What Makes a Press Release Newsworthy? It's all in the news angle.

So your public relations professional keeps telling you that you should only send out news releases that are newsworthy?

But, what makes an announcement newsworthy? For a publisher to consider your particular story newsworthy it must have a both strong news angle and generate interest. The news angle is your specific hook. It’s the news event, the controlling issue, and the reason the news editor will want to publish your story. It should tell how it affects your industry, organization, or community. Keep in mind, that advertising and publicity are two different things. Your media release needs tell people your story from what appears to be an unbiased third party.

Here are some of the common news angles used by public relations professionals to craft a story that newspapers will want to pick up:

1. New Development – Brings forward new information to an existing story or exposes an entirely original news story.
2. Human Interest – Relates the story to social issues or discusses a person in an emotional way, as to generate interest or empathy in the reader.
3. Local Angle – Describes how the local community or economy will be affected.
4. Progress – Demonstrates human innovation, positive interactions, or willingness to meet the challenge presented.
5. Consequence - Relates a group or organization to an existing news event, usually describing how it’s being affected by a previous announcement or occurrence.
6. Eminence or Prominence – Discusses emerging trends (usually informing the reader of why the trend is popular and what it means to them).
7. Conflict – Explains a controversy often with opposing view points and positions.
8. Drama – Describes a conflict likely to invoke an emotional response or provides an editorial of such events.
9. Disaster –Describes the impact of negative situations (and usually either what brought them about, how it’s affecting the new subject, or what’s being done about it).
10. Timing and Proximity – Relates a particular story (often warnings or advice) to a specific region or event (such as a holiday or season).

By understanding each of the press release angles, you'll be able to craft a story that is newsworthy. You should take the time to consider which of these angles is likely to create the most interest for your organization. The best angle will depend upon your organizations market, goals, and details of your particular story. You should be able to identify one of these proven news angles in your story. If you can't, you might want to reconsider whether or not your press release is newsworthy.