Your company just launched a new product… you finally printed your self-published book… you hired on a new executive… They are all common topics for press releases, but are any of these actually newsworthy?

Unfortunately, there are few clear-cut answers. The media is not only a subjective business, but a fickle one too. However, there are steps you can take to help hedge your bets.

• Explain how your event affects other people, customers, companies, local area, nation, or the world. Your company launching a new product is great to you, but what about other people?
   
• Use the press release to explain how your company’s new service is reacting to or on the forefront of an overall industry trend. Also mention if this new development is going to alter the way your particular industry does business.
   
• Are there newsworthy people involved in your company’s event? Magazines have long known that famous faces sell magazines. Do you have a saleable person involved? Even if it’s just a local celebrity, name and face recognition can go a long way.
   
• Does your new book release address a recent political event? Can you provide a fresh look at a newsworthy topic? Making yourself an expert will definitely get you more interviews and appearances.
   
• Are you promoting or advocating for a cause? Do you contribute a percentage of the profits to a charity? Does your company sponsor a fundraising event? This is almost always a newsworthy tie-in.
   
• How will this new executive effect the bottom-line for stockholders? Did the merger, restructuring, or consultant streamline your company resulting in a higher profit margin? Explain what this means to the general investors, financial professionals, and company stockholders.

Basically, you have to think past the end of your nose. Why does your company news matter to the outside world? Although some journalists will certainly connect the dots on their own, it’s best to cut to the chase and do it for them.

Remember that although the ultimate goal is to get promotion for your company, you also have to give the journalists the story angles that they need for their readers, viewers, and listeners.

If all you send out is an advertisement in the format of a press release, you will get a call from the sales department at the newspaper asking if you would like to take out an ad. You likely will not get a call from the journalist looking to write a story.