Public Relations Tip: News vs Social

Evaluate: Before pitching to media, distinguish what is news worthy and what might be better suited for a social media post. 

What constitutes “news”? While a particular item or occurrence warrants sharing with client stakeholders through social media, it may not have the necessary “news value” – correct impact or importance – to warrant coverage by traditional media. Therefore understanding what this means to news media will help you decide if it’s worth the time and effort to pitch or disseminate the information to them, which is a more formal process than the more conversational social media copy.

Consider the following factors to evaluate your course of action.  

• The “so what” factor. Why should someone care?

• Is the information timely?

• Is there conflict?

• Is it life or death?

• Is there a novelty factor? - First, biggest, newest, oldest and also humor

• Who is affected? - Good human interest, someone famous, population segment  

• Does the story follow or disprove the latest trend?

• Does the story go against conventional wisdom or is it counter intuitive?

It’s important to note that even though your effort may meet this criteria (at least two), it’s ultimately the media outlet’s gatekeeper – assignment editor, editor or reporter – who decides what to cover, report on or broadcast.

There is a lot of competition for news coverage. Even if your story or pitch isn’t covered, there are other avenues to share the information. The many social media platforms crave content, and always consider sharing the particular item through placement opportunities, newsletters, website (client and partner), and speaking engagements.