What Does The Media Want In A Story?

Understanding what the media wants in a story can help you get the media attention you want for your business. You’ll have not only a better idea about how to craft a compelling press release; you’ll also be able to identify the stories that you know the media will want to cover. 

Keep in mind that journalists and media representatives have different objectives – they don’t all want the same thing. You’ll have to do your homework to build a good relationship with targeted media reps. However, there are some common needs amongst the media. 

7 Things that the Media and Journalists Want in a Story

  1. Editors and journalists want a story that will help them sell magazines, newspapers, or drive traffic to their websites.
  2. They want a story that will help them gain respect of leaders, other media outlets, and advertisers.
  3. They also look for stories that fit their brand and appeal to their audience.
  4. It’s often possible that they simply need some information to fill space. Not all days are big news days.
  5. Depending on the journalist, blogger, or media rep, they may be looking to find an exclusive story – a story that will help them build their career or gain them some notoriety.
  6. An exclusive story and an angle or a story that no one else is covering.
  7. And sometimes they’re just looking for brownie points with the boss and a story with that suits the editor’s wants and needs.

In addition to understanding what the media wants in a story, it’s also helpful to understand how they get their stories. These two combined pieces of information can help you position yourself to be in the right place at the right time with the best story idea.

How Does a Journalist or Media Representative Get Their Story Ideas and Information?

The media often get their stories in a variety of methods. Let’s take a look at them and then talk about how you can leverage this information. 

  1. The media makes contacts and gets their information from people in the industry, other media representatives, businesses, and even from social media and other people that they know.
  2. Most media representatives and journalists spend a good amount of time doing their own research and digging for stories and story ideas.
  3. The media does review press releases and news wires for information and story ideas.

You can take a broad approach and publish press releases that fit your understanding of what the media wants to cover. You can also research specific journalists, bloggers, and media reps and approach them with information and story ideas. And of course you can combine both approaches in an effort to broaden awareness for your business and to grow your bottom line. 

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