I’m baaaaaaaaack. Hi everyone! Did you miss me? It’s been awhile since I last contributed to Media Pros(e), but Tara let me come out of hiding to talk about something I love to do and I've seen many organizations struggle with: story mining.
Let’s go back in time to a very young, very nerdy Tori. When I was a kid, I loved the library (which btw, libraries are a Media Pros(e) bff. Read Tara’s post on that here).
But most importantly, I loved the mystery section, specifically the Nancy Drew series (The Bungalow Mystery was my favorite). I loved reading along and trying to figure out how to solve the mystery, understanding how the story was going to evolve and daydreaming about how cute the Hardy Boys must be…
*snaps back to reality*
Oh, how does this fit into story mining, you ask? Story mining – aka the process in which a PR pro comes up with new stories to pitch and tell to the media – is a lot like being your brand’s very own Nancy Drew. Story mining should happen at every part of your PR journey, but where I see most pros(e) struggle with it is when there is no new news to tell.
Well, with a little bit of sleuth work, I am here to tell you that there are few tips and tricks I have to help your organization overcome the peaks and valleys of media relations, and keep a solid pipeline of ideas to pitch the media with. Here’s how you can crack the case of the missing story:
Act like a journalist
A journalist is a modern day sleuth, no? They ask thought provoking questions and dig deep to find a story worthwhile to tell their readers. So when you find yourself in an idea slump, act like a journalist and interview your thought leaders. Ask them questions about the trends they are seeing, what are some of the challenges that keep people in their position/industry up at night, as well as what they WANT to be talking about right now. Some sample questions I use when interviewing a spokesperson include:
What isn’t being talked about right now that you think should be?
What’s coming down the pipeline in terms of innovation in this industry?
What are your areas of focus for the next quarter? Why?
What’s the biggest pain point you’re seeing your audiences/customers face right now? What are doing to solve it/mitigate it?
Don’t be afraid to go deep and keep probing on the “why.” In my experience, the best stories were never in my thought leader’s first answer. Become very inquisitive about their responses and extrapolate great nuggets of information by understanding where the root of their answer comes from. (You could even try the 5 Whys strategy)
Read, watch and listen
I cannot stress enough how important it is to consume media (I am legally required to tell you don’t actually eat a newspaper). As a PR pro, you MUST be watching the news, reading the news, and listening to the news. Pick 10 key outlets for you and/or your brand, sign up for their newsletters and read their stories. Take notice of what brands are being quoted in these articles and ask yourself:
Is this something my spokesperson can speak on? And if so, how can they take the conversation one step further?
What are they missing from this conversation? (note: this could also be a diversity of thought. Does your spokesperson represent a marginalized group? Do they have an opposing opinion?)
Why should the publication care about hearing from my brand?
Keep your enemies close…
Another way to story mine is to look at where your competition is getting placed and why. Do an audit on your competitor’s most recent coverage and take note of what types of stories they are in. Is it because they are offering an original opinion? Is it because they have data to back up what they are saying? Is it because they’re talking about new, interesting topics?
I bet after reading up on where your competitors are placed that will spur a few ideas on what your company should be talking about and why you do it better…
I wanna hear from you! What do you all do to find great stories at your organization? Leave a comment below or DM me on LinkedIn here.
Until next time, you can catch me in the library’s mystery section….
Tori Simmons is a media relations strategist, improv comedian and mom to her grumpy cat Gandalf. Connect with her on LinkedIn here.