Most Brisbane business owners believe that to be 'newsworthy,' they need to win a major award, secure a multi-million dollar contract, or invent a revolutionary product. This is the first and most damaging myth in content marketing.
In reality, the media—and your audience—don't care about your company's milestones. They care about shifts in the landscape, proprietary insights, and tension. If you are waiting for something 'big' to happen before you start creating high-impact content, you are leaving your brand’s authority to chance.
At Local Marketing Group, we help clients move away from passive reporting and toward active narrative manufacturing. Here is how to bust the common myths surrounding newsworthy content and start commanding attention in the Australian market.
Myth 1: Newsworthiness Requires a 'Big Event'
Many businesses treat news like a lightning strike—unpredictable and rare. They wait for an annual conference or a new office opening in Fortitude Valley to reach out to the press or blast their email list.
The Reality: Newsworthiness is about relevance, not events. You can manufacture newsworthiness by leveraging your internal data to highlight an industry trend. For example, a local property management firm doesn't need to wait for a housing crisis to make news; they can release a quarterly report on rental yield shifts across specific Brisbane postcodes. This turns mundane business data into a valuable industry resource.
By focusing on scaling authority through consistent, data-backed insights, you become the source that journalists and customers turn to when they want to understand what is actually happening in the market.
Myth 2: Professionalism Means Polish Over Personality
There is a lingering assumption that to be taken seriously by major Australian outlets like the Courier Mail or Financial Review, your content must be scrubbed of all personality and presented in a dry, 'corporate' tone.
The Reality: We are currently seeing a massive shift toward what we call 'Raw Authority.' In an era of AI-generated fluff, the market craves a human perspective that isn't afraid to be provocative. If your content sounds like a press release written by a committee, it will be ignored.
To stand out, you need to lean into raw authority. This means taking a definitive stand on industry issues. Don't just report that 'the market is changing'; explain why the current industry standard is failing your customers and what needs to happen next. Assertiveness is newsworthy; neutrality is boring.
Myth 3: Your Business Should Be the Hero of the Story
When most SMEs attempt 'newsworthy' content, they make the mistake of putting themselves at the centre of the narrative. "We are proud to announce," or "Our team has achieved," are the hallmarks of content that fails to gain traction.
The Reality: Your business is never the hero; it is the guide. The 'news' should be about the challenges your customers face or the broader impact on the community. For a Brisbane-based solar installer, the news isn't that they hit a sales target; the news is how Queensland's changing energy rebates are affecting the average family’s cost of living.
When you understand who the hero is, your content naturally aligns with what editors call 'human interest.' It shifts the focus from 'look at us' to 'look at what this means for you.'
Actionable Tactics for Newsworthy Content
To move beyond these myths, implement these three tactics immediately:
1. The Contrarian Take: Identify a 'best practice' in your industry that you believe is actually harmful or outdated. Write a deep-dive piece explaining why. Disruption is the fastest path to a headline. 2. The Localised Data Hack: Use Google Trends or your own CRM data to find a specific quirk in how Brisbane or Queensland consumers are behaving compared to the rest of Australia. Localised insights are catnip for regional media. 3. The 'Newsjacking' Pivot: Don't just comment on the news; add a layer of practical utility. If the RBA changes interest rates, don't just report it—create a 'Survival Guide for South East Queensland Homeowners' within two hours of the announcement.
Conclusion
Newsworthiness isn't a status granted to a lucky few; it is a content strategy executed with precision. By challenging the myths of 'event-based' news and embrace a more assertive, data-driven, and human-centric approach, you can elevate your brand from just another business to a local industry leader.
Ready to stop shouting into the void and start commanding the narrative? Contact the experts at Local Marketing Group to build a content strategy that actually moves the needle. Visit https://lmgroup.au/contact to start the conversation.