Years ago, I worked with a client who had ideas. Lots of ideas. They just kept coming. Every conversation seemed to produce another one, and nearly every idea was something the client thought deserved media attention.
It reminded me of Michael Keaton’s character in the 1982 movie Night Shift. If you’ve seen the movie, you probably remember Bill Blazejowski, who proudly declares, “I’m an idea man, Chuck!”
And boy, was he.
Among his brilliant ideas? Edible paper to eliminate garbage. Mixing mayonnaise right into a can of tuna. Or better yet, feeding mayonnaise to live tuna so it’s already mixed in when you catch them.
I still laugh thinking about that scene.
And every once in a while, when someone starts rattling off one idea after another, I can’t help but think of Michael Keaton and those poor tuna fish.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love working with people who are enthusiastic about their businesses and organizations. I’d much rather have a client with too many ideas than one who has nothing to say.
But after more than 30 years in public relations, I’ve learned that one of the most important parts of my job is helping clients understand that not everything is news.
Just because something is important to a company or organization doesn’t necessarily mean it’s newsworthy. A new initiative, an internal milestone, an award or an anniversary may be a big deal to the people involved. But that doesn’t automatically make it something a reporter will want to cover.
And that’s not always an easy conversation to have.
No one wants to hear that the announcement they’ve spent weeks preparing probably isn’t going to generate much media interest. But I’d rather have that conversation upfront than spend time pitching a story that isn’t likely to go anywhere.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t a story worth telling. It may just not be the one the client originally had in mind.
Sometimes the most interesting part of an announcement is buried three paragraphs down in a press release. Sometimes it’s something that comes up almost casually during a conversation. I’ve lost count of the number of times a client has mentioned something in passing that made me stop and say, “Wait a minute. Tell me more about that.”
That’s often where the real story begins.
One of the first questions I ask when evaluating a potential story is, “Why would anyone outside this organization care?”
It’s a fair question. Reporters are looking for stories that are timely, relevant, interesting or useful to their audiences. And they’re receiving far more pitches than they could possibly cover.
Sometimes finding the story means connecting an announcement to a larger trend, identifying an interesting person behind it or showing how something affects the community.
Other times, it means telling a client that the information would be better suited for their website, newsletter, social media or a direct communication with customers.
Not everything needs a press release. And certainly not everything needs to be pitched to the media.
I’ve also learned that sending out a press release doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve accomplished anything. Neither does pitching a story to 50 reporters who have no reason to be interested.
I’d much rather spend the time finding the right angle and reaching out to a handful of reporters who might genuinely care.
Of course, even a good story doesn’t always get covered. Newsrooms are busy, priorities change and sometimes a bigger story comes along. That’s part of the business.
But one thing I’ve never believed in is telling clients that every idea is a great idea just because they’re paying me.
Sometimes my job is to say, “I don’t think that’s the story.”
And then help them find the one that is.
Although I have to admit, I still think putting the mayonnaise in the tuna can wasn’t such a bad idea.
