News is what people want to hear

I've noticed in my time as a media practitioner that there is sometimes a fundamental misunderstanding about what will work as a news story.

"This is such a great story, I don't understand why nobody is interested!"

It's true, sometimes an internal story does not make the cut, and it's good to understand why.

Firstly, I have to say that predicting what stories will be picked up by media is not an exact science. Sometimes my instincts have been spot-on, other times I've promoted stories that I was not at all sure would catch on, but they did. And, of course, there are the stories that everyone thinks are good stories that disappear into the big black media hole and are never seen again.

There are many factors at play here, and all have to be considered.

1. Most media outlets have fewer people these days, tighter deadlines thanks to the 24 x 7 online world, and more pressure to leverage stories across multiple platforms, not just print or TV. In other words, journalists are very, very busy! It is important to try and make their life easier by providing great stories that are well-written and appeal to their audiences.

2. In this busy story environment, it's easy for a journalist to miss an email or phone call, much less miss a story you might have published on your website. It pays to follow up your stories with a phone call or email, and in the process develop a relationship with the journalist. If you can establish yourself as a reliable source that's helpful and easy to work with, you are more likely to have success in getting your stories covered.

3. As I alluded to at the start of this article, it's really important to understand what the media outlets like to cover. Do your research, read / watch / listen to the outlets you are targeting. What sort of stories do they run? What topics do they favour? What is the style of the stories - formal and businesslike? or casual?

4. Finally, you always have to define the newsworthiness of the story. What is new or unique about this? What is the human interest or business innovation element? Why would people take 2 minutes out of their day to read this - what impact would it have on their life or work? Will it entertain them? Move them? Make them angry or passionate? What do YOU read?

If you keep these points in mind, in time you will improve your ability to identify and share truly engaging stories.