I'm frequently asked how to better pitch stories for Credit Union Times' coverage. The answer is not as simple as submitting a press release. Many factors have to be weighed on our end, including competing news stories that week, editorial space allotted and time. As tempting as it is on some of our larger issues to slice away at the editorial news, Credit Union Times always has more news coverage than ad space so each issue is chock full of useful information.

For those of you among the readership who seek news coverage, and really the basics should work at most news outlets, here are some dos and don'ts for obtaining media coverage.

-First and foremost, know and respect deadlines. Right now Credit Union Times' last deadline is every Wednesday afternoon. Deadlines wait for no one, including our reporters. If they're waiting on that one last source to complete a story and that person does not get back to them in time, the story either runs without the comment or waits until the next issue.