For PRs, getting a story onto national breakfast television is no longer simply about finding a good television story. It is about understanding how that story can work across multiple platforms, audiences and formats.
That’s because audience habits are changing and younger people in particular are increasingly likely to find their news online; television producers therefore are adapting to suit all demographics.
For public relations professionals, there is an enduring temptation to ask the deceptively simple question: What does television want?
The answer, increasingly, is not a particular type of story but a particular way of thinking about stories.
In a recent Shout Communications Small Talk session, GMB Deputy Editor Oruj Defoite, offered a revealing insight into what makes a story work on television today – and what PRs can do to improve their chances of securing national broadcast coverage on GMB.
Her message was strikingly consistent: make it relevant, make it useful, make it human – and give the audience a reason to care.
That might sound straightforward. In practice, it requires PR professionals to rethink how they package stories for broadcast media.
Television is no longer just television
The traditional idea of a TV programme as a single broadcast, consumed at a particular time on a particular day, is rapidly disappearing.
Breakfast television now operates across television, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, with content adapted for different audiences and different viewing habits.
Oruj explained that the core television audience is predominantly older and female, while TikTok reaches a much younger audience, broadly in the 16–35 age range. That means the same underlying story may need to be told in very different ways.
For PRs, this has an important implication.
A broadcast pitch should no longer simply ask: “Would this make a good TV package?”
It should ask:
“What is the story, who is it for, what can they take from it – and how could it live beyond the original broadcast?”
The strongest stories are increasingly those with enough depth to generate multiple pieces of content: a television interview, a short social clip, a practical explainer, a data-led graphic or a longer digital conversation.
The new currency: useful information
One of the clearest themes from Oruj was the growing importance of actionable takeaways.
Simply telling audiences something is no longer necessarily enough. Editors want to know what viewers can do with the information.
For example she said, that could mean three things consumers should know before their energy bills rise, three ways to avoid being scammed, or practical advice for saving money.
This is particularly relevant to PRs because it changes the way experts should be presented in a pitch.
Rather than:
“Our expert can talk about the wider implications of the issue.”
A stronger proposition might be:
“Our expert can explain the three things viewers need to do now.”
That distinction is small but significant. Simple and conversational is a much more effective approach.
For broadcast journalists, an expert who can reduce a complicated subject to three clear, memorable points is often considerably more useful than someone who simply has impressive credentials.
The lesson for PRs is to look beyond authority and ask whether an expert can communicate.
The news hook still matters
There is a persistent misconception that a compelling human-interest story is enough to secure breakfast television coverage.
According to Oruj, it is not.
A human interest angle is compelling. But for a programme built around the live news agenda, the news hook remains critical. Human interest can be the emotional engine of a story, but there needs to be a reason for the programme to be discussing it now.
That might be a new report, a change in legislation, new research, a developing consumer issue, a medical breakthrough or an event in the news.
A powerful personal story without a timely hook may still be interesting television – but it is less likely to fit a programme whose editorial language is built around what is happening today.
For PRs, that means resisting the temptation to pitch the human story in isolation.
Instead, ask:
- What has changed?
- Why is this relevant now?
- What new information do we have?
- What is happening to people as a result?
- Is there a number that demonstrates the scale of the issue?
- What can viewers learn or do?
That is where the story begins to become television.
Regional stories can work – if there is a national thread
National television does not necessarily mean that every story has to originate nationally. Oruj pointed to regional stories that can work when they tap into a wider concern. The test is whether audiences outside the immediate geographical area can recognise themselves in the issue.
A development in Wigan, for example, may initially look like a local planning story. But if the issue is large warehouses being built close to residential communities, it can become a national conversation about housing, the environment, traffic, employment and quality of life. Potentially the same situation could be replicated elsewhere in the country and that’s when it becomes of national interest.
The question for PRs is therefore not simply:
“Is this national?”
It is:
“What is the national relevance?”
That distinction can unlock broadcast opportunities for organisations whose stories originate in a particular town, city or region.
Turning policy into something people can understand
This is perhaps one of the biggest challenges for communications professionals working in policy, charity and public affairs.
Policy stories can be important without necessarily being television stories.
Oruj's advice was to translate institutional language into something tangible. A report containing dozens of pages of analysis may contain one figure that tells the story far more effectively.
She cited an example in which research about the cost of accessing a safe and pleasant living environment was distilled into a single figure: £45,000. The number gave journalists something concrete to work with and helped the story travel beyond its original context.
For PRs, this is a useful test for any policy-led campaign:
If you had to explain the entire report using one number, one person and one consequence, what would they be?
That is often much closer to the television story.
Human interest still matters – but it needs something new
Human interest remains fundamental to breakfast television. But familiar formats are becoming harder to sell.
Oruj was particularly sceptical about awareness-day stories unless there is a genuine new development attached to them. Simply linking a story to an awareness day does not necessarily make it news. Rather than building a campaign around the date and then searching for a story, PRs should start with the story itself.
What has changed? What is surprising? Who is affected? What is new? Why should anyone care?
If the answers happen to coincide with an awareness day, so much the better.
By contrast, stories involving pioneering medical treatment, unusual conditions or new technology can have considerable appeal – particularly when there is a compelling individual at the centre.
One example discussed was a young woman able to control a prosthetic limb using her thoughts. The story had an obvious human dimension, but it also contained novelty, technology, emotion and strong visual potential. It subsequently performed strongly across social media.
That combination is important.
The strongest human-interest stories often have several layers: a person, something new, a wider issue and a reason for the audience to keep watching.
Weight-loss stories have evolved
Weight loss remains a strong subject for television audiences, but Oruj explained that the editorial treatment has changed.
The traditional before-and-after format is no longer necessarily enough.
Instead, the emphasis is increasingly on the journey: what happened, what changed, what worked, what did not, and what the audience can learn from the experience.
That mirrors the wider shift towards useful content.
A transformation story becomes more interesting when it answers the questions viewers are likely to be asking themselves.
What should I know? What are the options? What are the risks? What actually works? What does the evidence say?
For PRs working in health, nutrition and wellness, that creates an opportunity to move beyond a simple case study and build a richer editorial proposition around the person at its centre.
Consumer stories are particularly valuable
Consumer affairs remains a significant area for breakfast television, particularly during periods when household finances and spending decisions are already in the news.
Oruj highlighted the importance of consumer content around November and December, when audiences are looking for practical guidance on spending, saving, travel and Christmas shopping.
But, again, the story needs a news peg.
A generic feature about saving money is less compelling than one connected to a specific change in bills, prices or consumer behaviour.
For PRs, the winning combination is often:
current news + strong data + practical advice + an excellent expert.
And the expert matters.
Oruj stressed the value of articulate, knowledgeable voices who can deliver their advice clearly and memorably.
A press release containing three genuinely useful points from an expert can be considerably more effective than several paragraphs of institutional commentary!
The expert is part of the story
For communications teams, this is perhaps one of the most practical lessons.
Having an expert is not enough.
They need to be good television.That means being able to speak in short, clear sentences, explain complicated ideas without jargon, respond naturally to questions and offer memorable observations.
A PhD, professorship or senior job title may establish authority. It does not necessarily establish broadcast value.
When developing spokespeople, PR teams should therefore think about:
- Can they explain the issue in plain English?
- Can they give three memorable tips?
- Can they provide a strong opening sentence?
- Can they respond to challenge?
- Can they explain why this matters to ordinary people?
- Can they make a complex subject interesting in 20 seconds?
For broadcast PR, those skills can be as important as the expert's credentials.
Exclusivity still has real value
Another enduring principle remains firmly in place: freshness matters.
If a story has already appeared elsewhere, it becomes much harder to sell to another major broadcaster unless there is a genuinely new angle.
That makes exclusives valuable.
For PRs, this does not necessarily mean withholding a story indefinitely. It means understanding where the most valuable editorial opportunity lies and considering whether the story can be developed specifically for that outlet.
The question should be less “Who can we get this to?” and more:
“Where will this story have the greatest editorial impact, and what can we offer that is genuinely new?”
What about Christmas and Easter?
Seasonal hooks have traditionally been a staple of broadcast PR.
But the bar is rising.
Oruj's view was that Christmas and Easter are no longer sufficient editorial reasons in themselves. A story needs to stand on its own merits.
That is an important warning for PR teams planning months in advance.
A festive backdrop can enhance a good story. It cannot rescue a weak one.
Pitch early – but stay flexible
Television planning is a delicate balance between forward planning and the unpredictability of breaking news.
Jane explained that GMB's schedule can change rapidly when major news breaks. A booked feature can disappear because something more immediate has happened.
That does not mean PRs should wait until the morning they want coverage.
Quite the opposite.
Early conversations give editors more opportunity to understand a story, find the right slot and consider how it might be adapted.
But PRs also need to accept that broadcast news is fluid.
The ability to respond quickly, change the angle or move a story to another day can be a significant advantage.
AI: opportunity, scrutiny and new forms of storytelling
Artificial intelligence presents a particular challenge for broadcasters because both the technology and public understanding of it are changing rapidly.
Oruj described the programme's approach as balancing wonder with scrutiny.
That means exploring what AI can do while also asking sensible questions about its risks and consequences.
For PRs, that makes the choice of spokesperson particularly important.
A credible AI story may require voices from different sides of the debate: people developing the technology, alongside those examining its implications.
The ability to explain a complicated subject clearly and without resorting to hype becomes crucial.
AI is also expected to influence the way audiences consume news, with ITV planning further developments in mobile content and experimentation with more interactive and personalised storytelling.
For communications professionals, the implication is clear: broadcast PR is becoming increasingly intertwined with digital PR and social media strategy.
So, what should PRs take from all this?
The fundamentals of good broadcast PR have not disappeared. But they are being sharpened by a more fragmented media landscape.
A successful television pitch increasingly needs to answer five questions:
1. Why now?
What is the news hook?
2. Why should people care?
What is the human or consumer relevance?
3. What's new?
What makes this different from the stories already out there?
4. What can viewers take away?
Can the story provide practical, useful information?
5. Who can tell it brilliantly?
Do you have an expert who can communicate clearly, memorably and naturally on camera?
The days of sending a press release and hoping that the strength of the subject matter will do the rest are long gone.
Today's broadcast PR requires a more editorial approach: understanding the programme, understanding its audience, understanding the news agenda – and understanding how a single story can travel from the television screen to YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and beyond.
For PR professionals trying to secure national television coverage, that may be the most important shift of all.
Don't just pitch a story. Pitch the reason it matters now, the person who can bring it to life, and what the audience will take away from it.
The broadcast PR checklist
Before pitching a national television programme, ask:
News: What is the immediate hook?
Human: Who is at the heart of the story?
Data: What is the most compelling number?
Expert: Who can explain it in a memorable way?
Usefulness: What three things can viewers learn or do?
Visuals: What will make this work on television and social media?
Freshness: Has it appeared elsewhere, and if so, what is genuinely new?
National relevance: Why should someone outside the immediate location care?
Flexibility: Can the story respond to changes in the news agenda?
That is increasingly the difference between having something to say and having something a television editor can use.
