How do you identify and leverage your organization's unique stories and angles?

1 Know your goals and audience

Before you start looking for stories, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and who you want to reach. What are your communication objectives, key messages, and desired outcomes? Who are your target media outlets, influencers, and audiences? How do they consume and share information? What are their interests, needs, and pain points? By answering these questions, you can align your stories with your goals and audience.

2 Find your stories and angles

Once you have your goals and audience in mind, you can start searching for stories and angles that showcase your organization's value, impact, and uniqueness. You can find stories in different sources, such as your mission, vision, and values, your products or services, your customers or beneficiaries, your employees or partners, your events or initiatives, your challenges or successes, your industry or sector, or your social or environmental causes. You can also look for timely hooks, such as news trends, seasonal themes, or special occasions, that can make your stories more relevant and interesting. To find angles, you need to think like a journalist and ask yourself: What makes this story newsworthy, compelling, or surprising? How does it relate to your goals and audience? How does it differ from other stories in your field or niche?

3 Craft your pitches and press releases

After you have identified your stories and angles, you need to craft your pitches and press releases that capture the attention and interest of the media. A pitch is a short and personalized email that introduces your story and explains why it matters to the journalist and their audience. A press release is a longer and more formal document that provides the details and facts of your story, along with quotes, images, and contact information. Both should be clear, concise, and catchy, highlighting the main points and benefits of your story. You should also tailor your pitches and press releases to different media outlets and influencers, based on their style, tone, format, and preferences.

4 Build and nurture relationships

One of the most important aspects of media relations is building and nurturing relationships with journalists, influencers, and audiences. You need to research and identify the right contacts for your stories, based on their topics, beats, and platforms. You need to reach out to them in a respectful and professional manner, respecting their deadlines, preferences, and feedback. You need to follow up and follow through, providing them with the information and resources they need, and thanking them for their coverage. You also need to monitor and measure the results of your media relations efforts, tracking the reach, engagement, and impact of your stories. You should also engage with your audiences on social media and other channels, responding to their comments, questions, and feedback, and inviting them to share their own stories.

5 Adapt and innovate

Media relations is not a one-time activity, but a continuous process that requires adaptation and innovation. You need to keep looking for new stories and angles that reflect your organization's evolution and growth. You need to keep updating and improving your pitches and press releases, based on the feedback and performance of your previous ones. You need to keep expanding and diversifying your media contacts and networks, reaching out to new outlets, influencers, and audiences. You also need to keep experimenting and learning from different media strategies, tactics, and tools, such as social media, podcasts, videos, webinars, or blogs, that can enhance your storytelling and visibility.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?