How to get covered in non-academic media Scientists and other academics often embark on studies or make research findings of interest to a wider audience of laypeople.  Sometimes this work gets covered in media devoted to pop science or pop culture (Popular Science, Quirks and Quarks, etc.), and sometimes even in general-purpose news magazines and newspapers like TIME and The New York Times.

If your peer-reviewed research has produced something likely to be of interest to the general public, what are the best ways of bringing this to the attention of non-academic media outlets?  I imagine networking could play a big role here (that is, once you've been covered in the media once, you could contact the same journalist with news about related research by yourself or your colleagues).  But what if you have no prior contacts?  Do newspaper editorial desks welcome tips for science/humanities research stories the same way they do for general news events?  Is it a faux pas to write an enquiry directly to a magazine journalist who has previously covered research in a related area?  If a press release is the way to go, exactly how and where should it be posted or submitted?
I suspect the PR or Marketing department of your university would be very keen to help you place a story and advise you on writing for the media.

In every University I have worked in, this has been important, and media training was part of the staff development program. I was sent on a BBC media training course, for example, and can now operate a remote radio or TV studio, learn how to be an interviewee or interviewer and record students and staff for media inserts. 

Tabloid writing was a skill I also picked up which is so different from academic writing. Learning to write in a style that the bulk media might pick up and use is not a natural skill for the everyday academic.

So go and ask. Might be fun.