Have you ever wondered why journalists choose to cover certain stories over others? What thought goes into deciding what makes the front page? And how can you avoid having your carefully crafted press release wind up in an editor’s wastebasket?
The answer is newsworthiness.
The concept of newsworthiness is subjective, yet there are criteria professional news organizations use to help guide them when deciding what is newsworthy. To make things even more complex, newsworthiness is not static. What is considered newsworthy may morph depending on the overall news cycle, the current state of the culture and myriad other vague factors.
Journalism schools teach newsworthiness as a composite of several key qualities. Law firm professionals should consider these qualities when identifying opportunities for media outreach and content marketing.
Impact: How does the story affect the audience and to what extent? An example would be providing an analysis of a new regulation that alters how an industry does business.
Timeliness: How recent is the information? Reporters are hungry for content, but it can’t be old news — and in today’s digitally driven world, “old” is a relative term that will vary by news outlet.
Proximity: There’s a reason why national news gets more coverage than international news and why local media won’t be interested in people and companies that are based outside their region. When you think you have a story for the news media, consider proximity when choosing which outlets to pitch to.
Novelty: Nothing turns heads like the extraordinary or unusual. Maybe your firm hosts a quirky annual event or an attorney has a unique hobby that would make a good social media post or feature for your local news outlet.
Conflict: In an increasingly partisan society, conflict sells better than ever. Since conflict is the basis for litigation, firms that practice litigation should tap into their subject-matter experience and knowledge to garner media coverage.
Humanism: People appreciate being reminded of goodness in the world, especially nowadays. Human interest stories leverage this aspect of human nature. For law firms, this could be stories related to community service, pro bono work or charitable giving.
Celebrity: There is a never-ending obsession with the famous — or infamous. For law firm PR professionals and marketers, this might mean pitching a prominent firm attorney for a profile or offering an analysis of a legal matter involving a well-known individual.
Legal marketers should internalize these key points of newsworthiness to help identify a good firm story or thought leadership opportunity when it arises.
How Can Jaffe Help You Share Your Stories?
Jaffe’s media relations professionals are all experienced publicists, many of whom have journalism experience as editors and reporters. By knowing the inner workings of a newsroom, we help firms identify opportunities that can generate positive coverage, increase brand awareness and build reputational strength.
In addition, our content marketing professionals take a journalistic approach when identifying opportunities for law firm content, from website-hosted thought leadership to social media posts. We can also take the media impressions your firm generates and increase the return on your investment by sharing information across channels.
Interested in discussing how your firm can make the news or craft compelling content? Contact Vivian Hood, CEO/Owner, Public Relations, at vhood@jaffepr.com.