Searching For New Story Angles? Try This...
We’ve all been there. When you’ve had zero attention with your pitch about your organization or destination. Where can you turn to deliver the media results for which your bosses are waiting for?
There are a number of tactics to consider, however, sometimes, the best stories that attract media interest are the people that bring a special human side to what your organization is all about.
Human interest stories have always been a favorite of the media because they hold our attention as we connect with the efforts, sacrifices and accomplishments of the person(s) involved in these stories.
Typically when it comes to media coverage for outdoor companies, events and travel destinations, people’s stories are not the first news angles that come to mind. It’s often the latest product, hotel, or shiny new experience. However, are there people behind the scenes that make the destination or the experience special, unique and worthwhile? If so, this can be the catalyst to making media outlets stop and take notice of the potential for a good story.
Here at Think Big, we always quiz our clients about people that may have an interesting background or role that supports the message our clients are looking to share. Using people as a means to communicate a story about your organization helps differentiate you from your competitors and potentially could be the more interesting than what you would typically see covered by the media.
One example of this was a story we worked on with Runner’s Worldaround the volunteers of the Leadville Trail 100 Run event. Runner’s World devoted an entire podcast highlighting Sandy Monahan, "The Cut Off Queen" and other interesting stories from the volunteers of the race. The story and podcast never mentioned the winners of the race but focused on people behind the scenes.
Finding new story angles about people that tie back to your company can also help open doorways into publications and outlets you may not have considered before.
Do some digging to see if your organization’s people have a story worth telling.
Always Think Big,
Kate
