Have you ever wondered what makes a story ‘hot’ off the press, and what makes others fizzle and flop? There’s a fine art to news production and a number of careful considerations are made before any story gets a slot on air, a spot online or published in print.
News space is like acquiring prime real estate in the media world that unlike advertising, money cannot buy. Instead, stories barter for the best spots by trading news values as their currency. The richer a story is in one or more of the following 8 news values, the greater chance it will get picked up and published… and seen, heard and read by your potential customers.
Proximity
Stories with a local focus or those that are occurring sooner in time are more newsworthy than those that take place far away.
Prominence
People, products and businesses already in the public eye have greater credibility and higher news value than those with low or no presence.
Impact
Issues where more people are influenced or impacted offer greater news value than those where are a minority group are affected.
Timeliness
Recent or imminent events or milestones have higher news value than those with much earlier or more distant happenings.
Human interest
We’re only human, and people thrive on reading stories about other people.
Unusualness
A dog may bite a man and it won’t make the news, but a man who bites a dog is much more likely to be reported. Weird, wacky and out of the ordinary stories are always rich in news value.
Conflict
News isn’t always good. Strife, war, anger and disagreement over fundamental issues is very newsworthy.
Currency
Stories come and stories go but those relating to issues or topics that are already in the spotlight are more newsworthy than those which people care less about.
Have you got a story with one or more of the above news values? We’ll help you tell it – loud and clear. Email emma@tailoredmedia.com.au
Cheers
