Five Ways to Find the Timely Hook
When it comes to connecting with your audiences and getting your story out, timeliness is key.
Timeliness is what drives the news — and it’s a compelling way to draw attention to your content.
Yet too often in the flurry of everyday life, communicators and PR professionals miss timely hooks that can elevate key messages and capture far more attention than ho-hum evergreen content.
Making the most of timeliness isn’t difficult if you keep it top of mind. Here are five simple ways to make that happen:
1. Seasons change. So should your content: The first day of fall is on Sept. 22, but the re-emergence of everything pumpkin tells us summer is already history. A brainstorming session before the unofficial start of a new season can ensure that major events and holidays are on your radar and that you are in tune with what people will be focused on over the next several months.
2. Track recognition days and months: There’s a month and day for just about every issue and cause under the sun. And these events offer timely opportunities to get your message out. A great tool is National Today, which captures recognition months and days, ranging from lighthearted National When Pigs Fly Day (today!) to the serious Blindness Awareness Month (October).
You can often find some creative tie-in to drive home an important message. For instance, Sept. 26 is Johnny Appleseed Day (and ironically National Lumberjack Day). You could use the day as a hook about planting seeds for progress or change.
3. Keep up with the news: We had planned to send this newsletter yesterday afternoon. But just as we were about to hit send we learned of Queen Elizabeth’s death. We made the call to hold off until today, both out of respect and the knowing that attention would likely be elsewhere. Tracking the latest headlines can help you avoid a timely misstep. Beyond that, it reveals ‘newsjacking’ opportunities in which you can tie a pitch or a piece of content that is tied to issues and happenings that are top of mind for your audience – and journalists.
4. Tie to a trend: Tracking trends that are happening in your industry or broader culture can reveal some timely opportunities to offer insight on potential impact on those you serve or your audience. It also opens the door to provide a contrarian view -- an approach that The 360 Group founder Vincent Robinson successfully took when the movement to include salaries in job postings was trending.
5. Read your mind: Considering the average person has 6,000 thoughts each day, you have to be a judicious editor when it comes to this tactic. That said, if some meaningful and meaty issues are on your mind, they are likely on the minds of others as well. Consider the stuff that inspires or motivates you, or keeps you up at night. These persistent thoughts might provide the opportunity to share unique insights that will likely resonate with your audience.
Consistent focus on timeliness has the added bonus of keeping you out of trouble. It can guide you in building an editorial calendar free of ill-timed content or events that have the potential to be offensive, awkward or tone deaf.
After all, if you’re holding a political rally to win the hearts of minds of Ohioans, you might not want to schedule it during the Ohio State game.