Filed Under Uncategorized | Posted on January 24, 2009
titleIs It News or Is It Spin?/titlecategory1406/categorypbHow to Develop a News Hook for Your News Release/b/p
pWhen pitching your story to the press, there is something important to keep in mind: if you want to get the attention of the press, you have to think like the press./p
pIn the 20+ years Ive been in public relations, one of the most difficult elements of the game to teach clients is that the press is not a service organization whose sole purpose is to cover what PR people pitch them. Their business model is simple; they exist to inform and entertain their readers, so they can grow their subscriber base and sell advertising against those numbers./p
pSo, if you want to participate in the press game it is vital to recognize what wins the press loyal readers and increases their circulation…and then help them to do it! Step one is to get together a power-packed pitch. According to the Associated Press Stylebook the preferred term for a press release is not press release; its NEWS release. After all, its not called a press-paper - its called a NEWSpaper. Like it or not, public relations people dont get to determine what the news is. Only news professionals get to do that when they choose what to write, print or air./p
pSo, just because your company opened a new store in Cincinnati, doesnt make it NEWS. However, there may very well be a nugget of newsworthiness that you can offer up to the press in order to get them interested in the opening of your store./p
pWhere do you find those nuggets? Here are a few suggestions to help you mine the news gold in all your announcements:/p
pRead Your Local Newspapers You cant find a news hook until you know what the news of the day actually is. And, because it changes every day, you need to stay on top of the news (or hire an agency to perform that function for you, and trust their judgment when they advise you of potential news hooks)./p
pDetermine How Your Story is Relevant - This is the lowest hanging fruit in the news hook orchard. Look for anything in your business that is relevant to news taking place in your community or nationally. If youre opening a new bicycle shop in Los Angeles, then do some news searches to see what reporters have been writing about the area./p
pSay you discover that the area is economically depressed, in which case you can pitch to the press the idea that a new retailer opening there is a boost to the local economy, and that youre willing to take a chance on success in that community. Or you may discover that bicycle ridership has increased nationally by 10 percent over the previous year, with new riders indicating they have started because they are trying to get fit. Now you can pitch the local press on the angle that your new shop is aimed at capitalizing on this national trend./p
pThis strategy is known as localizing a national story, which every newspaper and TV producer loves. Because its a national story, they are going to report it anyway, but theyd prefer to have a local hook so they can be more relevant to the local audience./p
pDevelop Stories That Have a Beginning, Middle and End - Make sure you tell reporters a full story. Lets use the bicycle shop as an example. Opening a bicycle shop may not be much of a story on its own, but whats the story behind the story? Did the owners overcome any unusual obstacles in fulfilling the dream of opening their store? Was the owner ever a competitive bicyclist? Have the owners used their knowledge of the sport or inventory to help any childrens charities or causes? Are they active in their community? Identify the story behind the story, and youll have plenty of opportunities to find a news hook thats relevant./p
pTake Action - There is a reason why so many commercial enterprises and not-for-profit charities and community organizations partner up for special events - its a win-win situation for everyone. Its important for every commercial enterprise to be a good citizen and use some of their resources to help others, and it also helps to make sometimes un-newsworthy events relevant. Opening a bicycle shop isnt a big deal, but holding a grand opening event for a local childrens charity makes the opening more relevant. If the owners use the event to help raise money and donate excess inventory to needy children, it is both a worthy venture and a genuinely heartwarming feel-good story worthy of news coverage./p
pHelping people should be its own reward, of course, but thats also why newspapers and charities love these events. It not only gives editors and TV crews something joyful and happy to report, but it also enables the charities to get their messages out to the community at large. Your business improves its public image, and deservedly so, as long as the help is genuine and comes not from the pocketbook, but from the heart./p
pAt the end of the day, most of the time you can find news hooks in even the most mundane of news releases. The key thing to remember is that the focus of the release isnt to sell, sell , sell - its to convince a reporter that you have news to report and that their readers would be informed or entertained by what you have to tell them./p
pbAbout the author/b
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divMarsha Friedman is a nationally recognized publicity expert, writer, national radio personality, public speaker and CEO of EMS Incorporated, a national PR firm with a 20 year record of excellence. Every day she consults individuals and businesses about how to harness the power of publicity. Visit her online and claim your free PR video (a $100 value) for no charge today. A href=http://www.emsincorporated.com/http://www.emsincorporated.com/A
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/pTags: business model, cincinnati, circulation, few suggestions, hook, judgment, local newspapers, loyal readers, news of the day, news release, newsworthiness, nugget, nuggets, orchard, preferred term, press release, public relations, service organization, sole purpose, subscriber base
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