We live in a time when anyone with a computer has the opportunity to start a global company, find investors through crowdfunding, or develop a mass following on social media. It’s an incredible time to be alive, because anyone has the power to build a brand.
As awesome as this is, it also means that the competition for the attention of your brand’s audience is more vast. When you go to tell your company’s story or share an announcement, you’ll find that the news may not have the same impact as you imagined. Even if the story is major to you, how it compares to the constant real-time updates from every other company can make a difference on whether it’s considered “newsworthy.”
So, how do you know if your brand’s announcement is worthy of the media’s attention? Surely, it can be. You just have to position the news in the most enticing way possible. Read on for some insight on making your story more newsworthy.
First of its kind.
If you’re announcing a new product or service that has never been launched previously, this is the news hook. Many companies, though, have a hard time finding the right words to explain how what they’re doing is unique. In your press release and interviews, really drive this point home. Use research and industry experts to verify your claim, and point to similar examples that have come before your product and discuss how yours is the exclusive update.
Numbers, facts, figures.
Members of the media love statistics. Keep in mind that reporters are also fighting for attention in today’s real-time environment. Numbers are catchy. They capture the attention of readers. They also serve as another proof point that your announcement is substantial. If you’re celebrating the 10-year anniversary of your company, how many people do you employ? How have sales grown? How many customers do you have? Find a statistic relevant to the news and incorporate it into your pitch or press release.
People over profits.
They’re called ‘human interest stories’ because they’re interesting. If you can put a face to your story, that will grab your audience’s attention because they can empathize. If you’re launching a new product, share how it will improve the lives of your customers or the story of how the engineer was inspired to create it. The more relatable your story is, the more likely reporters will care and want to spread the news among their networks.
Relevance to the world.
Similarly to humanizing the story, think about how your story impacts the world (not the entire world, but the world that matters to your brand). Why does this news matter to your audience? Is it making their day-to-day lives easier? Is it saving their family members from an illness? Is it coming to an area near them? However you can tie the announcement directly to your customers or audience will, again, make the news more relatable and worth their time engaging with it.
Timing is everything.
Although everyone has the power to start their own brand, there are still major players in each industry that will dominate the media should they have an event or announcement themselves. For instance, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is held each January and the Super Bowl takes place every February. Make note of these occurrences and either leverage the news in your own announcement, or plan to distribute your story before or after they take place.
Every company has a newsworthy story. It’s just a matter of making it relevant to your audience and being aware of the news going on outside of your own brand. By following some of this advice to add weight to your announcement, you’ll receive more positive responses to your news.
