New Carpet is Not Newsworthy!

Once upon a time, not too long ago, a client asked its public relations agency to pitch the new carpet they recently refurbished. Gently, yet assuredly, the public relations team broke it to the client that the new carpet – albeit big news around their office – would not appeal to the media.

While this story may seem trite, it’s actually true. As PR practitioners, we’re often faced with the difficult task of asking our clients, “Who cares?” Surely we’ve bruised an ego or two along the way, but hopefully we’ve shielded our clients from the far-worse crucifixion of a cranky journalist. And, since we know they can’t all be winners, we’ve created the following suitcase of things to pack into any press release or announcement before it’s considered “news”:

Timeliness – Consider whether your story is up to date with the content of the medium you’re pitching. If you’re pitching BusinessWeek, ask yourself whether your story ties into a current news trend and if it’s happened recently enough (within the last 24-48 hours). Example

Impact – Does your story impact anyone outside of your organization? Does it have consequences for its audience? News makes an impact if it affects a large number of people.

Conflict – Drama, conflict and tension are more captivating than peace and smooth sailing. If you’re willing to go head to head against a competitor, your story will be that much more compelling. Example

Proximity – Stories which happen close to home have more significance to our lives. Can your company bring the local perspective to a national trend? Example  

Human Interest – Human interest stories don’t have to necessarily be recent or widespread to make an impact – they simply have to tug at heartstrings.

Prominence – Famous people get more coverage because they are famous.

About the Author

As a senior PR expert at Xstatic PR in Denver, Sasha is responsible for project management, editing and quality assurance, and client projects including media relations, writing, social media, community relations, research and event coordination.

Sasha is an experienced PR agency executive and has worked with top firms across the country, including Schenkein Public Relations in Denver and Lois Paul & Partners in Boston. She has directed communication strategy and campaigns for a variety of successful organizations, such as Western Union, StorageTek, Sun Microsystems, First Data Corp., and SpectraLink.

Her diverse agency background gives Sasha a broad range of experience, handling PR strategies such as media/analyst relations, press materials, speaking engagements and trade show coordination. Her media relations expertise has earned placements for her clients in top national media outlets such as the Associated Press, BusinessWeek, Chicago Public Radio, FOX and CNN.

Sasha began her career at Platinum Equity in Los Angeles, lending media relations, writing and administrative support to the private-equity firm’s marketing department.

Sasha graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in public relations. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, Colorado Healthcare Communicators, the Denver Chamber of Commerce “Chamber 100” leadership development program, and volunteers for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Sasha Tinkham can be contacted at sasha@xstaticpr.com, or at 303-928-7144 x29.

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