What journalists want Archives

Finding a strong story angle for B2B press releases

‘How can I come up with a good angle for my press releases and content?’

It’s something I know PRs wrestle with, particularly as non-comms people in the business don’t always understand what is newsworthy or how journalists work.

And it’s something I faced as a regional features editor, visiting the same cities several times a year. Some markets hadn’t changed since the last time they were covered, but I still had to find a fresh feature angle.

I’d love to present a formula for making something worthy of a press release or coming up with a strong story angle, but there isn’t an easy one.

What I learned is to look at a story from different perspectives. So here are some things to try or consider which could help shape a story… or article.

Research

What sort of stories do your target publications typically run? What detail do they generally include, and what is the hook they use for similar stories?

You need to be up to speed with these things anyway, but a quick scroll through some similar story might reveal the angle you need to go for.

It will also highlight if certain information is always included and where there might be a barrier to certain stories getting picked up.

For example, for property investment deals, some publications/websites may only publish stories with the price paid and the yield.

Target audience

This should also be part of your research. Who reads the publications or websites you want to target with this release? What sort of information is helpful and useful to them?

I regularly used to get press releases from a company which made window boxes which was never going to be something that would interest commercial property agents and developers.

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Press releases, What journalists want

B2B journalists’ top tips for press releases

You want your story to get as much coverage as possible, so you need to make sure your press release is delivering what your target journalists are looking for.

Journalists are inundated with press releases, and they are time-poor. They don’t read every press release they get sent (sorry) instead, they make snap decisions about which to read and which to cover.

Man sitting against of wall and floor covered in newspaper. His face is obscured as he's holding up a newspaper, reading it. He's wearing a bright yellow jumper and dark blue jeans and trainers. — *Getting your story in the press means ticking certain boxes with your press release. Photo by Egor Vikhrev on Unsplash*

I’ve written a few posts about press releases, what works best and what doesn’t based on 20 years of being on the receiving end (links at the bottom).

Among my top tips are to target your press release appropriately, get to the point quickly and stick to the facts – no unsubstantiated marketing speak like ‘leading’ and ‘unique’.

But for this post, I asked some of my B2B journalist friends and former colleagues for their press release dos and don’ts.

Here is what they had to say:

Sophia Furber, reporter, S&P Global Market Intelligence:

Us financial journalists need to back up our stories with numbers, so if you are pitching to the business media, then include useful data points in your press release.

How big was X’s investment/loan? How great do you think Y market opportunity is? How much capital was raised? Which company was bought, and for how much money?

You get the picture.

Including this information in the email header or the opening lines of the press release will get my attention and help me make a quick decision about how newsworthy the story is.

Go easy on the jargon and corporate speak. If you include a quote from the CEO in the press release that sounds like it was generated by a robot, then it’s more than likely that it’s not going to end up in any media coverage.

And lastly, if you are offering up comments on a topic that is in the news (say, a big government announcement or a high-profile bankruptcy) from your CEO or another expert source in your company… actually have an opinion!

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It's A B2B Comms Thing, Video, What journalists want

B2B comms: How to get value out of trade shows

Trade shows are on the agenda again after the lockdown hiatus. Attending can be hugely beneficial for businesses but also a drain on time and marketing resources, so how do you maximise the value?

In March’s It’s A B2B Comms Thing LinkedIn Live, I chatted with comms pros Ayo Abbas and Emma Drake about how to make sure you get the most out of these big trade events.

Here are some key points; scroll to the bottom for the full video recording.

Screenshot from the It’s A B2B Comms Thing LinkedIn Live on trade shows (March 4, 2022)

What actions should you take before your trade show?

Ayo: The key thing for me is building some energy and excitement that you’re going to be somewhere. Before a show, start talking about it and sharing what you’re going to be doing.

Social media plays a huge part in that, and you can start connecting with potential visitors and delegates. And use it as a way to build your relationship with the organisers – find out what hashtags they’re using.

If there are press interviews and previews, make sure that you’ve got your press releases out there and all your details and ready to go.

Me: If you’re launching something at the show, think about getting the press release to journalists under embargo because once the show’s on, they’re going to be extremely busy. They’re probably not going to have time to turn around press release stories.

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Video, What journalists want

Marketing on a budget: ways to be more visible

How do you increase your visibility and (personal) brand awareness outside of social media without spending a lot of money?

Me in full flow during my chat with the brilliant Trisha Lewis

Trisha Lewis is a communications and presentation coach I’ve got to know on LinkedIn. We’ve chatted in the comments on each others content and DM’s.

She asked if I would be a guest on her Make It Real podcast and talk about using different channels to build visibility.

So, things like guest blog posts and comment pieces on targeted websites and publications, being on panels at events, as well as posting on social media platforms like LinkedIn.

How I came to be a guest on her podcast reflects a point I made during our chat about the benefits of letting people hear you speak and see you on camera.

I’ve been creating videos on LinkedIn for a while, started doing LinkedIn Lives, and posted links to webinars I’ve chaired.

It gives potential podcast hosts and event organisers a chance to see what I’m like ‘in action’ and showcases my areas of expertise.

Below is a teaser for our conversation, and you can listen to the full podcast episode here on Apple Podcasts or search for Make It Real with Trisha Lewis on your preferred podcast platform.

Some of the things we cover in the episode include:

🎧 What journalists are looking for so you can pitch effectively.

🎧 Ditching the corporate tone using your authentic voice to stand out.

🎧 Using video and audio as part of a content plan

Teaser clip from my chat with Trisha Lewis on her Make It Real podcast

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B2B media, Interview tips, What journalists want

Press interview tip: Understanding the journalist’s agenda

I was doing a B2B media training session recently, and the topic of journalists’ ‘having an agenda’ when doing press interviews came up.

The assumption being that a B2B journalist will already have an angle to a story or feature and be more interested in questions and conversation that supports that.

A woman sit with a pen writing in a note pad at an event. You can see others sat near her with notebooks. — Photo by The Climate Reality Project on Unsplash

And as a result, using a press interview as a means of getting your voice or opinion heard, the odds are stacked against you.

Do journalists have an agenda when they sit down to interview someone?

Having been a journalist for 20 years, I can confidently say: ‘Yes.

But it isn’t quite what you think.

A B2B journalist’s agenda will first and foremost be to find an interesting story or useful information for their readers and subscribers.

That’s their job.

If you understand who their audience is, you’ll have a better idea of what the journalist is going to be interested in talking about.

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