THREE EASY WAYS TO GENERATE "NEW NEWS" FOR YOUR BRAND

There are going to be times where it feels like you have nothing to share with the media. No new products, no upcoming events, no company milestones.

But even if slow times, it’s important to continue reaching out to reporters to ensure your brand stays top of mind for when stories come up that you, your business, product or services would be a good fit for.

Here are a few easy ways to make news to ensure you have a steady stream of updates to promote.  

Market data 

Has anyone in your industry put out market data? Can you pull your own from analytics? 

Analyzing market research and trends is a great excuse to reach out to a reporter. Offer to help them understand what those numbers mean and what are the important takeaways. Reporters are crunched for time and would love a topline summary of a 100-page study. 

Notice a huge spike in a certain search term on your own site? Pitch it as a new industry trend. For example, if you see a spike in the term “refillable” on your site and can check it with Google Keyword Trends, you can pitch that to a reporter that consumers are caring more about products that are more sustainable. 

End of year prediction

Q4 of a year is a great time to pitch your predictions for the upcoming year of what trends the upcoming year will hold. 

Worried you don't have a crystal ball? No one does! And no one is ever going to come back and say that you were wrong! Things change faster than ever and there are constant opportunities to weigh in on “what’s next” and how to utilize “what’s now.” 

Reporters and consumers are usually interested in various takes of what to expect in the coming year.

Newsjacking

Newsjacking is injecting your ideas, expertise, or services into a breaking news story to generate media coverage. This can be a little tricky and works better for some industries than others, but there are two things to keep in mind if you want to try this angle.

Do you have a very specialized set of knowledge that can help explain what is happening in layman's terms and provide valuable insights into what something actually means?

During the pandemic, healthcare specialists were highly sought after because they could provide valuable education during an uncertain environment. Newsjacking tends to go better when you aren’t promoting a service or product you offer but rather helping an audience understand a complex matter. 

Do you have an opposing take on something?

The media loves hot takes and if you can provide a contradictory view than what is circulating, this could provide a great opportunity for coverage. This doesn’t require a controversial angle, you could simply have additional information that indicates a commonly held belief isn’t necessarily true. 

There is always a way to make news. Give yourself some credit, you have more insights than you realize!