The secret sauce of how to make the news and look good doing it

You’re no doubt familiar with the saying, “All publicity is good publicity.” It was coined by a 19^th-century showman called P.T. Barnum, who owned and a ran a circus. You may know him as The Greatest Showman. I beg to differ with Mr Barnum and, I suspect in more recent times, several football stars and major companies going through the media meatgrinder would as well. However, I do think the modern-day news cycle is very much a circus. Today, the media is on the hunt for the brightest, boldest, most heart-stopping stories capable of making you happy, sad, excited, astonished or furious. 

People don’t remember facts and figures, people remember how you make them feel. 

There’s a phrase in the media sphere called a ‘case study.’ Of course, it exists in many industries. However, in ‘news land’, it means a person with a gripping story who is interviewed to bring to life the message you’re trying to convey or the product you’re hoping to promote. As a former journalist who spent two decades in newsrooms across the world, I guarantee that putting a compelling human face to a story delivers a headline without fail. 

This, my friends, is the secret sauce of how to make the news and look good doing it. 

Why do you think Anthony Albanese sits at a random family’s dinner table to discuss the cost-of-living crisis in front of a pool of cameras? It’s to put a human face to the policies and statistics he wants to discuss. He’s also not touring a local manufacturing plant in full swing for the soothing ambience. It’s to press the flesh of workers and connect with the average Australian. This ‘said’, ‘average Australian’ then tells their story about skyrocketing electricity bills or how a trip to the local grocery story has become an economic Armageddon. The key goal of the PM’s PR machine is to delicately weave the underlying message: “Albo gets it, and he’s here to help.” And, based on the May election result, it’s working a treat.

If the Prime Minister just spouted figures from Canberra, it wouldn’t carry the same weight. This applies to all companies and organisations. Whether you’re a blue-chip or a start-up, you still require the exact same ingredient to bake a cake that’s worthy of media consumption: a human-interest story, aka a ‘case study.’ 

The heart trumps the brain, and humans trump hyperbole … ALWAYS.

If you’re in natural resources, maybe it’s a third-generation miner talking about how their family has helped keep Australia’s lights on for almost a century. If it’s development and construction, find someone who’s been buckled by the housing affordability crisis. If renewables and mega projects are your jam, encourage members of the local community to talk about what a cash injection would do for their town. Charities like Beyond Blue were put on the map because they collaborate with everyday people speaking up about their battles with mental illness. 

There’s an art to finessing this, and the SAS Group has you covered. I’m part of a pool of former journalists and communications specialists who know news cycles like the back of our hand. If you want it, we’ll get it. However, the chance of your key messages truly penetrating the news cycle almost always relies on having a person (or people) who are better off because of your work and the difference it makes to their life. Associating your brand with their personal story puts you ten steps ahead of your competitors. The audience may not recall everything you say, but you’ll have their attention. Because people don’t remember facts and figures – they remember how you make them feel.  

Photo credit to Premier of Queensland David Crisafulli’s instagram