Viewer Sell

I think one of the consulting companies (forgot which one) uses the term "viewer sell." As in, what's the viewer sell on this story? It's nifty shorthand for "Why is this story in my show?" Obviously, if a story is in your show, it should be important... but, more than that, how does it impact your viewer directly? Some examples, courtesy of a great producer who sent a show my way to critique:

Swine flu & back to school preps. How are schools keeping your kids safe? How can you keep your kids safe? What are the symptoms? Where can you get a seasonal flu vaccine?

Airfare deals. It's not enough to say American's having a sale. What are some examples of the sale that might benefit your viewer? I live in Dallas, so if I were producing shows here, I'd look up the best deals for Dallas (Hawaii for $200, hurrah!). How can viewers cash in on those deals (through website, Twitter, travel agent)?

Basically, with ANY STORY your reporters go out on, you should be asking, how personally would this impact me as a viewer? Obviously, this will be difficult with a typical car crash/fire/etc... but even in spot news, look for lessons and news you can use to make it relevant to everyone watching. For example, I saw one story about a backyard deck crashing. No one died, but several got hurt. LOTS of people have decks.. can you get an expert to go with you to inspect someone's deck and tell people warning signs? You get the idea...