What makes a good story?

If we had a tenner for every time a client asks of us ‘what is it about the media – why do they always want negative stories?’.

Well, let’s challenge that and look at what it is a journalist really wants from your story.

Ultimately – believe it or not – the journalist’s priority is to carry a story which will engage readers and get ‘shared’.

This is more important than ever, in the days of newspapers sharing their stories on websites and social media channels, where they want the content to achieve plenty of clicks (and eyeballs).

So, to achieve this shareable factor, the journalist is always going to have certain components in mind. Consider these, and you’re well on the way to creating a strong news story….

RELATABLE AND RELEVANCY

Stories that become shared and well read, are those which feel they have a pertinence in the lives of the reader.

When the journalist is writing about a closed business, he’s looking to reference it in the context of the people whose jobs are lost and whose household incomes are affected.

When a journalist is capturing a story about a new legal policy, she’s wanting to find out what this means for someone who has been affected by that crime or ruling.

We are drawn into stories where we can see them through the lives of ourselves and our loved ones.

TIMING

No matter how good the idea for a story, the timing and context often matters more than you might think.

A story about someone losing their job because of the colour of their skin, naturally has significantly more impact in the week the nation is discussing Black Lives Matter.

A story about the work of a particular charity has the prospect of slightly more interest from a journalist if it coincides with a national awareness drive about that illness or disability or issue.

SURPRISE AND DELIGHT

We humans love to be shocked, surprised or told something we weren’t expecting.

This naturally means that stories we read in the media have far more engagement if they feature such elements.

We like to hear about record breaking incidents, genuine ‘firsts’, things we never thought might be possible.

Indeed, this also means we like to know about stories which can be shocking and surprising for their level of horror, tragedy and unexpectedness.

PERSONALITY

Always bring a human element to a story. We like to hear the voice of someone discussing this issue. We need to read a quote, and to understand how the theme of the story is affecting individuals.

This is why we ALWAYS talk about casestudies being important in the context of PR output. We need to capture how the topic / issue / change is relevant to an individual or a community.

IMPACT AND LONGEVITY

Press like stories which, yes, have initial impact, but they’re also keen on the ones which will continue to be topics of interest to their readers on an ongoing basis.

Certain stories will repeatedly fascinate and will have ongoing news value.

This sort of content is great for journalists who continually seek out thought leaders for media updates.

Remember that if what you’re saying has ongoing substance, you’re likely to make it into the address book of that journalist so that they can repeatedly call you for opinions.