Devoted to small businesses and those who run them

When a new business opens, the owner thinks it's big news. It's a bit like having a baby. It's a big occasion for you, your family and friends, but it's not necessarily a big occasion for the wider community.

How can you make your business news "newsworthy"? First of all, most local papers want content. They need content, and they are interested in local happenings. As the old journalism adage goes "Dog bits man" is not news. "Man bites dog." is newsworthy.

So you need to make it easy for them. You have to provide an angle. You have to "sell" it to the reporter. Let's use a community event as an example. The basics can be modified for any situation.

So if you are hosting a community event, that in itself is not enough.

• Is there a special guest who is newsworthy in their own right?
  
  
• Was the idea sparked by a special event or person which has some news merit?
  
  
• Is the event in conjunction with something else that is newsworthy e.g. fundraising for a cause which has been in the news lately?
  
  
• Can you tie it in with another hot topic in the news lately?
  

If the reporter sees that this will be of interest to the newspaper's readers, he has a starting point. If you do not have personal contact with a reporter, you can also issue a newsworthy press release. In fact, most reporters prefer it.

• How do you make your business news newsworthy for your local paper?