NEW YORK — Members of the media panel for the “Re-Imagining the Religion Beat” plenary offered several suggestions to increase the likelihood of getting media coverage at a time when news holes for faith-related stories has shrunk.

Among the recommendations were:

• Be responsive.
• Anticipate potentially newsworthy stories, including those related to breaking news.
• Have background on your organization readily available.
• Have a spokesperson available.
• Keep audio and visuals in mind when pitching stories or creating media events.
• Don’t “stalk” a reporter or editor after sending a press release.