How to Find News When You Think You Don’t Have Any

One of the most common things I hear from founders, executives, and marketing teams is this: “We don’t have any news.”

But the truth is, you always have news. You just need to know where to look for it. The idea that you need a major product launch or funding round to be “newsworthy” is outdated. If today’s media landscape has taught me anything, it’s that different news is meant for different audiences. Stories about momentum, insight, and leadership may be more relevant to attract potential investors or recruiting new employees. Of course, getting media coverage is always important, but it may not always be the end goal. We just need to define the strategy at the onset.

This means that even the small things happening inside your company can become powerful stories when you frame them the right way. I’ve outlined ways to find these hidden stories in the below. As always, email me at don@mcleanmedia.co if you need help.

Dive Into Your Internal Metrics

Most companies are sitting on data they don’t realize can tell a story. Take a look at:

• User growth over the last quarter or year-over-year.
• How your customers are using your product for unintended purposes.
• Increases in retention, engagement, or even onboarding speed.
• If you’re a global company, look at region-wide growth.
• If you have technology and you conducted a pilot project, calculate the time and resource savings in relation to performing the same task in the traditional manner (i.e. one client of mine saved weeks of development time for their biotech client).
• Find the white space in your data (i.e., if only 19% of companies were effective in a single area during a pre-engagement survey, that means you have niche data showing that 81% of companies in your space have room for improvement).

Metrics like these can signal traction and continuous improvement. These are the kind of stories that are unique to your company, and they happen to resonate with a variety of audiences.

Find Milestone Stories in Your Team

Talent tells a story. One thing that you may hear quite often from many companies is that their strength comes from their people and relationships. For many niche industries, this is 100 percent true.

So, if it is true. Let’s share those people stories more publicly! While some companies feel comfortable announcing key new hires, others tend to shy away from it. To me, I always recommend it. That new head of data science, newly promoted vice president, or [insert new hire here] can significantly increase your visibility.

Their joining or a significant promotion can signal strong growth in an established or new area for your firm. Even if you’re not doubling headcount, these shifts show you’re growing, evolving, and investing in your people. Additionally, promoting an internal leader to a more public-facing role could signal new priorities or a refreshed strategy.

In one instance, I found that a new hire coincided with significant growth in a regional area for an organization. Announcing that their growth in this area demanded a strong industry thought leader to push the growth further was significant in helping their sales team land more leads.

Have you hired anyone noteworthy lately? Promoted someone internally? Think about it and the credibility it can add.

Spotlight Customer Wins and Success Stories

A client achieving big results with your product or service can be big news. But, here’s the tricky part: getting permission to tell that story.

Even your happiest customers may be reluctant to go on record publicly. Legal reviews, corporate policies, and concerns over giving away a perceived competitive advantage can slow (or stop) a great story from ever seeing the light of day.

This is a challenge most companies face, but it’s not impossible to overcome. Here’s how to make it easier:

• Start the conversation early. During your kickoff calls or even the contracting phase, make it part of the conversation: “We’re invested in making this a success story we can both be proud of.” If possible, I like to help set expectations upfront that your goal is first to deliver great results, then to showcase them together in a case study, press release, webinar, or shared abstract at a major industry conference, like PHUSE US Connect, ASCO, or similar.
• Include case study rights in pilot programs. One effective tactic that I have found is to write storytelling rights into your pilot projects or proof-of-concept agreements. You can offer a discounted rate or extra services in exchange for the ability to publicly share the outcome. Be clear that this includes publishing case studies, data points, or even co-branded success stories. If they don’t want to include too many specific details, work on an anonymized version alongside of the original. See an anonymized example in the TrialAssure case study below.
• Make participation easy. Customers are busy, and I like to make it easy by drafting the story (and, sometimes even the quotes) for them. Many people feel more comfortable with editing than starting with a blank page. This provides a clear, low-effort path to participation.

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Leverage Industry Trends

You don’t always have to make the news, you can simply respond to it. From my experience, journalists are consistently looking for subject-matter experts who can explain what a change means and why it matters. That’s your opportunity.

Keep a close watch on what’s happening in your space:

• Are there new regulations on the horizon?
• Is there a shift in buyer behavior?
• Has a competitor made a bold move that signals a larger trend?
• Is AI disrupting your category in specific, meaningful ways?

When you share your take, you're showing thought leadership. We can start simple by publishing a thoughtful LinkedIn post or writing a blog article, then graduate to pitching your perspective to a trade publication or podcast. I like to make it clear how your team is responding: what you're doing differently, what you’re hearing from your customers, or where you see things going next.

Just remember that the window is short for these types of media outreach. The more quickly you respond to industry news, the more likely you are to be interviewed. Even just a few paragraphs posted within 24-48 hours of a big change can significantly elevate your visibility.

You can also become the trendsetter by using your own data, or industry data you’ve researched and analyzed, to build something others want to read. Companies like Zymewire have built strong brand authority by regularly publishing industry intelligence reports, and you can do the same at any scale. I recently supported them by drafting and announcing the press release for this biopharma industry report. For you, it could be a quarterly trend report, a customer sentiment snapshot, or aggregated insights from your work. This is the kind of original content that positions you as a valuable source, and equally gives journalists and prospects a reason to come to you.

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Share Internal Innovations

Internally, some leaders are too close to the real stories to see them at face value. Some of the best stories are right under their noses. For a company that has its own technology products, even a handful of incremental improvements or small features can add up to a bigger story about how they’re evolving to meet customer needs.

Take a moment to reflect on these questions if this sounds like you:

• Have recent product updates improved speed, user experience, or functionality?
• Are you rolling out features in response to customer feedback?
• Did you introduce AI or automation into your processes or tools?

Small updates like “We’ve streamlined our dashboard to help users save time” or “Our latest feature now integrates with [insert popular tool here]” can have major PR value when they show a company that listens, updates their programs, and delivers better value.

Create a Fresh Experience at Industry Events

Industry events are another moment in time that can be packed with opportunity, as long as you choose to do something different. Instead of just showing up with the standard booth, think about what you can create specifically for that event that sparks conversation and engagement.

I wrote an entire article on this, but start by asking yourself:

• Can you offer an in-booth experience or activation that draws people in and shows off your brand?
• Would hosting an invite-only after-hours happy hour or breakfast panel bring the right people together?
• Could you launch something exclusively at the event, like a sneak peek, a pilot program, or exclusive data insights?

Doing something fresh at a key industry event can become news in its own right. It gives you something to promote before, during, and after the event, and positions your company as a strong force in the market.

My two article on trade show booths are here for your reference:

• How to outshine your competition at that next big industry event
• Avoid these massive mistakes at your trade show booth

After reading this, I hope it helps you realize that the idea that you have no news is mostly impossible. There is news. We just need to find it together. Some of the best stories that I have helped tell in my 20 years in the industry were not always the big announcements, they’re the signals that companies like yours are active, engaged, and growing.