Every business has stories. Not every story is news.
Professional Partners learn to recognize the difference. A newsworthy story is not the same as a routine business update. It is not a promotion, an advertisement, or a sales pitch. It is something genuinely interesting that would matter to people outside the business.
This lesson teaches you how to recognize genuinely newsworthy business stories. You will learn what makes something newsworthy, how to identify stories on Facebook, and how to develop editorial judgment. Press releases are built around legitimate news. This lesson helps you find it.
Newsworthy stories create meaningful conversations. Professional Partners help businesses recognize stories worth sharing—not because every story deserves a press release, but because the right story, shared at the right time, can strengthen visibility, credibility, and community awareness.
What Makes Something Newsworthy?
Journalists and editors evaluate stories using specific criteria. Understanding these criteria helps you identify genuinely newsworthy stories.
Timeliness
Is the story current? News is about what is happening now. Stories that are timely are more newsworthy. Announcing something that happened months ago is not news.
Impact
Does this story affect people? The more people affected, the more newsworthy the story. A new service that helps the community has greater impact than a minor update.
Community Interest
Would the local community care about this story? Community interest is a strong indicator of newsworthiness. Stories that connect to people's lives matter.
Innovation
Is the business doing something new or different? Innovation is inherently newsworthy. New approaches, creative solutions, and unique offerings attract attention.
Human Interest
Does the story connect to human experiences? Human interest stories are compelling. They involve people, relationships, and emotions.
Significance
How important is this story? Significance relates to scale and meaning. A major expansion is more significant than a minor update.
Relevance
Is this story relevant to the audience? A story relevant to the community or industry is more newsworthy than one that is not.
Local Importance
Does this matter to the local community? Local importance is a strong indicator. Stories that matter locally are often newsworthy.
Newsworthiness is about interest, not promotion. A story is newsworthy if people would genuinely care about it.
Examples of Newsworthy Business Stories
Here are examples of stories that are genuinely newsworthy. Use these as a guide when evaluating business stories:
- Grand openings: New businesses opening in the community
- Anniversaries: Significant milestones like 10, 25, or 50 years
- Awards and recognition: Industry awards, community honors, and certifications
- Major hires: Key leadership appointments and executive changes
- Leadership changes: New ownership or management transitions
- New locations: Business expansion and growth
- Major contracts: Significant partnerships and client acquisitions
- Partnerships: Strategic collaborations and joint ventures
- Product launches: New offerings that serve customers
- New services: Expanded capabilities and new solutions
- Community projects: Investments in the community and charitable work
- Fundraising: Campaigns and fundraising initiatives
- Charity events: Events that support causes and organizations
- Business expansion: Growth that creates jobs and opportunity
- Technology adoption: Adoption of innovative technologies
- Industry recognition: Peer recognition and industry leadership
- Milestones: Achieving significant business goals
- Acquisitions: Business acquisitions and mergers
- Major customer achievements: Customer success stories and case studies
- Certifications: Industry certifications and accreditations
- Workforce growth: Expanding teams and creating jobs
- Facility upgrades: Significant improvements to physical locations
- Industry firsts: Being first to adopt new approaches or technologies
- Customer testimonials: Compelling customer stories and endorsements
- Thought leadership: Sharing valuable insights and expertise
- Community partnerships: Collaborations with local organizations
- Educational initiatives: Programs that educate the community
- Environmental initiatives: Sustainability and environmental efforts
- Charitable giving: Significant charitable contributions
- Volunteer programs: Employee volunteerism and community service
- Youth programs: Programs that support youth and education
- Sports sponsorships: Support for local sports teams
- Arts and culture: Support for local arts and culture
- Historic milestones: Reaching significant historical milestones
- Industry awards: Recognition from professional associations
- Safety records: Achieving significant safety milestones
- Quality certifications: Quality achievement and certification
- Customer satisfaction: Achieving significant customer satisfaction metrics
- Revenue milestones: Achieving significant revenue goals
- Employee achievements: Recognizing employee excellence
These stories are newsworthy because they are interesting, meaningful, and relevant to the public.
Stories That Are Usually NOT Newsworthy
Understanding what is NOT newsworthy is as important as understanding what is. Here are examples of stories that do not qualify as news:
Weekly Sales
Routine weekly sales are advertising, not news. They do not meet the criteria for newsworthiness.
Routine Discounts
Discounts are promotional, not newsworthy. They benefit customers but are not news.
Minor Website Updates
Small changes to a website are not news. Unless the website relaunch is significant, it is not newsworthy.
Everyday Social Media Posts
Social media content is conversation, not news. Unless it announces something significant, it is not newsworthy.
Ordinary Promotions
Promotions are marketing, not news. They do not meet the criteria for newsworthiness.
Seasonal Specials Without Broader Significance
Seasonal offerings are routine business updates, not news. Unless they represent something new and significant, they are not newsworthy.
If a story is promotional rather than informational, it is usually not newsworthy.
Finding Stories on Facebook
Facebook business pages are rich sources of stories. Here is what to look for:
Photos
Photos often reveal stories. Grand opening photos, award photos, event photos, and team photos can indicate newsworthy moments.
Events
Event posts are often newsworthy. Fundraisers, community events, workshops, and celebrations are worth exploring.
Announcements
Announcements are direct sources of stories. New services, partnerships, locations, and hires are often announced on Facebook.
Comments
Customer comments can reveal stories. Customer enthusiasm, appreciation, and questions can highlight what matters to the community.
Community Involvement
Community involvement often appears on Facebook. Sponsorships, charity work, and volunteerism are visible signals of newsworthy activity.
Customer Celebrations
Customer milestones and achievements are often shared. These stories highlight the business's impact on customers.
Milestones
Milestones are often celebrated on Facebook. Anniversaries, growth milestones, and achievements are visible.
Hiring Posts
Hiring posts can indicate growth. Team expansion and leadership hires may be newsworthy.
Facebook is a window into what businesses are doing and celebrating. Pay attention to what they share.
Editorial Thinking
Editorial thinking is the ability to evaluate stories from a public interest perspective. Here are questions to ask yourself:
Would Someone Outside This Business Care?
If the answer is no, it is probably not news. News is about what matters to the public, not just the business.
Does This Benefit the Community?
Stories that benefit the community are often newsworthy. New jobs, community projects, and charitable work all benefit the community.
Is This New?
News is about what is new. A significant new development is news. An update to something old may not be.
Is This Meaningful?
Does this story matter? Meaningful stories are newsworthy. Trivial updates are not.
Would I Share This With Someone Else?
If you would share the story with a friend or colleague, it may be newsworthy. If not, it probably is not.
Editorial thinking helps you distinguish between news and noise.
Real World Example
Let us evaluate two businesses and identify genuinely newsworthy stories.
Example 1: Family-Owned Restaurant
Stories on Facebook:
- 20-year anniversary celebration
- New seasonal menu announcement
- Weekly special promotion
- Charity fundraiser for local food bank
- Employee of the month post
Newsworthy:
- 20-year anniversary: Significant milestone, community interest, timeliness
- Charity fundraiser: Community benefit, human interest, impact
Not Newsworthy:
- Weekly special promotion: Advertising, not news
- Employee of the month: Internal recognition, not public interest
- New seasonal menu: Routine update, limited significance
Example 2: Local Roofing Company
Stories on Facebook:
- Completed a major commercial project
- Hired three new team members
- Received a safety award
- Posting before-and-after photos
- Donating roof repairs to a local nonprofit
Newsworthy:
- Completed major commercial project: Significant contract, impact, community interest
- Safety award: Industry recognition, credibility
- Donating roof repairs to a nonprofit: Community benefit, human interest
Not Newsworthy:
- Hiring three team members: Routine growth, limited public interest unless leadership role
- Before-and-after photos: Portfolio content, not news
What This Reveals
Newsworthy stories are significant, community-focused, and meaningful. Routine business updates are not news. Editorial thinking helps distinguish between them.
Common Mistakes
Avoid these common errors when identifying newsworthy stories:
- Confusing promotions with news: Advertising is not news. Press releases require genuine news.
- Thinking every business has news: Not every business has a newsworthy story at every moment. Sometimes there is no news.
- Overlooking community interest: Stories that matter to the community are often overlooked. Pay attention to community impact.
- Focusing only on what the business wants: News is about what the public cares about, not what the business wants to promote.
- Rushing to judgment: Take time to evaluate stories thoughtfully. Rushed evaluations miss the nuance of newsworthiness.
- Forgetting to ask "who cares?": If you cannot answer who would care about this story, it is probably not news.
- Ignoring local relevance: Stories that matter locally are often more newsworthy than broader stories. Local context matters.
- Thinking a press release creates news: Press releases announce news. They do not create it. Without news, there is no press release.
- Not considering multiple stories: Sometimes a business has multiple newsworthy stories. Evaluate them all before choosing.
- Giving up too soon: If a business does not have news today, they may have news tomorrow. Stay connected.
Facebook Field Assignment
This assignment helps you practice identifying newsworthy stories.
- Review fifteen local businesses on Facebook.
- For each business, identify three potential newsworthy stories.
- Rank each story:
- Excellent — clearly newsworthy and significant
- Good — potentially newsworthy with some impact
- Weak — minimal public interest
- Explain why each story received its ranking.
This assignment helps you develop editorial judgment and recognize newsworthy stories.
Academy Field Notes
Record your observations about newsworthy stories in your field notes. These notes help you recognize patterns and identify opportunities.
Record for each business:
- Business: Name and industry
- Potential story: What the story is
- Newsworthiness: Why it qualifies as news
- Why it matters: The significance of the story
- Recommended timing: When the story should be shared
Your field notes are a record of your growing editorial judgment.
Continue Your Academy Journey
Before moving to the next lesson, consider reviewing these foundational concepts:
- Academy Homepage
- Facebook Business Prospecting
- Understanding Press Release Distribution
- Businesses That Benefit Most From Press Releases
- Presenting EMWNews Professionally on Facebook
When you're ready, continue to the next lesson:
Key Takeaways
- Every business has stories. Not every story is news. Professional Partners learn to recognize the difference.
- Newsworthiness is determined by: timeliness, impact, community interest, innovation, human interest, significance, relevance, and local importance.
- Newsworthy stories include: grand openings, anniversaries, awards, major hires, new locations, partnerships, product launches, community projects, and fundraising.
- Non-newsworthy stories include: weekly sales, routine discounts, minor website updates, everyday social media posts, ordinary promotions, and seasonal specials without broader significance.
- Facebook reveals stories through photos, events, announcements, comments, community involvement, customer celebrations, milestones, and hiring posts.
- Editorial thinking helps you distinguish between news and noise.
- Ask yourself: Would someone outside this business care? Does this benefit the community? Is this new? Is this meaningful? Would I share this?
- Avoid common mistakes: confusing promotions with news, thinking every business has news, and ignoring community interest.
- Develop editorial judgment. Practice evaluating stories regularly.
- Newsworthy stories create meaningful conversations. The right story, shared at the right time, can strengthen visibility, credibility, and community awareness.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if a story is newsworthy?
Evaluate it against news values: timeliness, impact, community interest, innovation, human interest, significance, relevance, and local importance. If the story meets several of these criteria, it is likely newsworthy.
Can a small business have newsworthy stories?
Yes. Small businesses often have newsworthy stories — anniversaries, community involvement, awards, expansions, and unique approaches. Newsworthiness is about interest, not size.
How do I find stories that business owners do not see?
Look at their Facebook page through an editorial lens. What are they doing that matters to the community? What milestones are they reaching? What makes them unique? Business owners often overlook their own stories.
What if a business has no newsworthy stories?
Sometimes businesses genuinely have no news. That is okay. They may have news in the future. Stay connected. Eventually, most businesses have something to share.
Can a story be newsworthy locally but not nationally?
Yes. Local news values differ from national news. A story that matters to the local community is newsworthy locally, even if it is not nationally relevant.
What if a business wants to promote something that is not newsworthy?
Explain why it is not newsworthy and suggest alternatives. "This might work better as a social media post. Press releases work best for genuine news."
Can customer stories be newsworthy?
Yes. Customer success stories, testimonials, and achievements can be newsworthy. They highlight the impact of the business on its customers.
How do I prioritize which story to recommend first?
Choose the story with the most impact, timeliness, and community interest. Anniversaries, community projects, and major milestones are often the most newsworthy.
What is the most common mistake people make with newsworthiness?
Confusing what the business wants to say with what the public wants to know. News is about public interest, not business promotion.
What is the next lesson?
The next lesson is Choosing the Right Press Release Distribution Strategy. It teaches you how to choose the most appropriate distribution approach for different types of business news.
Help Businesses Tell Stories That Matter
Newsworthy stories create meaningful conversations. Professional Partners help businesses recognize stories worth sharing—not because every story deserves a press release, but because the right story, shared at the right time, can strengthen visibility, credibility, and community awareness.
You have learned what makes something newsworthy, how to find stories on Facebook, and how to develop editorial judgment. You are ready to help businesses identify their most valuable stories.
Your next step is to learn how to choose the right distribution strategy for different types of business news:
Continue with Choosing the Right Press Release Distribution Strategy.
