Good News Stories
Why aren’t we investing more in the GOOD news stories and creating a positive narrative for our community? Let’s do it in March!
Now, don’t get me wrong. I know we need to be informed on issues but how frustrating is this when there are so many GOOD news stories out there in our community and yet it is the negative stories that seem to get all the headlines and traction on social media? Do you ever think, this is NOT what our community is all about?
I’m not alone in thinking that positive stories such as a young person excelling in their career, a community group welcoming a milestone member, or a local business signing a major contract, deserve to be shouted from the roof tops. Human interest stories are powerful and resonate widely so why aren’t they being told when we have all this digital technology at our fingertips?
The sad reality is that every council, progress association and business owner I talk to realise this but don’t have the time or resources to implement it.
When I recently sent an article to our local newspaper featuring a young person that my Rotary Club sponsored to attend a leadership camp, the editor warmly thanked me and commented on what a lovely story it was. Perhaps she’d been stuck reporting in the Magistrate’s Court that day or maybe no-one else bothers to send in good news stories? Naturally we used that same content in a slightly different format in the Rotary newsletter, and on their Website and Facebook and Instagram pages reaching a much larger audience and prompting interview requests from local radio and a sister newspaper. This is what I do every day in my consultancy business, a good news story can go a long way with just a bit extra effort.
Ultimately by not telling these positive stories and ensuring that they have broad exposure; we are empowering a negative conversation in our communities. This is the gist of a discussion I had earlier this week with a business owner and community leader in another regional town.
The problem with nurturing a positive culture, he told me, is having both the time and the skills to create authentic and engaging content. By this, he meant words crafted in an authentic and compelling voice with engaging images and eye-catching introductions like what you would expect to be produced by an ethical journalist. Maybe some snappy video clips as well?
Wouldn’t it be awesome, he mused, if we could create a treasure trove of positive content that can be used on multiple platforms over an extended period of time to create pride in our community and fuel positive conversations that ripple out into the wider region?
OK, so maybe I put some of those words into his mouth, but we were in total agreement. It was a clear case of synchronised head nodding.
‘Yes, it sure would’ I agreed. But once again it requires time and skills to know how content should be presented on each individual platform. This is an important investment in long term culture change.
As many of you know my passion is to engage with communities and share positive stories right across Australia and beyond. No, this is not marketing spin, it has to be authentic to resonate. I am so delighted that many more people are developing their skills and doing exactly the same. Kudos to you all.
My challenge for the month of March is for every rural town organisation or shire council to identify six or twelve good news stories in their community to be shared. And if you don’t have the time or skills to produce your own positive stories, I’d love to hear from you.
In fact We’ve got a very SPECIAL OFFER especially for the month of March so check it out.
LOVE this video parody of Kylie Minogue’s Tourism adv by St George and a group of rural towns
KERRY ANDERSON: Founder of the Operation Next Gen program and author of ‘Entrepreneurship: It’s Everybody’s Business,’ Kerry works with small businesses and rural communities to help them embrace new opportunities. In 2018 she was named as one of Australia’s Top 50 Regional Agents of Change. READ MORE