“What should I write about?”
I am guessing for most people that is a familiar question. For people who set out to cover the news, it is an even more pressing question.
The Blog Herald, thankfully, allows both news and more opinion/tutorial type pieces. I don’t have to be on top of the latest happenings provided I can inform. Lucky me.
What happens though when you need to write about the news as it breaks?
Social bookmarking sites such as Reddit (Digg, not so much) are good for seeing news break but once they are already on Reddit most people in your niche who are really interested will have seen it.
There are two places I get my instant news updates.
- Twitter – Follow the right people and you will see a breaking story before it is published. Even Techcrunch tweets often before publishing.
- Google Alerts – Put in your keywords and email address and get notified when those keywords are mentioned
The final suggestion only works for certain niches, and is the old traditional journalism standby; press releases.
Yes, I know, most times people like me tell you to avoid cut and paste stories. Press releases don’t have to be used that way! Often a manufacturer will allow you to subscribe to their press area, take the news but don’t take the exact wording. Add your own spin and it can be a worthwhile story.
Where do you get your news stories?
