What Makes a Good News Story?

Are you looking to expand your SCORE chapter’s presence in the local media? Having a strong press contact list is imperative and knowing how to maintain media relationships is also essential. But how can you be sure that what you are providing to the reporter will make a good story? 

Below are some tips to help ensure your content is newsworthy, interesting and ultimately garners earned media coverage. 

1. Timeliness. Ask yourself, “is what I’m sending timely and interesting?” Examples of timely news includes upcoming webinars, training sessions, new resources or accomplishments by your chapter or clients. 
2. Human interest. Think about whether your chapter has a particularly inspiring or interesting SCORE success story. Has one of your clients made a strong impact in the community, overcome a recent challenge or helped others? If so, local reporters might be interested in learning more or scheduling an interview. 
3. Impact. Does what you are sending have a community impact? Is there a good local story to be told in relation to the work my chapter is doing? 
4. Immediate & Current.  Is there something coming up  that connects to something going on locally or on a national level? For example, is one of your local SCORE clients doing something unique to combat supply chain issues or to attract employees during the labor shortage? Is there a subject matter expert or mentor that can shed light on a current issue facing the small business community?

Sharing valuable information with reporters establishes you and your chapter as a powerful, community resource with a strong pulse on the small business space.

Our public relations team (media@score.org) is here to provide additional guidance as needed. Thank you for sharing your chapter’s success and accomplishments!