Business coverage vital to your product and community

Jim Pumarlo

Jan 1, 2026

I welcomed one publisher’s response that a new business, especially in small communities, is news: “Writing a story about a new business will create business. It shows a new business owner how many people are reading your paper!”
Pumarlo

Editors are regularly solicited to publish news that puts merchants in good standing. In small communities, grip-and-grin photos of check presentations often dominate the requests. The topic generated a healthy conversation in an editors’ hotline during the holiday season of charitable giving.

To no surprise, approaches covered the landscape. Editors know their communities best and incorporate policies accordingly.

The thread extended into other business coverage. One comment especially made me cringe and should give all editors and publishers food for thought. The remark: “I'm also this passionate about doing stories about businesses — nope. If you want me to write a story about your new business to bring customers through the door, it's advertising, not news.”

The opinion was not universal.

I welcomed one publisher’s response that a new business, especially in small communities, is news: “Writing a story about a new business will create business. It shows a new business owner how many people are reading your paper!”

There’s no single standard for recognizing business donations to nonprofits and civic endeavors; policies should be flexible and open to re-evaluation, depending on circumstances. Among the considerations — does a donation satisfy criteria for a photo and/or story? Front or inside page?

SOME SUGGESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  • Focus on recipients and not donors, especially for photos contributed month after month. Two cases in point:
  1. A newspaper regularly carried a full page of Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors decked out in red coats visiting new businesses. All eight ambassadors were in each photo; the only new face was each business owner. That is material for chamber newsletters. Instead, why not carry a photo of each owner with brief text, including a distinctive element of the business?
  2. Or consider the mayor who gets his or her photo in each community donation. Sorry; mayors have ample other opportunities to be in the news.
  • Focus on results. Recognize donors, but elaborate on the value to the recipients and their contributions to community.
  • Avoid check presentations, if possible. If a donation is made to a playground, take a photo of a kid on new equipment.
  • Set appropriate monetary levels to recognize. Remember, however, that a $50 donation from a small company might be as noteworthy as a $500 donation from a large corporation.
  • Periodically, devote a page or section to acknowledge donations.

Bottom line: business donations contribute to the social fabric of communities. There’s ample reason to acknowledge the philanthropy in some fashion.
Then there’s the realm of PR pitches beyond donations.

Some can be dismissed immediately. A merchant submits a photo celebrating its 90th year of operation for the annual Progress Edition — a reasonable benchmark, but it proceeds to seek coverage for its 91st, 92nd and 93rd anniversaries. An appliance store carries a new brand and style of refrigerator, submitting a photo of the owner wheeling the model on a dolly into the showroom.

Other stories are legitimate and newsworthy. I put new businesses in that category with a caveat. Timeliness and relevancy are essential. A new retailer merits a report when it opens. Its grand opening three months later is advertising.

A plethora of business stories can be pursued beyond the standard fare of openings, anniversaries, expansions and employee promotions. What happens in the workplace can often have greater impact than votes at a city council meeting. Consider the hours that employees — your readers — spend on the job.

Brainstorm story ideas about employers and employees — the local economy. It’s imperative that news and advertising departments are on the same page regarding policies and guidelines. Consistency and fairness are especially important; the largest advertisers or friends of the publisher should not warrant special treatment.

Business dynamics were center stage during the extraordinary times of COVID-19. Recording the pulse for readers is equally vital during ordinary times.

Expanding coverage into an everyday beat can be a win-win proposition. Stories generate great content and plant the seed for more advertising dollars.

 

Jim Pumarlo is former editor of the Red Wing (Minnesota) Republican Eagle. He writes, speaks and provides training on community newsroom success strategies. He is author of “Journalism Primer: A Guide to Community News Coverage,” “Votes and Quotes: A Guide to Outstanding Election Coverage” and “Bad News and Good Judgment: A Guide to Reporting on Sensitive Issues in Small-Town Newspapers.” He can be reached at www.pumarlo.com and welcomes comments and questions at jim@pumarlo.com.