The Story Shop Playbook: How we turn our clients into go-to experts
Some of our best coverage comes from months of deep planning.
However, many of our most impactful hits – the ones that look on the surface like they “just happened” – are the result of fast thinking, journalistic instinct, and a very deliberate system that lets us move at speed.
Here, we’re lifting the curtain on the habits, processes, and understanding of the news agenda that help put our clients at the centre of it.
1) We speak to journalists every day
We speak to more journalists in a day than most in-house teams can manage in a month, because of the diverse list of interesting people doing exciting things we work with. That gives us a live, accurate view of what’s working, what isn’t, and what journalists are hungry for.
2) The Dairy Farm
Our internal WhatsApp group, our cultural radar, where we “milk” our minds for what we’re seeing online.
We map patterns, recurring themes, tiny trends, not-so-tiny trends, and journalists’ sudden obsessions.
Some of our biggest pieces have started with: “Is anyone else seeing this everywhere?”
3) One table, one team
It’s amazing how often a small throwaway comment at 9am can be top-tier coverage by 10.
4) The Commentator List
Twice per week we send journalists matching our curated list of experts with the topics they’re covering putting our clients in front of the media before stories are even commissioned and creating a steady pipeline of opportunities.
5) We never let journalists down
Trust is everything.
If we say we’ll deliver someone, we deliver a polished, publish-ready piece. And we do it fast.
That’s why journalists keep coming back when they need comment or context.
6) We pick the right clients
We don’t work with everyone. Momentum is only possible when clients are true partners - people with strong opinions, real experience, and the willingness to jump on opportunities.
The right clients make everything easier, sharper, faster, and more fulfilling.
And it’s impossible to stay interested or act with urgency when a client is working against you.
7) Deep immersion
We really get under the skin of our clients’ briefs.
That means when we read, watch or listen to the news, we immediately know who the right client is and what they should say.
8) Trends meetings
Every week, we host a meeting dedicated to analysing what’s emerging and what journalists will care about next.
We then map every theme directly to our clients, keeping us proactive instead of reactive.
9) We write and think like journalists
We’re proud to have brilliant former journalists in our team.
We write fast, write clearly, and angle stories the way a newsroom expects to receive them.
It’s why our pitches land, and why journalists come back to us.
10) Urgency
Some opportunities are “use it or lose it.”
When we spot them, we move with conviction and momentum.
There’s a belief and energy in the room when the whole team clicks into gear. And clients feel that too.
A lot of our best hits have come from that instinct to act right now.
The result: daily opportunities to build authority
These ten things — individually useful but extremely powerful together — help us deliver daily opportunities for our clients to show up as expert commentators.
They build trust with real audiences, they build authority with journalists, and increasingly, they build recognition with LLMs.
That’s the Story Shop way: deep immersion, fast action, and a constant search for the story worth telling.
Now see it in action:
Conic’s Jen Davies in The Hufftington Post on the the impact of Letterbox
The Social Hub’s Ben McLeod in The Huffington Post on the rising trend of readaways
Label Sessions’ Nick Sherrard on the BBC on River Island’s troubles
Conic’s Graham Fulton on Mailonline on “wimpy” leading men
Glasgow Kelvin College’s Tracy Burns on the BBC on the rise of women in construction