07 Jul Press Releases: Journalists cover stories, not announcements
Let’s face it, nothing beats telling a story when you want your message to be impactful in today’s media environment, facts alone don’t cut it.
At the heart of effective communication is the art of storytelling, it goes beyond turning ideas into great narratives to making people ‘feel’ something, it creates memories, sparks connection, and most importantly, drives impact. To stand out in the media, it is not enough for brands to embrace story telling. It’s the most powerful tool they’ve got.
Why Press Releases Alone Aren’t Enough Anymore
For the longest time sending a well-written press release was all it took to get media coverage, all a brand had to do is share news about a product, a new partnership and an upcoming event and hope it makes the cut when it comes to media coverage. But times have changed.
The media space is more crowded and competitive as ever, journalists are struggling with informing an audience that is more selective, traditional media is becoming less powerful and simply ‘informing’ is not enough. To attract audience attention, you need to connect, and that connection comes from stories.
Media houses are constantly seeking content that not only informs but also resonates with their audience. Stories with emotional depth, relevance, factual with a human touch are what stands out. Brands need to understand this if they want to break through the noise, a press release, story pitch that ticks the above boxes is more likely to appeal to journalists leading to coverage than one that doesn’t.
Why Human-Centered Stories Work Better Than Generic Announcements
At Felt Africa, we’ve seen firsthand how a good story can transform a message. When we work with clients, we don’t just ‘announce’ but craft messages through stories that move people, we appreciate that journalists are storytellers too and when you hand them a strong human-centered pitch you are making their jobs easier, providing them stories that appeal to their audience and therefore increasing chances of getting coverage. So what makes a compelling narrative?
When it comes to packaging a press release or pitching to the media for our clients, we think as journalists or editors in the newsrooms. We attempt to answer these questions:
- Who has been impacted by the client’s initiative? The protagonist
- Is the client solving a problem or is the problem being solved? A conflict or challenge
- What has changed and how? A resolution
- Why does it matter? Relevance to society
- Is it something that people can ‘feel’? Emotional resonance
Here are two headlines; “HAKI Sheria Co. launches free legal aid program.” and “Single mother regains custody with help from new legal aid initiative by HAKI Sheria Co.”
The first headline is an announcement but the second headline tells a story, it has a face or human being, a struggle and a resolution. This type of headline is the kind of angle that piques the interest of journalists and media audiences.
Understanding Journalists Is the first step to building relationship with them
In our practice as Felt Africa, we also appreciate that gaining media trust is as important as having a good story. Getting coverage is mostly guaranteed if you are offering content that is valuable to the media and their audiences.
Our approach includes treating the media as content collaborators. When pitching to the media in general we ask ourselves: If I were the editor, would I run this? Then we make sure to include context, real human voices, facts and credible sources to support the story. Then we package it with specific media audiences in mind.
Common Mistakes Brands Make
Even with good intentions, brands often sabotage their media efforts. Here are a few traps to watch out for and how you may avoid them:
Using too much jargon
Media language should be clear, direct and relatable, at Felt Africa we believe in simplicity when it comes with messaging and pitching to the media, we strip away the fluff and keep the message as human as possible.
Making the brand the hero
It’s tempting to centre or lead with your brand in every story, but we advise not to, the most powerful stories, in our experience as Felt Africa, put the people at the center of the narrative. Let those impacted by your work be the heroes. It’s their stories that resonate with the masses.
Throwing out stats without a story
Sure, numbers are impressive. But without a narrative, they fall flat. Highlighting statistics does not translate to impact, instead wrap them in context, explain what they mean, why they matter and who they affect.
Data or statistics though a great way to build credibility only become memorable when they tell a story. To make them more powerful they have to be put in context and accompanied by a narrative that puts them in perspective, breaks down the issue, and appeals to people’s emotions. Without context, data or numbers can be confusing, once there is confusion the message will flop.
It Is All In How You Make People Feel
At Felt Africa, we understand the impact of stories with emotional connection, a narrative that turns a message into a movement and a brand into a trusted voice.
Are you a brand looking to get your press releases noticed, build media relationships, or shape narratives that resonate, you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t have to figure it out on your own.
Felt Africa can help you navigate all these challenges.
We specialize in:
Strategic storytelling that transforms dry announcements into media-ready features
Human-centered content development that connects with audiences
Media relations and pitching designed to speak the language of journalists
Message refinement and narrative framing that aligns with your brand goals
Whether you’re launching a new initiative, responding to a crisis, or want to elevate your media presence, we’re here to help you shape the kind of stories that make an impact and get told.
Let’s turn your message into something worth remembering.
Talk to us today.