Ask the experts: What Counts as Newsworthy?

Question: I’d like to see my company’s name in the media as a way of promoting my brand and getting more business, but I don’t think we have anything newsworthy. What do you suggest?

As often as not, companies do have good news going on, but to them it seems so everyday they don’t realise it’s worth shouting about. Often, it takes a third party to spot the newsworthy from the more mundane.

Here are a few things you could hang a good news story on which you might not have thought of. For example, is your business marking an anniversary – one year, five years, ten years? – that could make the basis a good press release. Are you taking on more staff, gaining new contracts, adding products or services, or supporting a local charity? Can you link your business to a national day or noteworthy event? Are your staff up to anything newsworthy that your business can piggyback on?

If all else fails, you can consider ‘manufacturing’ news through a survey.

In the Daily Mail online on one day alone there were three stories based on press releases that arose from surveys: A poll by Ariel found women are more likely to accept a date from men wearing a purple shirt; according to a Travelodge survey 80% of couples no longer kiss each other goodnight; and the Co-op found that pop songs have replaced hymns as the most popular music choice at two thirds of funerals.

Now, it’s a fair bet that Ariel doesn’t really care what colour shirts attract women, that Travelodge is unconcerned if its guest kiss each other goodnight in their hotel rooms, and that the Co-op is happy to play whatever music is required for a funeral.

We’d suggest the main – possibly sole – purpose of these surveys was to bag some PR with an entertaining story for a national paper. And they succeeded – job done!