Businesses are sitting on more data than ever. Most of it will never become a news story.
The reason is simple. A statistic is not an angle merely because it is large, surprising or positive for the company which collected it.
Numbers need a consequence
The first question is not how impressive the figure looks. It is what the figure tells us about a market, a group of customers or a change in behaviour.
A rise in demand may be interesting. It becomes a story when it reveals pressure on households, a shift in investment, a shortage of skills or a change in what people are choosing to buy.
The number is the evidence. The consequence is the story.
Context is not optional
A journalist cannot use a figure responsibly without knowing where it came from, what it measures and how it compares with the past.
Explain the source. Give the period. Make clear whether the finding covers all customers, a defined sample or a single part of the business.
This is not a legalistic exercise. It is what makes a claim credible.
Beware the flattering survey
Commissioned research can be valuable. It can also produce the same weak conclusion every time: most people supposedly agree with the company which paid for the research.
The better question is whether the findings reveal something readers did not know. A robust sample, a timely subject and a result which challenges received wisdom will all help.
If the conclusion can be predicted before the research is commissioned, it is unlikely to make news.
Do not overstate the evidence
Data can support a strong view. It cannot carry a claim which the evidence does not justify.
Be precise about what the figures show. Avoid turning correlation into cause, a small sample into a national trend or an early signal into a certainty.
Journalists will test the methodology. Your release should already have done so.
Give the data a human meaning
The best data stories connect a number with a real-world decision or pressure. They explain what will change for a customer, an employer, an investor or a community.
An expert quote can help, provided it interprets the evidence rather than merely repeats it. The reader needs to understand why the number matters.
Make evidence work harder
Good data gives a business a credible reason to join a wider conversation. It should clarify an issue, not simply promote the organisation which supplied it.
The most useful question remains the same: if the company name were removed, would this still be interesting?
We help businesses turn credible evidence into stories with a clear public and commercial relevance.
If this approach is relevant to a current challenge, we are happy to discuss it.
Discuss a brief → Back to Insights →