The ‘Six Principles’ that make your message newsworthy.
I am regularly contacted by people needing help in getting media attention for their marketing. Why can’t I get my new website attention in the newspapers? My answer is often blunt: ‘None of the ‘Six Principles’ of news are there in your website’.
Below is a description of the ‘Six Principles’ and some advice on how you can use these to make your news really interesting for journalists.
You've got this!
Jennifer Delano
1st Principle – Be up-to-date
If your message is ‘up to date’, there is a greater chance that this will be interesting for a journalist to use. Perhaps your company provides a solution to a disaster that has just made the headlines, or meets a challenge for businesses recently set by the media. If so, there is a much greater chance that your story will get picked up!
2nd Principle – Local interest
For a journalist, the closer the news is to the place served by the newspaper, the better. So, if you want to publish something in het Parool, something mostly related to Rotterdam won’t be of much interest, unless the news is also very relevant to the business world in Amsterdam. The more focused on the readership, the more interesting the news, and the greater the opportunities. All parts of the country have their own local media. Try e-mailing or telephoning them with your news.
3rd Principle – Stand out
To make your news really newsworthy, stand out. Find something to say that makes it the most: the hottest summer, the coldest winter, the longest heat wave…. News that stands out is newsworthy.
4th Principle – Emotion
Play on the emotions. Good news touches a chord. A message that makes you angry or sad packs a real punch. Don’t be half hearted, the stronger the emotional pull, the more interesting.
5th Principle – Audience size
The number of people who are affected by your news is important. Is the whole of the Netherlands affected? If so, the news is more important than a news item that just affects your own village. Numbers are important in other ways too: in terms of questionnaires or research, for example, where the number of participants should be a minimum of five hundred, but preferably in their thousands.
6th Principle – Change of scene
Following times of war, the media quickly switch to an upbeat, positive mood. Once Christmas is out of the way, there is New Year to focus on. From one thing to another.
Do these Six Principles give you some ideas and inspiration?
Maybe you would like some help in drafting your first news item for your business? If so, please get in touch!
