What journalists really want (and what makes a good story!)
The secret to what journalists and editors are looking for and how to get them to feature you
Hey! I just wanted to start this piece with a proper hello and apologise for my recent silence.
I had to take a last minute (and very unplanned) hiatus from my desk and, as cloning technology has not reached me in the New Forest, I’ve been unable to keep up with my beloved PR Roundup articles.
So I’m kicking things off with What journalists really want - and what makes a good story. Plus, special access to a previously paid-for article too.
Let’s dive in!
Kerri L Watt
If you missed it (or need a PR refresher)…
What journalists really want
I worked in PR for a decade before I trained as a journalist a few years ago, and spent most of those PR days either ‘doing’ media relations for companies (so getting them in the media) or training business owners and marketing teams how to do PR themselves in-house.
In that time, I have seen hundreds, probably thousands, of bad pitches. And by that, I mean an email or social media post directed to journalists in the hope of being featured.
To do your own PR and get mentioned in the media doesn’t need to be that hard.
I believe with the right guidance, anyone can do their own PR. (Hence this newsletter!)
Now I can’t tell you exactly what every editor, producer or journalist around the world wants right now.
But what I can tell you is they are probably looking for;
Content
Ideas
Angles
Opinions
Stories
In short…
Things to interest their readers and viewers.
So, what makes a great story that will entice a journalist to write about you or your business?
If you’re thinking about putting yourself out there, the main piece of advice I can give is to actually have something to say.
Don’t just write a press release about something super dull and expect that all the newspapers will copy and paste it onto their website.
There are a few things a ‘story’ needs in order to be ‘newsworthy’ and to get on a journalist's radar…
Human interest
Who is the person behind your story? For example, if your company is celebrating an anniversary, is there an employee who’s been there since the start or what is the founder's story?
It can’t just be an advert
That is what advertising is for. There’s a difference between a paid ad and a PR opportunity. We need a story, not just a “here’s our new product, buy it.”
Sharing a new irrelevant product won’t really bring any value to our readers so it’s unlikely to be featured.
Relevance
You need to get our stories in front of the right journalists and publications. So, not sending your new makeup product to a tech mag.
I get loads of emails and random press releases from companies nowhere near my location or relevant to what I write about so I am never going to feature them.
And I know this happens to most journalists. So, make sure your story (or idea) is relevant to whoever you’re sending it to.
Timing
Think ‘why now’. Why would they publish your story this week or this month?
This is always necessary but if you’re doing something because it’s a current trend, there was a new study released, the law has changed in your industry, or there’s an upcoming awareness day, this all helps give the story more ‘legs’ and make the story more enticing.
And that, in a nutshell, is a few ways to entice a journalist to write about your business and be featured in the media.
So, what else makes a good news story?
This is a piece for paid subscribers, but is available to you for free until 04 June.
