5 Ideas to Drive Newsworthy Content for Successful B2B Public Relations

With more than 20 years in the PR business, representing emerging growth B2B companies, I am circling back to one of the most important topics and one that keeps cropping up as both a challenge and opportunity: What's the newsworthy content and stories that will drive successful media relations and coverage? 

Media journalists are looking for newsworthy content that is timely, relevant, and interesting to their target audience. To determine whether content your content meets the criteria, consider the following factors:

1. Timeliness and Relevant - Is the content related to a current event or trend that interests the target audience? 
2. Significant - Does the content have a significant impact on the target audience? Whether it's a new product launch, a major industry trend, or a company milestone, the content should be significant enough to capture the audience's attention. This is where many clients get stuck. They don't vet out how the external audience will see what they may think is important but may not be to your targeted persona.
3. Unique - Is the content unique or innovative in some way? This can help differentiate your story from others and make it more interesting to the target audience.
4. Human-centric - If you also have a human-interest angle, your story will be more relatable, emotional, or inspiring. It can be particularly effective in capturing the attention of the audience and generating media coverage.

Here are some ideas when you are mining for content to help drive brand awareness:

1. Viewpoints and Predictions - What are your viewpoints or predictions on industry topics? Do you have a  contrarian point of view on a hot topic your audience is discussing? How do your solutions relate to hot topics or industry trends in the news? Insert yourself in industry discussions to drive thought leadership and increase awareness for your brand.
2.  What's New - What are you working on that's new in your organization? Is the content related to a new product or service offering that is innovative or unique? Launching a new product or service, new funding, new major partnership, customer wins, etc., in the form of a press release will create momentum for your company and demonstrate its success and growth. Press releases can be a valuable tool for B2B companies to share news and information with their target audience and generate media coverage, which can help increase visibility, establish credibility, generate leads, manage reputation, and improve SEO.
3. Research - Can you share original research, studies, surveys, or data, especially if the results are unique, counter-intuitive, or controversial?  B2B buyers often rely on data to inform their decision-making, and original research or data can help establish the company as a credible source of information.
4. Demonstrate Results - Case studies or success stories that demonstrate results. Does the content feature real-world examples of how a company's product or service has helped a customer succeed? If so, pitch it to demonstrate the value of the company's offering and build credibility.
5. Growth - Is your company hiring more people?  The local media may be interested in your company and its growth plans related to the region.

By reviewing this list, marketing, and PR professionals can drive a successful PR strategy that promotes newsworthy content that targeted journalists are interested in to capture the target audience's attention and generate media coverage.