Creating interest
Journalists will only cover your story if they think it is interesting or newsworthy. News is typically:
- Controversial, new or surprising.
- Amusing or funny.
- Directly important to the readership (or audience).
- Confidential or secret.
- Linked with famous people or places.
You can make a story more newsworthy by giving it the right angle.
- Doing something to make the event more interesting (eg inviting a celebrity to the opening of your new premises).
- Write your press release to highlight the interesting aspects of the story.
- Tailor the same story to suit different publications.
Be prepared to compromise on what the release says, if it will improve your chances of publication.
- Your first priority is to provide a story which will be published. A press release which reads like an advertisement for your business is unlikely to be interesting.
- If your main objective is to increase awareness, the details of what is published may not be so important.
However, beware of providing stories which can lead to bad publicity.
What’s so interesting?
A little imagination can make all the difference, when it comes to catching the eye of journalists or local radio producers. For example:
- A new restaurant researched the favourite dishes of famous people, and included some of them on its opening night menu.
- A garage held a competition for sculptures made out of old car parts, followed by an exhibition at the local art college.
- A florist based a press release on all the medicinal uses of flowers in her shop.