Hook, line and sinker: does your content need a ‘news hook’?
From fresh statistics to current coverage – find out about the role ‘news hooks’ can play in ensuring that your content is timely and relevant.
When you click on a piece of content, what is it that makes you want to read on? Has the headline caught your eye? Are you drawn in by the eye-catching imagery? Or is it the promise of new insights or topical information? While many things might initially attract you to an article, chances are it is that fresh angle that will encourage you to hit that ‘read more’ button.
Getting audiences to decide between reading your articles or those produced by other publishers can be difficult – especially when there is an endless stream of content out there to choose from. This is why making sure your editorial output stands out from the crowd and adds value to ongoing conversations will be key to attracting and engaging your readership.
While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, a ‘news hook’ can play a part in achieving this. This is a phrase often thrown around in journalism to help determine how and whether a writer should report on a particular story. If you aren’t familiar with the terminology, it refers to a standout bit of information that makes an article idea current, timely – and potentially more enticing to an audience.
Reeling your audience in
These story pegs can take a range of forms, whether that is fresh data, recent interviews, annual events and awareness days – or topical news items that are gaining traction. The most important characteristic of these hooks is that they give your piece a sense of urgency.
News cycles are continuous and they can move incredibly quickly. Comms leaders must keep their eyes and ears to the ground, and ensure they are thinking about the news-worthy links that could inform their editorial output. At Speak Media, our weekly ‘industry insights’ roundup helps keep the team informed about what is going on in our sector – and in our clients’ industries.
These regular scans are shared each Monday to highlight trends and current news stories within the corporate content sphere. This gives us a glimpse of key industry talking points – and motivates the team to think about how we can contribute to these conversations.
Breaking stories and new data
Of course, the topics that will be of interest to your audience will depend on the nature of your business – but spotting those coverage opportunities will help you to create more purposeful content. For example, if a UK heatwave is dominating the headlines, it may prompt organisations in the legal sector to publish an article exploring employment rights and the areas that businesses should be aware of when their staff are working in extreme conditions.
Insights gathered from recently published datasets can also be a great starting point for comms teams that want to offer a fresh angle on a particular subject matter. Whether this research is your own, or it comes from a (reliable!) external source, it can demonstrate the relevance of a certain topic, and offer an opportunity to share your expertise and point of view.
Dedicated awareness days that take place throughout the year can also provide comms leaders with an opportunity to showcase the work a brand is doing in specific areas of the business – from approaches to upskilling talent and perspectives on industry innovations, to initiatives promoting inclusion in the workplace.
But while these dates might provide a relevant reason for brands to communicate around these strategies, it is essential that these posts have real substance and evidence behind them – and are part of year-round actions and communications that demonstrate a real investment in a topic.
‘News hooks’ should only be used to support strong comms strategies and focused messaging – rather than replacing them. And there will be many cases where an ‘evergreen’ approach will be crucial in providing non-time-sensitive branded content that will continue to benefit your audience.
Don’t end up creating content solely because it can be linked to news, new data or particular dates – make sure you can add real value to the conversation.