Smaller companies can get in the media with stories that meet the news criteria.
The rule of thumb for the classic journalistic news criteria in Danish media is “AVIS-K”, and the story should meet all five. Here’s a review from a startup perspective.
A: Timeliness (Aktualitet)
It’s news, it just happened, or the information is only coming out now – and no one has written about it before.
V: Materiality (Væsentlighed)
Is it important to the readers of the medium? Remember to be honest with yourself. Look at what the media usually writes about and try to deliver something that is at least as important.
Materiality is typically the most difficult news criterion to meet for a small business.
I: Identification
Can media readers say “I wish it was me” or “I’m glad it’s not me”?
If all your activities are in Brazil, you need a really strong connection to Denmark to get mentioned in Denmark. And you need to have a strong connection to Islands Brygge to be featured in Bryggebladet. Typically, your business must be located there. Or the story happens there.
S: Sensation
“Women buy more razors” is a good story. “We sold 10,000 razors” is not. Small sensations are also sensations.
K: Conflict or Consequence
What important problem are you solving? Is there a counterparty? Maybe as a small, innovative supplier you can threaten a large monopolist because you provide a more efficient solution. This could be a conflict that is positive for you. Think about whether you can involve an expert who can back up your story – who can give a seal of approval to the consequence you are pointing to.
The three not-so-familiar news criteria: “BAK”.
Images/video of good quality or with surprising or exciting content. Read more about images here!
Cucumber time means a lack of stories. So in the summer, there’s more room for stories that wouldn’t otherwise make it into the media. Your story?
Celebrities often get coverage easily. Avoid the media only writing about the celebrity without mentioning your company, know that your angle is really about your business, or offer yourself as an expert source for the story.
The three BAC criteria can often outweigh one or more classic news criteria.
At Kemp & Kjær, we have the news criteria down pat, so contact us if you want a reality check on your next story.
