Media Angles
Part of Digital PR built on earned coverage
Choosing a story with genuine public or industry relevance
Test a proposed PR story against audience need, usefulness, timing and evidence before deciding whether to approach the media.
A PR story is suitable when a defined group outside the organisation would gain useful information from it. Name that group, its question and the answer the available evidence supports. If the business only wants attention, a company channel may be more suitable.
Use this to select a subject before writing a pitch. It does not decide the final angle or predict whether a publication will cover it.
Identify who could use the information
Start with a specific group: residents affected by a service change, buyers trying to understand a process, or practitioners facing a change in their work. Ask what they could understand or do differently after reading.
Public and industry relevance may require different explanations. A technical change may matter to specialists while offering little to a general audience. A local service interruption can matter greatly to a small community without being national news. An inflated claim about reach does not strengthen either.
Try one sentence: ‘This matters to [group] because [consequence or question].’ If the consequence is only possible, distinguish what is known from what would still need to happen.
Check the evidence and its reach
For a change, establish the previous position, the new or planned position, the date and who is affected. For a finding, define the measure, population and period.
For an explanation, identify the record or person with direct knowledge. A small internal observation cannot support a claim about an entire Australian industry without further evidence.
The ABC’s editorial policy requires material facts to be accurate and presented in context. Other newsrooms have their own policies. Checking context before outreach helps prevent an impressive number with no denominator or a headline that omits an important exception.
If the proposed story relies on a product or service benefit, check that the business has reasonable grounds for that claim. Narrow or remove a benefit that cannot be supported.
Key Evidence Requirements for PR Claims
- Change in service
- Previous position, new/plan position, date, affected group
- Finding
- Measure, population, period
- Explanation
- Record or person with direct knowledge
Use a short selection gate
For each candidate story, answer five questions:
- Who needs it?Name the public or professional group.
- What changed or became clear?State the information in one sentence.
- Why publish it now?Identify a new development, newly available evidence or a question that remains useful without manufactured urgency.
- What can be checked?Name the record, method or knowledgeable person, and the main limit.
- What remains useful without the brand?Keep the reader’s question in view.
A candidate that fails the audience or usefulness test may still merit a customer notice, trade update or company article. A candidate that fails the evidence test needs more work before a public claim is made.
Suppose a business changes the opening hours of one regional service. A clear notice for people who use that location may be the useful story. Calling it a national trend would require separate evidence.
Choose a scope the facts can carry. A journalist can then decide whether the subject fits a particular publication’s audience.
