. Editors and reporters want a story that is relevant. For instance, a story on the latest golf equipment would work around the airing of the Masters Golf Tournament, and a story about barbecue equipment would go well with the Super Bowl or 4th of July. Think of how your event can be relevant.

Network! Check out local events, mingle with other media personalities and introduce yourself to a local news reporter. A reporter or media outlet is more likely to give you a second look if you can preface your pitch with, “we met at…”

Build a media list. Fair.org has a list of e-mails and contacts for network affiliates, but it’s up to you to do the research to get the main contacts for the papers and TV stations that interest you. Call the media outlet and ask for the contact info for the person to whom you’d like to pitch your story.

Invest in social media. Make sure your Web site is clean and eye-catching, and that it clearly states your point. This tends to be the first thing the media will check out. Then, once your brand, company or event is in the media, post a résumé page of your appearances, features and articles on your Web site. Put a link to the video of the news story on your Web page. This builds credibility.

Don’t give up. If you get rejected, try, try again! I often file away ideas I receive via e-mail because they are not timely at that particular moment. If the person continues to check in and follow up, I keep that business or idea in the back of my mind, and when the time is right, the story will run. And never doubt yourself.

I encourage you to think twice before you hire someone else to pitch your story to the media. As Ehow.com says, “You are the perfect person to tell the media about your company, its history, its upcoming events and newsworthy team members.” Good Luck!

Megan Alexander is a correspondent for the national TV show, “Inside Edition.” She formerly worked as an anchor for KENS5-TV. She sits on the Advisory Board of NSIDE, and writes and speaks across the country as a motivational speaker. Find out more about Alexander at www.meganalexander.com. Contact her at malexander@cbs.com or find her on Facebook.