How do you find the right story angle to interest and serve your reader?
It starts before the reporting, interviewing and writing.
It starts with story-framing.
Introducing The Story-Framing System
Definition
Story framing is the process of looking “around” the subject matter to find a good angle, instead of staring the subject directly in the face.
By widening the scope of the idea, or narrowing it, or applying a trend from one place to a totally new area, you can find new and different story ideas.
The uniqueness of the angle is what will help you bring the idea forward and not repeat what has already been hashed out long ago.
The Story-Framing System is part of the three steps to thought-leadership writing.
To apply it, you will need to break down the problems faced by your audience. Your best stories will be about your unique ways to solve those problems.
The secret sauce for thought-leadership writing:
It’s all in the story angle
Understanding thought-leadership writing is one thing.
Doing it, and doing it well, is another.
How do you quickly attract people to your idea and engage the reader? How do you find the right point of view?
Simply put: You’ve got to think like a journalist and find the right story angle.
That process is called story framing.
When a story is framed well, sophisticated readers will gladly hear what you have to say.
Questions you can ask yourself about your storyline:
- Why is this story important?
- Why is it important now?
- Why should my readers care?
Here’s how The Story-Framing System works
