But change is also most common of these four elements, and thus weakest. You should search for other elements within story.

PR Rainmakers recognize these four basic elements of news: change, conflict, aberration and problem.

Any one of these, if significant in its scope, can spark media interest in your story. The more of these elements that are present, most likely you are to get a reporter’s attention.

But converse is also true. You must have at least one of these elements in your story proposal, or you simply do not have a news story.

We’ve looked at change. Let’s look at other three elements that can put muscle on a weak news proposal.

You find out that some industry experts think it’s insane for a company to invest in a widget plant in current economy. There’s conflict.

You learn that your company’s widget factory is nation’s first new widget factory since World War II. There’s aberration.

You discover that your company must convince customers to embrace a revolutionary new design over cheap imports of an outdated, but functional design. There’s your problem.

A European-trained stage actor with experience as a romantic lead, Lugosi rejected Frankenstein role because he didn’t want to be typecast as a star of horror movies.

He would later declare this as worst decision in his life.

Instead, role of Monster went to Boris Karloff, a journeyman actor who embraced curse of typecasting as a blessing.

Had Lugosi said yes to Frankenstein, he could have dominated horror genre for next 25 years. Instead, his decision forced him to share spotlight at Universal Studios with Karloff and later with Lon Chaney Jr.

Indeed, Karloff went on to eclipse Lugosi. As late as 1960s, Karloff continued to star in major projects, such as TV series “Thriller” and animated version of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”

Lugosi ended his career in 1956 by starring in what is generally regarded as worst movie every made, “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”

So what’s lesson?

Don’t fight typecasting. Forget about being all things to all people.

Focus your energies on a narrow band of profitable opportunities.