Story idea for this week: Freedom from (fill in the blank)

My friend, TV producer Shawne Duperon, has a terrific idea for tying publicity into the July 4 Independence Day theme.

Think of a “freedom from…” and use that in your pitch. Examples:

—A health department in the Midwest might pitch tips to give people “freedom from mosquitoes” after the recent floods.

—Credit counselors can pitch a story idea on “freedom from credit cards.”

—Tourist destinations can encourage people to have “freedom from the presidential campaign commecials” by escaping to a vacation get-away.

—A bicycle shop can pitch a story on how sales of bikes are giving people “freedom from high gasoline prices.”

During a teleseminar Shawne did with me on “103 Sizzling Story Ideas from July through December,” Shawne says TV producers love those kinds of tie-ins, even if they don’t relate directly to the July 4 holiday. I’ve seen this kind of an idea land in newspapers, too, but it’s of greater appeal to broadcasters than the print media.     

It’s also worth remembering that on long holiday weekends like the upcoming July 4 weekend, news departments are working with skeletal crews. That means that print and broadcast media might welcome decent-quality user-generated amateur video on topics they might not even consider reporting on during the typical busy weekday.