A common challenge in PR is working with clients to determine if their story is newsworthy. News organizations are often bombarded with pitches and press releases that have no hope of seeing print. As PR professionals it is our job to work with our clients to determine what the news elements are.
For example, a product release might not be appealing to a journalist, but if tied to a hot trend, it can help pique interest.
In a recent article I came across in Ragan.com titled, “6 questions to determine whether your story is newsworthy,” Susan Young suggests questions to walk through when deciding whether your pitch might get pickup. I’ve included some of Susan’s questions below along with examples from my own experience in pitching reporters.
- Who cares? It sounds harsh, but this is the no. 1 question reporters and editors will ask themselves. If you can answer this question, you should highlight it in the subject line or leading sentence of your pitch.
- What makes my story outshine the other 372 that crossed a reporter’s or blogger’s desk today? Just like standing out in a crowded room, pitches need to be unique. I guarantee that the journalist you are targeting receives hundreds of emails a day and you must grab their attention before they hit delete. For more information on how to craft a subject line that can help, read our previous blog post.
- Where would my story fit in this reporter’s world? Sometimes tying a product launch, a new company or event to a relevant trend can help your story. Reporters need to be able to relate, so try to tailor your pitch to be relevant to their coverage topic.
- When is this most important? Today, tomorrow, next Tuesday? Reporters generally cover day of news or preview upcoming news. They aren’t interested in something that happened yesterday. News is such a fast paced and competitive industry that old news is no longer news.
- Why would anyone sitting in their den in Utah, driving on I-95 in Florida, or bowling next to my dad in New Jersey want to pay attention to this story? The goal of a reporter is to have their story read or watched by their audience so the story should tap into emotions or a human element. For example, providing someone that the journalist can speak with who is impacted by the announcement can make your story more compelling. This moves the story away from the company announcing the news, but shows the impact the news has.
- How can this story help other people? The news is likely important to the company sharing it, but in the same vein as the question above, journalists like to illustrate how the story will help other people. By writing an article, how will the audience benefit from this news? For example, if you are pitching a story about a new safety feature for a car, be sure to call out how telling this story will benefit the audience. Will this reduce the number of accident fatalities? Impact soccer moms? Save money?
The more you can showcase why your story is newsworthy for the journalist, the more likely you’ll be successful in your pitch. For more information on what makes a good story, and additional questions to ask yourself when developing a pitch, read our previous blog post.