By James Saville, Partner at Goldbug. James leads media and press strategy across PR campaigns.
It’s impossible to predict with certainty next year’s most engaging moments now – but 2024 has taught us one thing: Good News Sells
The most engaging stories of the year were filled with a magic formula of hope, identification, emotional pull, aspiration, humour and shareability.
Sharing something we’ve seen or heard is a human instinct.
But there is a deeper reasoning behind what drives people to share one story more than another.
Focusing on the right elements can help brands and organisations deliver their message more solidly and consistently, giving them a better chance to get in front of more people.
Looking back at the year, it is the stories with these elements that are most memorable…the Princess of Wales moving video address, the Olympic breakdancer, the hunt for the ‘man in finance’, the Oasis reunion announcement.
The journalists working at Goldbug, with combined decades of experience in Fleet Street news rooms, know first-hand that good news plays a crucial part in the daily news cycle.
It is the brighter, funnier stories – and brilliant headlines attached – that get journalists laughing and talking amongst themselves.
In doing so, they offer brands a golden opportunity to do that rare thing in a busy news environment – stand out from the crowd.
“Have you seen that hilarious story about…. ? is a far more common newsroom remark than “did you read that grim analysis of..?”
And those stories inevitably find their way to publication – because if journalists want to talk about them, it’s a good bet their subscribers will too.
Our contacts tell us many reporters are today actively seeking out lighter stories to give them a break from the grind of more depressing ones.
For editors, they also offer an opportunity to show a bit of personality.
Many titles, including The Sun and The Guardian, place such importance on their humour that they hold in-house Best Headline contests.
The ability to make a reader smile – whether through a funny line, an inspiring case study or a celebrity story – is a powerful tool in 2025.
Adding a little brightness to a reader’s day is not the only way of adding value, but it is a memorable way.
To celebrate its 50th birthday, The Sun invited readers to vote for their favourite ever front page – with contenders including editions marking the birth of Prince George in 2013 and a pre-cursor to the knife-edge 1992 General Election.
The winner?