What makes a local story press-worthy?

Many small business owners think press-worthy means big news: a launch, an award, or a big new contract. When nothing like that is happening, they assume there is nothing to tell a journalist, and the phone never gets picked up.

That is the wrong measure. A local journalist is not grading your business on how impressive it is. They are asking one question: will this matter to my audience? Will it interest someone reading my news, on line or in print? Get that right and a fairly ordinary update can become a story. Get it wrong and even genuinely big news can land flat.

Local news is about the reader, not your business

"We've opened a new shop" is not news. It is an announcement, and there is a key difference. "High street footfall is up for the first time in three years, and here's a shop that's benefiting" is news. It tells readers something about the place they live, not just about your company.

The shift is small, but it changes everything about how you pitch. Before you write a single word, ask: why would someone who has never heard of my business care about this?

Five things that make a story land locally

You do not need all five of these elements. Two or three, executed well, are usually enough to get a reporter's attention:

Timeliness: Is your story tied to something happening right now, such as a season, a local event, or a recent trend? For example, a story about hiring is far more interesting during a month when local job losses are in the news.
A person, not a company: Journalists write about people. "Local firm expands" is flat. "Sarah, who started her business from her kitchen table three years ago, has just hired her first two members of staff" gives a reporter something compelling to work with.
Local relevance: Focus on jobs, community impact, or familiar landmarks and streets. The more specific the local detail, the easier it is for a reader to picture it.
Contrast: Frame your update around a before-and-after dynamic, an underdog angle, or an unexpected outcome. "Most independent shops are struggling right now, but this one just had its best month ever" is far more interesting than "shop has good month."
Usefulness: Include a tip, a warning, or something the reader can act on. Not every story needs this, but offering practical utility gives the piece a reason to exist beyond your own updates.

A quick test before you pitch

Read your story idea back and ask whether it would still hold up if you removed your business name and swapped in a generic placeholder. If the sentence still makes sense as a piece of local news, you are onto something. If it only makes sense as an advert for your business, it needs reworking before it goes anywhere near a journalist's inbox.

Next time, we will look at how to get that story in front of the right person, and how to write a pitch that does not read like a sales email.

If you don't have the time to spare, or if you would rather skip ahead, our Local Press Service can do the legwork for you.