• new "trend stories" (e.g. body advertising), especially ones that overturn "conventional thought"
• speak to a larger-than-local audience; have potential for being picked up by wire services
• engage people's interest, get them talking: tied to everyday experience; something you don't see every day or haven't seen in a while
• MAY include visual content (but that doesn't mean a picture of a bunch of guys sitting around a computer)

"Bad Stories"

• things that happen regularly (e.g. professor is inducted into professional society; or wins regular or small award)
• things that few can relate to (e.g. college gets gift or endowment)
• things that we don't know we can relate to (e.g. inventor or company awarded patent)

How to Pitch Your Story to the News Media

• JUST DO IT. Don't worry about whether or not it's a "good story." They'll decide. They're paid to decide.
• Pay attention to deadlines. Reporters need time to process a story. So never send your story the day before you'd want to see it in print.
• They're going to respond more quickly to breaking news, so understand whether or not you have breaking news. Such stories occupy most broadcast media news. What's a story today won't be tomorrow, so they'll want the story in two minutes.
• Don't assume that you're the news because you send the story.
• Be collegial and approachable, but provide the information.
• E-mail is better than phone calls, because e-mail doesn't require immediate answers.

How to Be a Reliable Source

• BE AVAILABLE.
• GET TO THE POINT. Don't edit remarks in your head.

How to Be an Interview Subject

• Have that one piece of information that only you can give ready to be given smoothly.
• Have anecdotes at hand.
• Remember that a conversation is a presentation, especially to the media. Be sure your words go down easy, for you may be eating them tomorrow. And remember that there IS no "off the record."
• GET TO THE POINT.
• Be ready to segueway smoothly away from anything you can't or don't want to answer.
• Have passion.
• Don't waste a "softball." If they ask you the desirable, easy question, be ready to hit it a long, long way.
• Even the beginning and end are opportunities to say something meaningful. Don't waste them on "glad to be here" or any other cliche.
• Shake hands, use eye contact and SMILE.

References

Everholt, A. "Are You Ready for Your Close-Up?" Fast Company, 11.2002.