What makes something newsworthy? Theoretically, it’s a mix of actors: timeliness, relevance, impact, proximity, prominence, conflict, novelty and human interest. In practice, newsworthiness is whatever a reporter or editor says it is. PR pros often find themselves navigating two competing forces: your organization or client’s desire to see a particular message in the media, and the editor’s judgment about what actually belongs there. The job of the PR professional is to bridge that gap—to take what’s important to the client and shape it into something meaningful, timely, and engaging enough to earn editorial interest. And when it’s not quite a ripe for traditional media? That’s where creative storytelling, non-traditional and emerging outlets, and owned channels come into play—offering alternative paths to reach the right audience with the right message.
One of the biggest challenges that corporate communicators face is managing a CEO, COO or other executive who is overly eager to get in front of press—particularly when they don’t have anything newsworthy to say. Corporate communications professionals should be clear about what it realistically takes to earn media coverage. Not every corporate initiative is worthy of an interview in a major national outlet. The best communicators rely on a broader toolkit—not just traditional media relations—to get the message out.
If an executive is passionate about a topic or initiative that may not be of interest to Bloomberg, CNBC or the Wall Street Journal, it still may be of interest to the growing network of news blogs, newsletters and podcasts. They might not have the prestige of their national media counterparts, but they are targeted avenues to get your news and message in front of an interested audience.
Blog posts, internal emails and social media posts are also all effective communications tools for stories that are less traditionally newsworthy. Internal news may not be relevant to many people outside your company, so an internal newsletter will be far more effective than a national interview. Social media can reach a wide audience, and there are additional benefits to creating video content that enhances visibility and engagement. If the end goal is still to get your executive in front of reporters, content like thought leadership blogs, LinkedIn posts and owned media can lay the groundwork for when your topic of the day becomes more salient.
Newsworthiness is not an all-or-nothing metric. A new business offering, donation, executive promotion or ad buy might earn news coverage, but each of these could also easily be passed over by reporters looking for a different story. Knowing how to align a story pitch with the right reporter, or even when to bypass the media for other communications tools, is key to corporate communications success. You can always run a topic by a relevant reporter to see if they are interested but it’s smart to have a backup plan in case it doesn’t land. Be prepared to explain to your team why you think each tool is the right one—or wrong one—for the job. A smart, flexible approach ensures PR pros can still make an impact—even when there’s no headline to chase.