News Hook
A timely angle that connects your story to current events, trends, or seasonal happenings, making it more relevant and newsworthy to journalists.
Definition
A news hook is the element of your story that ties it to something happening right now—current events, seasonal moments, trending topics, or breaking news. It answers the journalist's fundamental question: "Why should I cover this today instead of next month?" A strong news hook transforms a general announcement into a timely, relevant story that fits the current news cycle.
News hooks can be tied to holidays, industry events, legislative changes, cultural moments, or even weather patterns. The key is finding a genuine connection between your news and what audiences are already paying attention to, rather than forcing an artificial link.
Why It Matters
Journalists receive hundreds of pitches daily, and most get ignored because they lack urgency or timeliness. A compelling news hook moves your story from the "maybe later" pile to the "cover this now" category by demonstrating immediate relevance to readers or viewers.
News hooks significantly increase your pitch success rate because they align with what journalists are already looking to cover. During tax season, financial services stories get more attention. During back-to-school season, education-related pitches perform better. Understanding and leveraging news hooks is fundamental to successful media outreach.
Examples in Practice
A fitness app launching in early January doesn't just announce "new features"—they hook it to New Year's resolutions and the data showing when people abandon fitness goals, positioning their app as the solution to a trending problem.
A cybersecurity company doesn't randomly pitch their services; they tie their story to recent high-profile data breaches in the news, offering expert commentary on what happened and how companies can protect themselves.
A wedding planning service pitches engagement season stories in December/January when engagement rates peak, rather than pitching the same story in July when media interest in engagement content is lower.