How to Find Stories within Your Organization
There’s one thing that a press release needs. It’s more important than any other element in a press release, and that’s a story. Your press release needs a purpose, a reason to write a press release. Your press release marketing strategy may require you to write consistent press releases. That means you need to be able to find stories. Let’s take a look at 24 questions to help you accomplish that on a regular basis.
1. What challenges did the company overcome, either in its early days or at some other point in time?
2. How has your company impacted others in a positive way? Think about your community and your customers.
3. Is your company invested in your community and if so, how? What have you done to improve the community or get involved?
4. Has the industry or market changed and impacted your company in some way?
5. Have you gotten any new significant or interesting customers?
6. How did your products come into being? What is their story? Why were some products or services created?
7. Are there any famous people who are associated with your product or your company?
8. What’s unique about your product that sets it apart from the competition?
9. Is your brand associated with any special national or regional events or holidays?
10. Has your brand changed over time? Is there a story related to these changes?
11. What is the story behind your logo?
12. Does your brand have an official spokesperson? If so, what is the reason for this relationship and what stories are associated with it?
13. Is your brand associated with a cause? If so, what is the story behind this relationship?
14. What did your company founders do? What inspired them? Can your employees or customers relate to this history?
15. Are any of your employees members of the military, volunteer firemen or other first responders?
16. Are any of your employees members associated with a special cause? If so, what is it and why is it important?
17. Has your company done any research lately? Can your company introduce exciting new statistics or information?
18. Have you hired someone new recently? Or has an important person left your company?
19. Have any of your employees done something special for the community?
20. Has your company expanded?
21. Has your company entered a new market, started a new business or shifted the focus of the business?
22. Has your company released any new products or services?
23. What are your employees like? Do they do anything special or interesting? Consider doing a series of employee profiles.
24. What is the personal story of your senior management? Have they done anything that provides lessons or information for your customers?
These 24 questions should be sufficient to fuel a number of brainstorming sessions. You may have enough story and press release ideas to fill several years’ worth of press release marketing. Newsworthy content is what the media is drawn to, and stories attract attention. Combine the two to create attention grabbing and business building releases.
