Many service providers would like to get into the media with their business, but have no idea what to do with it. Recognizing news is of course a skill, but having the right questions to ask yourself can help tremendously. Here are some questions you can ask your team to come up with the next newsworthy story.
They are questions that are useful to ask in your company in preparation for a new press release or as the basis of a new PR Planning.
Events
- What kind of events do you organize? Do you organize workshops / events / happenings / an opening of your office. It can all be newsworthy enough to do something with. Read: write a press release about it and inform the media.
- At which fairs / events are you? Perhaps you are the first from your province / town to stand on that fair. Or are you the first company to be announced. All opportunities to attract publicity in trade media or local media.
- Are there speaking engagements coming up at / during events? A great publicity opportunity to be included in the media campaign of the event itself. Just need to know in advance and organize it with the organization.
Anniversary
- How many years do you exist? If this is 5/10/25 years – this can be a nice occasion to organize something. Here you can (if you’re a bit serious about it) invite journalists. Or else: send the success photos to the local media or trade media.
Employees
- Who are the newest employees?
- Since when have they been employed and what is their function?
If you recruit an employee from another company you have an excellent news hook in your hands. There are several media outlets that publish about the ”movers and shakers.” In any case, make sure you have a nice portrait photo that is in line with the other people portrayed in your organization.
Industry
- What industries are you in?
- Are you moving into new industries?
Switching from one branch to another can be very interesting to inform the media about. For example, Topbloemen also started a business in the world of bakeries: Toptaarten. The media found this very interesting: BNR, FD, Telegraaf, AD and loads of trade media immediately published about it.
Marketing
- What kind of campaigns have you planned?
- Are there any collaborations that you are going to bring out?
- What milestones are coming up?
- What special results have you organized for customers?
If your company is helping clients in a special way or you are helping them to special successes then you can do a bit more with this than tapping a social media post about it. Perhaps the trade media would like to know more about this and publish about it.
Awards
- Are there any nominations on the way?
- Are there any (entrepreneurial) awards coming up?
Just a nomination can be very newsworthy. You can get great local publicity with it. Even inclusion on a list of entrepreneurs to watch can (with the right publicity / free publicity approach) lead to beautiful publications. For example, Marloes de Ruiter was featured in the Algemeen Dagblad with our help when she was included in the Viva400. She got quite a few reactions to this.
I hope that these questions have helped you come up with one or more news hooks. Are you having trouble or can you use some help to get from news hook to free publicity? Then schedule an appointment with us!