Amanda Cargill

WomansWorld.com
As an executive editor, I think a lot about breaking versus making news. The former, though ideal, is largely the realm of big name publications. For smaller niche outlets, where true scoops are rare, making news is the name of the game. By strengthening a publication’s brand voice, making news improves reader retention and, in turn, increases traffic. “Making news” does not, however, mean making up news. Rather, it means identifying an angle within a breaking news story that speaks to one’s readers; aggregating existing content that supports said angle; and collating aggregated source content into a unique story with fresh insights and a novel point of view. I employed this strategy often at Woman’s World (WW), and I mentored my team of editors so they could, too (because making news is, in my experience, a rare but important skill). This celebrity story is a prime example of successful newsmaking. Born of Food Network announcing a new show starring The Pioneer Woman, but pegged to WW reader needs and real world events (e.g. budget concerns owing to inflation and high food costs), it transforms expired info into an original, relevant news-meets-service story that can only be found on WW.