People and lifestyle stories are in high demand. But what makes a really good people story and which VIPs are hot right now? In this blog post, we look at the topic of people journalism and give you five tips on what a story with a celebrity needs to have in order to work.
1. the story counts
Anyone who is interested in people and has a good feel for real stories knows what we are talking about: a good story is the be-all and end-all. Even - and especially - when it comes to people stories. People are interested in personality and not in advertising. This is why even unknown personalities are currently enjoying enormous success with their videos of simple everyday situations on TikTok. A person's famous name alone is not enough. The focus should always be on the story behind the person, which makes up 80% of a good people story.
2. a chat with the celebrities
People journalists have a knack for it. But how do you find good people stories? First and foremost, you should have a genuine interest in people. Because the most exciting topics usually arise from simple, non-committal conversations - especially in the celebrity world. You can find out a lot by simply picking up the phone and calling the person for a chat. Many celebrities don't mince their words and want their story to be told. Special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries in the life of a celebrity can also be suitable hooks, which can be combined with overarching and always popular topics such as love or relationships.
3. stories that simply always perform
Over time, you get a feel for what performs well and is clicked on. But just writing about something because the statistics say it's good doesn't work. The story itself still comes first. If you simply try to tinker with something, readers will immediately notice. This is where the guideline helps: Don't simply shape a story out of the person, but recognize the story behind the person and package it in such a way that it sounds exciting and is also read. And of course: always stick to the truth.
4. social media as a source of inspiration
It has never been easier to research exciting stories than it is today - thanks to social media. Instagram is a wonderful research platform and offers great information about stars and starlets and the latest gossip. And your own network can also provide inspiration for new stories. Of course, there are also celebrities who are always exciting due to their fame - such as Roger Federer or the British royals. Or stars who are highly polarizing. The content of the story becomes almost superfluous, the focus is clearly on the person. For our client Engstligenalp in Adelboden, for example, in January 2021 we performed a PR stunt with wrestling king Christian Stucki. A Swiss celebrity who is always very popular with people journalists and SI and Glückspost were therefore keen to get exclusive photo content.
5. placement: it's all in the mix
Our recommendation when it comes to placement: Don't just concentrate on one medium, such as Blick or 20 Minuten in Switzerland. In the end, it is the targeted mix of channels on which the story is placed that makes the difference. You should also differentiate between online and offline. Some topics work better online than in traditional print media.
If you would like to find out more about this topic, you should listen to our podcast episode with people journalist Flavia Schlittler. Flavia Schlittler has been covering the big star stories at Blick for 16 years. Listen in now!
