Being newsworthy is about having an interesting and relevant story that will grab a journalist’s attention.
The more newsworthy your story, the higher the chance of getting reported in the media.
Which is why you MUST HAVE news elements in your pitch.
Make sure you have a few of these news elements if you want media attention.
1. New
News must be new – go figure! Journalists are always looking for something fresh, innovative and different. That means timeliness is critical. If someone else beats you to it, and what you’re saying is no longer new, it’ll be harder to get reported.
2. Size
Size matters. How big? How small? How heavy? And journalists love superlatives – biggest, smallest, oldest, youngest, smartest, richest, first, last….
3. Relevance
How will your reader relate to your story? The more relevant, the more attractive it is as a news story.
4. Impact
Impact goes hand in hand with relevance. How significant is it to the reader? The bigger the impact, the more newsworthy it is.
5. Proximity
The media usually reports on stories that are geographically closer to them. Think metro Vs country news. Or Melbourne Vs Perth news. It’s harder to get country stories into metropolitan media. And its harder to get Perth news into Melbourne media.
6. Research
Numbers tell great stories. Insightful statistics backed by credible research studies, surveys and reports can be extremely newsworthy.
7. Big names
Love it or hate it. Celebrities, even pseudo ones from reality TV, grab attention. Can you include big names or big brands into your story?
8. Conflict
Drama always makes news. But think beyond punch ups and brawls – that’s negative news we don’t want to attract. Conflict allows you to show contradiction; the difference in opinion or standards that you want to highlight.
9. Humour
Everyone loves a laugh. Is there something quirky or comical that you can share?
10. Human interest
People love stories about people. Their triumph, loss, joy, sadness, health, sickness, love, anger, peace, turmoil…