When I first came to Ball State University, I planned on becoming a news journalist because I wanted to use storytelling to empower those around me. I wanted to write articles about the “little guys” and find the stories that the big news outlets seemed to miss. However, after two years of telling story after story, I didn’t feel like I had empowered a single person. On the contrary, it felt like I was just trying to talk louder than everyone around me.
It wasn’t until being introduced to public relations that I truly saw that I was making a difference. So, after just one semester of getting public relations experience at the McKinley Avenue Agency, I decided to flip the switch and pursue an education in public relations. I loved garnering media attention for small businesses, refreshing brands, and faithfully representing clients. However, even though I was satisfied with the path that I was on, I had to ask myself a big question. Did I waste the first two years of college pursuing journalism? No.
It’s quite the contrary. Learning about news journalism probably taught me more about how to work in public relations than some of my actual public relations classes. I still write for the Ball State Daily News when the opportunity arises because I can recognize the value in the experience I get from writing each story.
Every story I write is an opportunity to improve my writing and, more importantly, a lesson on how to write for a journalist.
Tough Crowd
Journalists are one of the most important audiences we appeal to in public relations.
How do we appeal to them? First, take a look at the press release—a classic asset of public relations, yet one with quite a strong stigma around it. From what I’ve experienced, people believe that press releases are boring documents with information that journalists will make attractive and appealing. Unfortunately, in some cases, they’re not wrong. In my journalism days, I read press releases before bed to help alleviate my insomnia. Okay, that’s not true, but it would’ve been a good idea because some of the press releases I read through were terrible.
So how do we avoid putting out press releases that work better as a Nyquil substitute? Simple, don’t write a press release; write a story. We journalists aren’t all-knowing, walking vessels of information devoid of emotion. We’re bored human beings with comically short attention spans. So don’t write a press release to a journalist. Write a story for an audience.
Admittedly, that’s easier said than done. So what can you do to ensure that your press release is newsworthy to a journalist?
The Big Seven
When they get a press release, journalists will probably only read the first two paragraphs.
What was that? You worked so hard on the other eight paragraphs? Well, too bad.
Journalists are a harsh audience and brutal critics, so it’s important to understand two things. What we value in a story and how we write a story. To put it simply, if you’re going to write for a journalist, you will need to write like a journalist. While it’s true that each journalist is different and will write in a way that’s unique to others, there are storytelling values that we all share. Seven, to be specific.
Timeliness, proximity, impact, prominence, relevance, conflict, and my favorite – novelty.
You can find these values easily without reading too far into an article. You only have to get past the headline. In every news article you read, you’ll find the most impactful information in the first paragraph or two, the lead and the nut graph. The lead hooks you onto a story, and a nut graph gives you the context. After that, the information trickles down into less and less important information until the end of the article.
In a press release, you should do the same thing. Lead with the most important information, the juiciest details you can find. Then break these details down and elaborate on them further and further down into your press release.
You want to make it immediately clear what makes the story you’re telling unique and impactful. Show them what happened, when it happened, where it happened, who it happened to, and why did it happen. If you lead with this information and give context for it right at the beginning, your audience in the newsroom will follow the story. Maybe not to the end, but they will follow.
The Angle
Every story you read is going to have an angle. When information comes out, or situations escalate, the first thing a journalist will do is find an angle. Here's an example.
At a press conference, Tony Stark reveals that he is the "Iron Man" that's been ruthlessly pranking the United States Military. Here are some possible angles.
Playboy Tony has gone from a lustful zero to a selfless hero.
American Patriot Tony Stark is getting his hands dirty and heroically advancing the fight against terrorism.
Billionaire Tony Stark is taking advantage of his privileged, elite status and treating the war on terror like a dumb video game.
Selfish Tony is saving all the good technology for himself and endangering our brave soldiers selflessly on the frontlines.
Tony Stark says he's Iron Man at a press conference; people are shocked.
One of these angles is not like the other. Four of them are fascinating, and if you're a Marvel fan, then you know that these angles are pretty truthful. In comparison, the fifth one is just bland and will get discarded.
When you look at news outlets, you will see conflicting angles like this. However, when it comes to storytelling, angles are necessary, not only to tell a story but to find the truth. Once again, all of these angles are absolutely true given the context of the situation, but when it comes to informing the public, number five is only good as a Nyquil substitute.
Unlike journalists, in public relations, you must represent a client and maintain an objective approach. However, you still need to find an angle on a story. Of course, this angle will look different than a news article, but it's necessary nonetheless.
Let's say you're writing a press release for Stark Industries and performing crisis communications. An angle could be, "Tony Stark has been secretly fighting terrorists with a billion-dollar, weaponized suit."
On the other hand, let's say you're writing a press release for the US Department of Defense. You can take the angle of, "Defense Secretary Ross condemns Stark for causing billions of dollars in damages.
Or you can get fired for taking no angle and writing, "Tony Stark reveals he's Iron Man at a press conference; people are shocked."
A journalist will read through and write about the first two angles. However, the third one may not get an article. Why? There's no real angle and, therefore, no good story. A journalist isn't going to write about a press conference when they can write about a billionaire playboy fighting terrorism or the US Department of Defense fuming about it. So when you write for a journalist, rather it's a media pitch or a press release, find an angle.
The answer is NO
The fact is that sometimes your story is not going to get picked up. I know you lead with the good stuff, followed every news value you could, and found a juicy angle – but every news media outlet hated it. That's perfectly fine because no matter what you do, sometimes a story isn't newsworthy.
At the Daily News, there were a lot of stories I wanted to tell and write about that I couldn't. Sometimes it was because I couldn't get an interview; other times, it was because the topic was too touchy. However, a big reason was that the stories I wanted to tell were ones I wanted to be told, not my audience. Were they good ideas? Maybe. It still doesn't change the fact that the article isn't happening.
It's discouraging, but you know what I did as a journalist that I do now as a public relations professional? I get back up, find a new story, and try to learn what I could've done better.
Reflect on how you approached a press release or media pitch for a client and ask yourself how you can improve. For example, you may need to reach out more in advance, you contacted the wrong reporter for the story, or the angle wasn't the right one to take. There's always something to be learned and areas to be improved. Don't let "No" be a show-stopper. Instead, let it be an indication of how you can improve for next time.
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