1. Human interest. All news revolves around human interest. Although you might think that an innovative new product is a newsworthy item, it’s worthless unless it has a human-interest angle.

Imagine for a moment that you’ve just found a new product that overcomes sea sickness. Simply writing a press release announcing this fact isn’t going to grab anyone’s attention or imagination unless you can work it into a human interest story. So rather than saying `Hey, we’ve just found the perfect solution to curing seasickness,’ you would announce that either you or someone you know who has suffered from seasickness has finally found relief from this awful condition.

The product is the solution, but the story an editor would be interested in is the impact it’s had on a previous sufferer.

2. Previous career or occupation. Your previous career may well be a news story on its own. For example, a former city banker trading his suit and tie for the kitchen and happily running his own organic catering business is a great story for the contrast in careers. People love to read about how others have changed their lives, especially those who’ve swapped a high-flying career for something completely different.