So – you want to be in the news. That’s great, go shoot someone and you might get a few headlines. Unfortunately, getting headlines about you or your business, without shooting someone, can be a challenge. But it can be done, if your story has one or more of the “Elements of News” in it. Here they are:

• IMMEDIACY - If it didn’t just happen, it’s history. But even if the event happened a month ago it can be written to give it immediacy. Here’s an example. “Jim Smith is saving money on his heating bill this winter because of work he had done on his home last summer.”  Journalists often seek fresh angles, late-breaking developments or analysis of the events to make a stale story new again.
• PROXIMITY – If Jim lives far away, you don’t care. But, if he lives in the same town as you, then you’re interested. The closer the event occurs to the reader, the more interesting the story is. Even a simple story about a family, church, club, or hobby will get interesting when there is a local angle.
• CONSEQUENCE — The more people affected by a news event the more interest it has for the readership. A tax credit that everyone can take advantage of is news. A tax credit that few can use is not news.
• PROMINENCE — When Jim has a gall stone attack, it has little news value. Let the same thing happen to Arnold Schwarzenegger, and it’s newsworthy. If Jim says cigarettes should not be sold in stores, no one listens. If Madonna says the same thing, look out!
• SUSPENSE – A 10-year-old girl is missing, a forest fire threatens homes or terrorists hold hostages, will grab headlines every time.
• ODDITY — Readers are interested in people, animals and things which don’t fit the norm.  When whales beach themselves, or a company creates the world’s largest pizza, the oddity of the act gives it news value.
• SEX –Sex has a strong attraction for readers. First woman elected president is strengthened by the sex element. A story about the winner of the knitting contest being a man would be strengthened by the sex element. The mix of gender and oddity can form strong sex elements to news.
• CONFLICT — Sports fall into this category, as do wars and gang fights. But, conflict also spreads into other areas of life, such as people opposing rate hikes in their telephone bills, or arguments about whether smoking should be banned from public areas.
• EMOTION — When a family dies in a house fire and a father watches in tragic helplessness, or when a mother and daughter are reunited after 50 years apart, people are interested, and want to somehow share in the drama of life.
• NEW – It’s new! First time ever! Record-breaking! Readers always want to see what’s new, especially if it’s going to improve everyday life. New forms of energy, new products, and new uses for old stuff are just some of the things that almost always make good news. Look for ways to take advantage of new advances within your own business industry.  

Finding Your Dominant Element

The dominant element of news is often called “the News Peg” or “Angle.”  Once you discover what the dominant elements are in your story, it becomes easy to craft a news story for its newsworthiness. But keep in mind: these elements of news are not independent or exclusive of each other. They usually intertwine and support each other. It is difficult to use them separately.  

So – there you have it. Well it’s not quite that easy but this is a start to help you identity what you do or might be planning on doing that makes it news worthily. It can also be your guide in taking a non-news worthily event or activity and making it news worthily.