What does the media want?

Scher was speaking at a recent PRISA "Trends in the Media" workshop, where she offered the following advice:

• Write as you speak – journalists prefer conversational writing.

• Simplify your press release – short, sweet and straight to the point.

• Conflict: Media love conflict stories.

• Don't try to get the journalist to come to you for an interview, take your spokesperson to the journalist.

• The letters section of newspapers is the best tool to judge what the trends are for that period. This section should be used to see the mood for the readers and help an organisation gain a lot of publicity by responding to letters.

• There is just no space for lengthy features.

If you can associate your story with trends, polls, surveys, customer buying patterns or new technology, the media will generally go for it. They are looking for new stories that engage readers, listeners and viewers completely. Remember, what may be newsworthy tomorrow could be insignificant in the eyes of editors a month from now. The story's newsworthiness value is shaped by what else is going on in the world and how editors rank your story in relation to the other stories from which they have to choose.

If you want to gain editorial coverage for your clients, then you need to follow these trends on a monthly basis. That is how often today's editors have to re-evaluate their publications. The solution? Use freelance journalists that are experts in that particular field.

Media survival tips – for interviews

1. Find possible interview locations that are visually interesting and contain good light. Have a standard list ready and use these locations to your advantage. The setting should show vibrancy – NOT your office wall.

2. Never wear a white dress, shirt or pin stripes on camera. White opens the iris of the camera and makes you look washed out, pin stripes will look wavy and distract the viewer.

3. Make your comments easily understandable, not only for the reporter, but especially the audience – NO JARGON PLEASE!

4. NEVER wear a name tag or company ID badge while being interviewed. They create a negative impression and distract the viewer, clouding your message.