You slaved for hours crafting the most informative, beautifully written, and concise press release to ever cross an editor’s desk.
But you wait, and wait, and still receive no calls from journalists or bloggers. You follow up with the newsroom and editors give you the brush off.
You followed all the rules, you followed the standard press release format, and you distributed it widely. What happened?
Uh oh. You forgot to ask yourself “Is my story newsworthy?
What Makes a Story Newsworthy?
When an newsperson assesses whether a press release is newsworthy they are looking at the quality of information in that story to see if it is interesting, significant, or relevant enough to be reported as news. For a press release to be considered newsworthy, it should generally meet as many of the following criteria as possible:
- Timeliness: The information is current, recent, or relates to an upcoming event.
- Impact: The news affects a significant number of people or has far-reaching consequences.
- Prominence: The story involves well-known individuals, organizations, or brands.
- Proximity: The information is relevant to the local audience or market.
- Novelty: The news presents something unique, unusual, or unexpected.
- Conflict: The story involves controversy, disagreement, or tension.
- Human interest: The information appeals to emotions or curiosity.
- Relevance: The news relates to ongoing trends or current issues in society.
- Significance: The information has importance within its industry or field.
- Usefulness: The news provides practical value or actionable information to the audience.
A newsworthy press release should ideally combine multiple of these elements to increase its chances of being picked up by media outlets and resonating with the target audience. The goal is to provide information that journalists and editors will find compelling enough to share with their readers, viewers, or listeners.
Here are the top 5 questions to ask yourself before sending a press release:
1. Is my story timely?
Just like a Christmas tree recycling story won’t fly in July, a press release that deals with old news isn’t going to cut the journalistic mustard. Know lead times. If you want your Veteran’s Day story in a magazine, you will likely have to send your release months in advance. For newspapers and broadcast, editors and producers will usually still need a couple of weeks lead time unless your press release deals with breaking news.
2. Is geography on my side?
The opening of an innovative new small business in Small Town, Indiana may not make national headlines, but local and regional media outlets are always on the look out for a “local kid makes good” story. Always check the geographic angle. If the dashing young inventor you’re profiling grew up in one state, went to school in another, and now lives and works in another, pitch to all three areas. The same goes for a product that may be manufactured in one place and sold in another. Just because a story is not national news doesn’t mean that it can’t garner quite a bit of local press.
3. Will this story appeal to the masses?
While a story about a $2,000 car will appeal to millions, a story about a brand new aerodynamic knitting needle is only going to appeal to knitters. Ask yourself if your story has wide appeal. Even if it doesn’t, if you can pinpoint your target audience, you are in luck. There is probably a media outlet out there with the exact same target.
4. Does my story deal with a hot topic?
Years ago nobody was puzzling too hard over ways to save on their power bill. Back then, your energy-saving hot water heaters might have interested plumbers, contractors, die-hard environmentalists and nobody else. Now though, “green” topics are in the news. Read widely to discover trends and tailor your press release accordingly. While you may have once simply announced a new line of hot water heaters, now you can get attention by touting their “green” properties.
5. Does my story connect emotionally with readers?
You can be sure that very few Americans were following “Britain’s Got Talent” until the YouTube clip of Susan Boyle singing “I Dreamed a Dream” surfaced and garnered over 60 million views and counting. Something about Boyle connected emotionally with readers, and if your story has the same emotional resonance, you are in luck.
Perhaps you are announcing a new medical procedure. Connect emotionally with the audience by relating the tale of an against-all-odds underdog who beat cancer after undergoing the new procedure. Editors, producers, journalists and the public are, after all, only human. If the story tugs are your heart strings, chances are it will tug at theirs, too.
If you can answer “yes” to one of these questions, then you have the makings of a newsworthy press release. If you can answer yes to all 5 of them, then what are you waiting for? Distribute that release right now and wait for the calls to start rolling in.
More Examples of Non-Newsworthy vs. Newsworthy Press Release Topics
Here are examples of press release topics that are generally not newsworthy, contrasted with those that typically are:
- Minor staff changes (e.g., “Company X hires new administrative assistant”)
- Routine product updates (e.g., “Software Y releases version 2.1 with minor bug fixes”)
- Company anniversaries (e.g., “Local business celebrates 3 years in operation”)
- Trivial awards or recognitions (e.g., “CEO named ‘Best Dressed’ in office poll”)
- Ordinary charitable donations (e.g., “Company donates $100 to local food bank”)
Not Newsworthy:
- Major leadership changes (e.g., “Tech giant appoints new CEO amid controversy”)
- Significant product launches (e.g., “Pharmaceutical company releases breakthrough cancer treatment”)
- Mergers and acquisitions (e.g., “Major airline to acquire budget carrier, reshaping industry landscape”)
- Innovative research findings (e.g., “University team discovers new renewable energy source”)
- Substantial economic impact (e.g., “Factory closure to affect 5,000 jobs in small town”)
- Crisis management (e.g., “Company recalls popular product due to safety concerns”)
- Industry-changing partnerships (e.g., “Rival automakers join forces to develop self-driving technology”)
- Significant financial news (e.g., “Startup secures $100 million in funding, plans rapid expansion”)
- Regulatory changes (e.g., “New government policy to revolutionize renewable energy sector”)
- Major charitable initiatives (e.g., “Tech billionaire pledges $1 billion to combat climate change”)
Newsworthy:
The key difference is that newsworthy topics typically have wider implications, affect more people, or represent significant changes or innovations. They often combine multiple elements of newsworthiness such as timeliness, impact, and relevance.
How to Make Your Story Newsworthy
But don’t despair if you feel like you would never be able to create a newsworthy story based on the examples cited above. Most stories can be made more newsworthy with a little creativity and work.
To transform a non-newsworthy topic into a potentially newsworthy one, you can employ several strategies:
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Find a broader context:
Non-newsworthy: “Company X hires new administrative assistant” Potentially newsworthy: “Company X’s hiring spree signals economic recovery in local job market”
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Focus on trends:
Non-newsworthy: “Software Y releases version 2.1 with minor bug fixes” Potentially newsworthy: “Software Y’s latest update addresses rising cybersecurity concerns in remote work era”
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Connect to current events:
Non-newsworthy: “Local business celebrates 3 years in operation” Potentially newsworthy: “Local business defies pandemic odds, celebrates growth and expansion on third anniversary”
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Highlight human interest:
Non-newsworthy: “CEO named ‘Best Dressed’ in office poll” Potentially newsworthy: “CEO’s fashion choices spark company-wide sustainability initiative”
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Emphasize impact:
Non-newsworthy: “Company donates $100 to local food bank” Potentially newsworthy: “Company launches innovative employee-matching donation program, aims to provide 100,000 meals annually”
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Provide unique data or insights:
Non-newsworthy: “Quarterly sales report shows 2% growth” Potentially newsworthy: “Company’s sales data reveals unexpected shift in consumer behavior post-pandemic”
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Tie to larger industry issues:
Non-newsworthy: “Company updates privacy policy” Potentially newsworthy: “Company pioneers new approach to data privacy, setting potential industry standard”
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Show innovation or uniqueness:
Non-newsworthy: “Company hosts annual team-building event” Potentially newsworthy: “Company’s AI-powered team-building program boosts productivity by 30%”
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Grab your free copy of the Big Press Release Book – Press Releases for Every Occasion and Industry here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/big-press-release-samples-book/