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10 elements of news and newsworthiness Your Email:*

By Jason Mudd
Find me on: Noti cation Frequency*
October 13, 2014
Monthly

Weekly
Recently, I was asked, “How would you de ne the word
'newsworthy?'” Great question; allow me to elucidate... Daily

 
News Elements 
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What makes a story newsworthy? Pay close attention to
these 10 elements of newsworthiness to see which apply
to your particular announcement. Good news stories have
more than one of these elements. Recent Posts
 
Why you should use "and" and avoid "but" in
  your corporate communications

1. Proximity: 3 reasons why your company needs media

relations
Location, location, location. If an event is happening nearby, it will impact the audience more than if it were
happening somewhere else that doesn't affect them as much – in another state or in another country. Register for our webinar: 10 tips to improve
your website

2. Prominence: 3 outreach campaign metrics that will

A well-known person, place or event has a stronger news angle than something that the audience isn’t familiar double your success

with. A guest speaker visiting your local elementary school to take over story time doesn't resonate with many Which type of client are you?

people... unless that speaker is Oprah.

3. Timeliness:
Current news has more impact than something that happened yesterday or last week. The news media loses Categories
interest quickly and past events become stale when there's always fresh news somewhere.
Awards (17)
4. Oddity: B2B (3)
If something is unusual, shocking or bizarre, the strangeness alone could make it newsworthy. Blog (17)
Branding (4)
5. Consequence: Buyer Personas (1)
CEO (4)
If the impact of an event may directly affect readers, they will want to know about it. A run-of-the-mill burglary at
CMO (1)
the Watergate Hotel was white noise on the airwaves until it became clear what the identities of the key players Communications (4)
meant for the nation. Content Management (32)
Copy Editing (2)
6. Con ict: Corporate Communications (7)
Audiences are always interested in disagreements, arguments and rivalries. If an event has a con ict attached Crisis Communications (129)
Digital PR (33)
to it, many consumers will be interested on that basis alone. Let's not forget that it's human nature to choose
Earned media (103)
sides and stand up for that choice. Stories that involve con ict include those about religion, sports, business, eBooks (4)
trials, wars, human rights violations, politics or even struggles against nature, animals or outer space. Ethics (15)
Events (2)
7. Human interest: FAQ (24)
Featured (807)
If a situation draws any sort of emotional reaction, then it might contain the news element of a human-interest
Financial Services (4)
story. These stories can be "soft" kid-at-the-petting-zoo snapshots, inspiring comeback accounts or infuriating Franchisors (4)
reports of incompetence on the part of a public gure. Health (1)
Inbound Marketing (82)
In uencer Marketing (3)
8. Extremes/superlatives:
Infographics (6)
Reporters and audiences might be interested in the rst, the best, the longest, the smallest, the highest. If you
Investment (15)
can legitimately claim one. Be careful. Do not overly focus on this, create hyperbole, or exaggerate claims. Large Companies (1)
Measurement (36)
9. Scandal:  Media (54)
Everyone loves to hate on the philandering congressman who sends inappropriate pictures under an absurd Media Relations (167)
Mobile PR (5)
virtual handle. Reporters want a scoop on scandal.
News Release (14)
Online Public Relations (29)
10. Impact:
Online Reputation Management (54)
Whether it's a peaceful protest that encompasses ve city blocks or a 52-car pileup on the pike, the more people
Online Review Management (28)
involved in the event, the more newsworthy it is. Similarly, the number of people affected by the event will affect Owned media (38)
its newsworthiness, whether it's an adjustment of minimum wage or an alleged outbreak of ebola. Paid Media (1)
PR Case Studies (2)
And remember: "Just the facts, ma’am." PR Internship (1)
PR Plan (1)
PR Success Stories (15)
Who?
PR Tips (124)
What? Press Release (20)
When? product launch (1)
Professional Services (1)
Where?
Public Companies (14)
Why? Public Relations (954)
How?  Reputation Management (63)
Retail (1)
Clients love Jason’s passion, candor and commitment as well as the team he has ReviewMaxer (14)

formed at Axia Public Relations. He’s advised some of America’s most admired
brands, including American Airlines, Dave & Buster’s, Hilton, HP, Pizza Hut and
Verizon. He is an Emmy Award-winning, accredited public relations practitioner,
speaker, author and entrepreneur and earned his certi cation in inbound marketing.
He founded the PR rm in July 2002. Learn more about Jason. 
 
Featured image credit: BigStockPhotos.com

 
Topics: Public Relations, Featured

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Comment on This Article

Nwahiri con dence 2/15/2017, 4:14:15 AM

lovely, educative and impressive
Reply to Nwahiri confidence

Dammy Isaac 3/4/2017, 6:38:08 PM

Thanks very much.
Reply to Dammy Isaac

jimmy sutton 3/10/2018, 4:21:38 PM

goeagles sonic
Reply to jimmy sutton

Wakes sha r Mawazi 4/24/2018, 12:04:15 AM

I have learnt more from u thanx
Reply to Wakes shafir Mawazi

Aditya Chauhan 10/8/2018, 12:54:33 AM

Loved it!
Reply to Aditya Chauhan

IKHANOBA OSOMIAHME SHALLOM 1/16/2019, 4:29:10 AM

News is hunting for information,putting down the important information and penning it down in an acceptable
style. It may be de ned as any valid,reliable fact or idea that will interest and attract the attention of a large number
of people. News Determinants are used by editors and writers to place values on potential stories. IKHANOBA
SHALLOM OSOMIAHME- CALEB UNIVERSITY- BRANDCALEB- MASS COMMUNICATION- 100LEVEL.
Reply to IKHANOBA OSOMIAHME SHALLOM

Carol G 6/4/2019, 12:42:12 AM

This explanation is the best I have heard. Thanks
Reply to Carol G

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