Local Bureau, National Media: Four Major Outlets Tell PR Professionals How to Get Their Attention

May 9, 2012

by Andrea Gillespie, Account Executive, Business Wire Chicago

With Chicago being the third largest media market in the US, many national media contacts call The Windy City home. Whether their beat is the entire Midwest or specific industry groups, knowing who’s who in the Chicago national media scene can earn you more placements. In April, Business Wire hosted some of these national news gatekeepers to learn what types of pitches stand out and how to get national attention for your company or client.

Cheryl Corley, National Desk Correspondent, NPR

Based in NPR’s Chicago Bureau, Cheryl Corley travels primarily throughout the Midwest, covering issues and events from Ohio to South Dakota as a National Desk reporter.

Pitch tips:
  • Cheryl is interested in stories that have a national or at least a broad Midwestern scope.  If a story is too focused on one specific state or city, she will refer the person to the local station.
  • Because of the radio format, she is not as interested in video. Adding still photography is helpful to create interest in your pitch, but no attachments.
  • The librarians for NPR are frequently called upon by NPR correspondents to do research for stories, so they are good contacts to have. They regularly scour and post queries to social media sites for experts.
Jason Dean, Chicago Bureau Chief, The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires

Jason Dean oversees coverage of subjects including economic, political and cultural developments in the Midwest; national education issues; the agriculture and foods business; the airline and aerospace industries; and key financial exchanges.

Pitch tips:
  • Jason prefers personal pitches – just plugging his name into an email that went to a large group of people doesn’t fool him.
  • He also suggests doing research to identify which WSJ/Dow Jones reporter covers your industry. The Chicago Bureau does not cover all Chicago companies. For example, Chicago tech companies are covered by the San Francisco bureau.
  • Pitch visuals. With every story they cover, they consider what type of video component can be added to it. While they prefer to shoot their own video, it’s helpful to include a link to b-roll or your spokesperson in action in your pitch. He requests links only – no attachments.

Andy Fies, Producer, ABC News

Great crowd at the BW Chicago event!

Andy Fies is one of two producers based in ABC’s Midwest Bureau covering stories for World News with Diane Sawyer,Good Morning America, Nightline and ABCNews.com. His primary area of responsibility is news of national interest from the nation’s heartland.
Pitch tips:
  • Andy is interested in covering stories from all Midwestern companies, but he is mostly drawn to those that show how people on the street are being affected. They want to put a personal view into every story they cover.
  • As ABC recently merged with Yahoo! News, consider the digital version of your story. This means photos and visuals of your story are necessary.
Greg Stricharchuk, Editor, Sunday Business Section, The Chicago Tribune

As an editor in the business news section, Greg Stricharchuk works with reporters and helps conceptualize and edit their stories. He’s also specifically responsible for the Sunday business section.

Pitch tips:
  • While you can copy Greg on your pitches to reporters, it’s best to read the paper and know who writes about your topic. Pitch them directly first.
  • Greg is mainly interested in publicly held companies – not so much private companies or organizations, unless they are starting an industry trend or obtaining significant funding.
  • Don’t pitch experts 2-3 days after a story breaks. Oftentimes, stories are starting to form days before the actual news breaks. Get your expert pitches to the appropriate editor before that happens.
  • Remember that the Tribune is comprised of six newspapers, online sites and TV stations. Pitches that show how the story can cross all mediums are typically well-received.
Thanks again to all of our clients and the communications professionals who were able to join us.
For more upcoming local Business Wire events or to see what’s coming up in our award-winning webinar series, visit our events page or follow Business Wire events on Twitter, hashtag #bwchat.

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Posted by Amy Yen, Marketing Specialist, Business Wire

Journalists Tweet Their PR Pet Peeves

May 2, 2012
compiled by Raschanda Hall, Global Media Relations Manager, Business Wire/Chicago
Recently @muckrack asked journalists to share some of their pitching pet peeves in a #muckedup chat. I’ve compiled my favorites for your learning pleasure.
  1. Share
    “@muckrack I automatically delete any pitch that begins, “Dear Sir/Madam”
    Ashley MayoAshleyKMayo
    Wed, May 02 2012 10:41:11
  2. Share
    “@muckrack Don’t start emails with “how are you?” when we’ve never met #muckedup
    Jen Wiecznerjenwieczner
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:52:25
  3. Share
    “@muckrack pet pitch peeve: “since you just wrote about ______, thought you’d be interested in _____.” No, I just wrote about it.
    Micheline MaynardMickiMaynard
    Wed, May 02 2012 10:36:17
  4. Share
    “.@muckrack pitch peeve: leading w/ “I just read your AMAZING story about X, and..” Flattery has gotten better PRs than you nowhere, dear.
    David Landseldavidlandsel
    Wed, May 02 2012 10:54:54
  5. Share
  6. Share
    “@muckrack PR peeve: pitches for “story ideas” (no, that’s my job) or for “free articles” (seriously?!)
    cmangiscmangis
    Wed, May 02 2012 10:50:53
  7. Share
    “Pet #PR peeves: (1) no photos or links to photos; (2) UK releases that arrive the day after the US release; (3) PR not around. cc @muckrack
    Jack Schofieldjackschofield
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:54:07
  8. Share
    “@muckrack Mistaking me for a .com writer when I write for a monthly mag. Don’t pitch me tax tip stories when we’re working on July #muckedup
    Jen Wiecznerjenwieczner
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:50:24
  9. Share
    “
    @muckrack asking for questions ahead of time only to later give prepared and safe answers. #muckedup boring!!
    Erin (Scott) BellErinScottPR
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:56:39
  10. Share
    “@muckrack “Our CEO is in town this week, it would be useful for you to meet him!” Translated: “Oh crap, we need to look like a good PR team”
    Dave Leedavelee
    Wed, May 02 2012 10:54:52
  11. Share
    “@muckrack Pitching a source 2 days after a story was in the headlines. You are late and wasting my time.
    Debra BorchardtWallandBroad
    Wed, May 02 2012 10:45:08
  12. Share
    (Unsolicited) PR email of the day: ‘Please let me know you agree to the below embargo so I can send you a press release.’ (@muckrack)
    Nicholas Holmesrelaxedtravel
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:02:46
  13. Share
    “@muckrack Being asked by a PR to send a link to them *when* we write up the story. File under: ‘Dumb as a brick’. #muckedup
    Chris Lakelakey
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:53:58

  14. Oh, and then the tides turned: PR pros were asked to share their journalist pet peeves.

  15. Share
    “.@muckrack when 300 reporters email you at once during a crisis & then write “X couldn’t be reached for comment.” #muckedup
    Brandee Barkerbrandee
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:34:35
  16. Share
    “@muckrack Journos that never respond. A simple “not the right fit, send it to this colleague” helps me better target my pitch next time.
    Renae Godishrenaenoelle
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:42:40
  17. Share
    “.@muckrack Reporters who agree to briefings, then go MIA when it comes time to schedule #muckedup
    Sharon Dratchsdratch
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:04:33
  18. Share
    “@muckrack What used to annoy me was reporters assigned to cover high-tech who knew nothing about the topic
    LindaVandeVredeLindaVandeVrede
    Wed, May 02 2012 10:57:46
  19. Share
    “@muckrack main bugbear is rudeness (although i’d be tetchy if i was bombarded all day too i guess). we’re human too, we’re not punchbags
    Chris Owenwonky_donky
    Wed, May 02 2012 10:59:18
  20. Share
    “@muckrack ordering sample cakes for a “product review” aka the editor’s daughter’s 4th birthday. No product review appears #havingalaugh
    Susann JerrySusannjerry
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:03:38

  21. And yet another turn of events; Journalists decided to balance it out and offer some praise for PR done well.

  22. Share
    “@muckrack @jenwieczner I like “how are you”! Makes the pitch seem more human, less automated. #muckedup
    Ashley MayoAshleyKMayo
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:58:12
  23. Share
    “Exactly, @muckrack. Gotta be balanced, dont want to trash only. One more GREAT PR Move? Offering me an exclusive!!!! #muckedup
    Cassandra VinogradCassVinograd
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:29:06
  24. Share
    “RT @muckrack: RT @CassVinograd GOOD PR moves that make me happy: a quick call to verify I’m the right person to speak to, then emailed release #muckedup
    Michelle V. DouglasMichelleDouglas
    Wed, May 02 2012 11:30:25
  25. Share
    “The relaxed post-interview chatty time? That’s when we get some of our greatest quotes @CaroPRinLA #oldschool @muckrack
    Alyssa Danigelisadanigelis
    Wed, May 02 2012 12:19:38
  26. Cant’ get enough of the PR vs Journalist battle to build better working relationships?  Be sure to check out the Muck Rack Blog where they’ll be posting recaps of the ongoing conversation or catch up on the blog post that started the whole discussion.You can also check out the posts from Business Wire’s media relations team where we share tips directly from journalists across the world on how they like to be pitched and what catches their attention.

A lengthier post was originally storiifed by Raschanda Hall on May 2nd.

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Posted by raschandahall

The World’s Biggest Media & Facebook – An Evolving Relationship

April 11, 2012

By Michel Rubini, International MRT Specialist – London

In 2007, Rupert Murdoch joked about Facebook overtaking MySpace as the most popular social networking site on the web.  Not long after, it was no laughing matter.

While Facebook might not be the best social networking site, or offer the best user experience, or even the most innovative solutions, it has been accepted as the standard by most internet users. Facebook has now reached the 600 million user mark, so it is no surprise that media organisations across the world are looking into ways to tap into this pool of potential readers.

At a recent News:Rewired event (a periodical digital journalism conference) in London, I listened to speakers from some of the world’s biggest media organisations explain how they are facing — and mostly embracing — Facebook.

The most enthusiastic evangelist was Martin Belam, User Experience Lead at The Guardian. Belam explained how their new Facebook application has been hugely successful. The application allows users to share Guardian content easily with their friends, and so far, six million people have downloaded it. One of the most exciting things, according to Belam, is that 54 percent of the users are under 24 – the kind of audience the Guardian has always aspired to reach.

Belam also explained that a younger audience means a younger kind of content becoming popular on the application. He denied there was any danger of a “dumbing down” The Guardian. “To my mind, if we are producing that content anyway – which we do – then why wouldn’t we want it to reach as wide an audience as possible?” he asked.

Belam also noted that there is growing evidence that the Facebook application alone is producing as many views for articles as the guardian.co.uk site, in practice doubling the amount of traffic a story gets.

Liz Heron, former social media editor of The New York Times and current director of social media and engagement with The Wall Street Journal, seemed to agree with Martin. “In the new landscape, the question is no longer whether we do social media, the question is how. How can we make our social media experiences stand out?”

She went on to note that fifty New York Times journalists offer Facebook subscription streams; and that all reporters have been encouraged lately to try Facebook, especially foreign correspondents. The advantage of Facebook, she said, is that it offers great crowdsourcing opportunities and can yield insightful comments and debates. However, the majority of New York Times journalists are still using Twitter. This is due to the fact that most journalists are aware of the dangers of mixing personal profiles with professional lives.

Nate Lanxon, editor of wired.co.uk was very clear about the importance of Facebook. He admitted that for 5 years WIRED had ignored Facebook.  That has recently changed. He has now printed a big photo of Mark Zuckerberg which is passed around the office. The person with the photo is the editor of the WIRED Facebook page for that day. The physical presence of the photo has helped the newsroom embrace Facebook in its daily publishing routine.

Lanxon said one of their key discoveries was that having a presence on Facebook wasn’t about driving fans to WIRED, it was about driving WIRED to fans. Lanxon also noted that Facebook follows its own news cycle. Facebook items seem to increase in traffic around the late afternoon and evenings, when users log in to check their latest feeds.

These three examples seem to show a clear shift in how well regarded (and global) news organisations are fully embracing the enormous readership potential offered by Facebook.

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Posted by Phil Dennison, Senior Marketing Specialist, Business Wire

The Ten Commandments of Pitching

March 21, 2012

PR professionals and members of the news media deal in information, with the PR side selling it and the media serving as potential buyers. Like any buyer-seller relationship, deals are not always struck. But, there are ways sellers can improve their chances of interesting buyers in their information – and can develop better long-term relationships with individual media outlets – if they keep in mind these 10 commandments of how to pitch a story, as told by Mark Dodosh, editor of Crain’s Cleveland Business.

1. Thou shalt know thy audience. (i.e., who are you trying to reach?)
2. Thou shalt understand thy media outlets. (i.e., who do they reach and what are their needs?)
3. Thou shalt be precise and concise with thy pitch.
4. Thou shalt be prepared to make the right people available to a reporter.
5. Thou shalt be satisfied with singles and doubles, rather than expecting to hit home runs.
6. Thou shalt not pitch “angles.”
7. Thou shalt not make a promise of exclusivity to more than one media outlet.
8. Thou shalt not present false, misleading or unsubstantiated information in thy pitch.
9. Thou shalt not expect the story to be tailored to thy specifications.
10. Thou shalt not pout if the answer is “no.” (i.e., “Sorry, but we’re not interested.”)
Ten Commandments of Pitching

Click to enlarge and print for your own convenience!

2 Comments | journalism, Media Relations, MRT, Pitching | Permalink
Posted by Phil Dennison, Senior Marketing Specialist, Business Wire

Journalist Networking Secrets from Inside the Wire

March 13, 2012

by Raschanda Hall, Global Media Relations Manager, Business Wire/Chicago

The purpose of media relations was beat into my head by my college PR professor — she often said, “The goal is to develop mutually beneficial relationships with the media.”

This definition very closely mirrors the Public Relations Society of America’s new definition of Public Relations. Only she never gave me an exact formula for achieving that goal.

So we decided to share our advice on how Business Wire’s Media Relations Team uses networking events and journalism groups to build relationships with members of the media.  One thing we’ve learned; while starting these relationships may happen in email or social networks, building them will require more face-to-facing and less “Facebooking.”

Luis Guillen

Luis Guillen

Networking Events – The Introduction

Ice breaking is an art form but it is not brain surgery, especially if you do your homework first.  Luis Guillen, our media relations representative for Southern California, says he researches the media people he expects to see at upcoming events beforehand.  “I like sports, so knowing what schools they went to helps me use sports and hometown information to connect.” Luis bonded with several reporters over small hometown familiarities at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ convention in Florida this past summer.  This led to new media connections he’s further fostered since returning to Los Angeles.

We’ve been taught to master our elevator pitch, but sometimes you have to take the stairs.  Maryana Bradas, who supervises our entire east coast team of media relations specialists, says:

Maryana Bradas

“Engage in casual conversation,” especially when seated at a luncheon table.  “As long as they are relatively talkative your discussion will go all over the place.  Both parties will get a chance to talk about what they do and you can tell if you will have a good fit for further connecting.”

Maryana sits on the Press Club of Cleveland’s Board of Directors and attends the Society of Professional Journalists’ regional and national conventions. “As the conversation winds down you can go for the business card exchange.  That’s a natural progression.”

The Association of Women Journalists – Chicago(AWJ) has only in recent years established an associate level of membership.

Karen Kring

Karen Kring

Karen Kring, past president of the chapter, warns against pitching their members at events:

“Pitching is for when they are on the clock more formally. Turn it around; become the reporter . . . You not only want to know their beat, but what specifically within their beat they are paying most attention to so that you’ll know what kind of information or stories they might be receptive to in the future. If you have a story in mind, ask them if they’d be receptive to your follow up with them later.”

Journalist Groups – Getting in and Standing out

Raschanda Hall

Raschanda Hall

I take an alphabet soup approach to networking.  I’m everywhere, all the time.  NABJ, PCC, SPJ, SABEW, AWJ, ONA etc.  I talk to everybody and give every discussion my properly undivided attention, but to really connect with reporters through journalist organizations you have to put in some work; committee work and chapter board member work.  In these roles your work is selfless, and when done right, you build trust and get more immediate access to editors and reporters who can help you when you need it.  Now, this won’t save you from a front page crisis, but it could get you the heads-up that it’s coming.  An organization I was once involved in turned down sponsorship money from a competitor because they felt the competitor was trying to buy their way into the position I had gained through sweat equity.  In that single act my volunteer efforts paid off.

Dawn Roberts is Managing Partner of KD Communications in Delaware.  She also serves as Associate Member Board Representative

Dawn Roberts

for the National Association of Black Journalists.  It’s a position she is passionate about.  NABJ’s annual convention draws thousands of reporters and hundreds of PR people every year.  Her advice to PR folks: “Attend media events so that you have an opportunity to meet journalists in person. And volunteer for a media organization. [It’s] a great way to meet journalists!”

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Posted by raschandahall

Is The Next Big Thing a Lot of Smaller Things?

March 7, 2012
by Chris Metinko, Media Relations Specialist, Business Wire/San Francisco
Chris Metinko

Chris Metinko

Remember MySpace?

Remember when Facebook was going to be the next big thing?

In social media — just as in everything — there always is the “next thing,” and many are pointing to the exploding popularity of niche social networks as exactly that. Many such sites have seen tremendous growth in the past year, as they cater to specific interests, hobbies and likes.

According to the online data measurement firm comScore, the online virtual pinboard site Pinterest saw the third largest percentage jump in unique visitors from December 2011 to January 2012 — behind only the IRS’s and the Department of Education’s websites. Also according to comScore, it became the fastest user site ever to hit 10 million monthly visitors.

As Business Wire media reps attended programs held in San Francisco during February’s Social Media Week, some of the talk was not on the titans of social networking — Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter et al. — but rather these niche sites that seem to be taking up more and more of social networkers’ time. According to some officials in the burgeoning new category of social media, the migration of users is easily explained.

“There’s a lot of noise in the system right now,” said Oliver Hsiang with StumbleUpon, a search engine that creates virtual communities to rate and rank search results. “People want something to filter through the stuff you don’t care about.”

Niche sites allow users to focus on certain subjects and likes instead of Facebook’s all-encompassing style, which some can find hard to navigate. Sites such as Reddit, a social news site where users post, rate and rank news stories, have gained increased notoriety and users. Jena Donlin, business development manager with Reddit, said the site even allows users into different communities and subcategories to more narrowly focus on interests.

Such niche sites also can potentially be gold for journalists, because they reach a specific, targeted audience. For instance, if a reporter is writing about weight-loss and wants to talk to someone trying to lose weight, going to the uber-popular social network DailyBurn seems logical. If someone is writing about the public’s take on a new, hot restaurant, going to food-obsessed network Foodspotting should do the trick. While these sites may not reach the audience numbers Facebook does, a journalist knows the site’s members are extremely interested in their specific topic or beat, and the site can let writers know what people are talking about on a more regional or national level — not limiting reporters by geography.

Despite the current popularity some of these sites, they still face obstacles in their battle for users’ time. One, obviously, is they are exactly what they are suppose to be — niche sites — meaning they are not going to interest everyone.

Donlin said increased popularity also can bring issues, as it can become increasingly difficult to “keep up with the conversation” on sites. Hsiang added niche sites also face the same problem nearly every website eventually confronts — coming up with fresh and new content to keep users coming back and spending time on the site instead of doing other things like watching television, reading or using other social media.

“You compete for discretionary time with everything,” Hsiang said.

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Posted by Phil Dennison, Senior Marketing Specialist, Business Wire

Tips to Give Your Best Media Pitch in Under 45 Seconds from the NABJ Convention

November 17, 2011
by Raschanda Hall, Global Media Relations Manager, Business Wire/Chicago
Media pitching is indeed an art form.  Vying for the attention of busy journalists who must fill news holes with limited resources requires precision.  PR practitioners and freelancers had less than a minute to pitch a panel of top editors and reporters from leading national news outlets during the “Pitch Me with Your Best Shot” workshop at this year’s recent National Association of Black Journalists’ (NABJ) convention in Philadelphia.

ABC Good Morning America, The Huffington Post, People and Essence Magazine staff were all part of the panel.  American Idol style, they critiqued those who seized the opportunity to stand in-front of more than 75 workshop attendees which included PR pros and journalists and deliver their impromptu 45-second pitch.

Here are a few practical tips you can use to cut out the fluff when you craft your next pitch.

Trymaine Lee, senior reporter at The Huffington Post, Catherine “Cat” McKenzie, senior producer at ABC’s Good Morning America, Tatsha Robertson, senior editor at People and Bob Meadows, deputy editor at Essence take questions at NABJ annual conference

Have a tie-in and know your media - 45 seconds is fast. Lead with the specific area related to your pitch: What segment would it fall under, what monthly column focuses on your topic or what time of the year is best for your story (ex. Black History Month)?  Show those you’re pitching you follow their media outlet and understand their audience and what they are seeking.  Don’t pitch the producers of The Wendy Williams Show your awesome chef and cookbook.  They don’t do cooking segments.

Embrace the nerd in us and give statistics.  Everyone’s got a little nerd in them.  Statistics can help sell a story.  Journalists want to feel like they’ve taught the audience something new.

Numbers are great but people are better.  Can you provide the reporter or producer access to someone impacted by your organization, get them an interview with the founder of the non-profit or offer a celebrity who has close ties to your issue?  Be sure to let them know if  they can be available immediately.

Show a little passion.  Enthusiasm can be faked but it’s no substitute for passion.  Passion infects and when combined with authenticity, it shows.  One of the publicists in attendance pitched a story on the number of missing and abused African-American women and children who get only minimal news coverage everyday. Her pitch evoked a standing ovation from the crowd and nearly brought members of the panel to tears–probably not her goal, but impressive nonetheless.  Passion moves people to take action.  When you’re crafting your pitch don’t cut out the passion.

8 Comments | journalism, Media Relations, MRT, Pitching, Public Relations | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by raschandahall

Tablet Takeover: Five Reasons the Devices May Change Journalism and PR as We Know Them

October 25, 2011
by Shawnee Cohn,Media Relations Specialist

MRTIt is difficult to dispute the notion that tablets have revolutionized the way we consume media. Recent research estimates that 28 million people in the US own tablets. It has been found that tablet owners spend 40% more time online daily than those who do not own tablets.

We know tablet owners are using these devices to get news, in fact Business Wire recently launched our very own iPad news application in response to the popularity of this mobile platform.  Increased usage of tablets for news consumption raises the question: What are the implications of this new trend for PR professionals and journalists?

In a recent post on the PRNewser blog, Carm Lyman of Lyman PR discusses the benefits that tablet placement offers PR professionals. Lyman states that when pitching tablet features, multimedia is a necessity, as well as an excellent opportunity to increase brand awareness and reader engagement.

Many communications professionals agree that while print journalism sometimes limits the ability to tell a story by only offering text and/or photos, the tablet can improve your brand inclusion by giving readers a powerful multimedia experience.

Some journalists believe that tablets require a new approach to journalism – one that leaves behind the linear model for a story and incorporates video, audio, and other interactive graphics that heighten the reader’s experience.

For an insider’s perspective on how tablets have affected journalism and PR, I spoke with George Jones, editor of TabTimes. Launching this fall, TabTimes will cover tablet news and be exclusively distributed on the iPad. Having previously served as editor in chief of Maximum PC magazine, Jones has extensive experience with both print and digital platforms. He offered five key reasons why tablets are a major part of the futures of PR and journalism:

On how storytelling has changed with the switch from print to digital: The core approach has not changed much; Jones still draws inspiration from all angles (publicists, reader submissions, etc). He feels that tablets meld the best of the print and digital worlds. Tablet journalism takes print and “activates it,” with the added ability to embed images, videos, polls, and other interactive elements.

On the benefits of tablets for PR professionals: Jones believes that tablets offer more opportunities for features news. Stories can be published that consist mostly of images and other multimedia. He estimates that about 60% of TabTimes content will include features on how businesses are using tablets.

On whether PR pros need to pitch an interactive element: Personally, he believes multimedia is not a necessity. Jones maintains that “a good story is a good story” and he is willing to “hear any pitch.”

On how to get your story on TabTimes:  The editorial team is currently focusing on how tablets are being deployed in the workplace. They want to hear about “interesting apps that allow people to do interesting things.” Jones notes he is also interested in preview coverage of the tablet industry, in other words, “what’s coming as opposed to what’s out.”

On what’s next for the tablet news industry: The tablet industry is “exploding, in a good way,” according to Jones. While the iPad is clearly dominant, he says that the Lenovo, RIM, and Cisco tablets do have a shot at becoming more prevalent in the future.

Additional information can be found at www.tabtimes.com or via @TabTimes on Twitter. You can also get the latest consumer electronics and tablet industry news by registering at www.businesswire.com.

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Posted by Phil Dennison, Senior Marketing Specialist, Business Wire

Info Plus Data Equals Credibility: Toronto Star Editors on How to Pitch

October 18, 2011

by Rishika Luthra, Media Relations Specialist, Business Wire/Canada

Rishika Luthra

Rishika Luthra

Ever wondered why your press release didn’t get the traction you felt it deserved? Or why a specific newspaper ignored your announcement? The answer is simple: the best way to “be heard” is to first know the publications you’re pitching.

Andrew Phillips

Andrew Phillips, Toronto Star -- photo by Richard Arless

In a candid discussion with Business Wire Canada, Brandie Weikle, Editor for healthzone.ca and parentcentral.ca; and Andrew Phillips, Editorial Page Editor at The Toronto Star; shared some useful tips on  do’s and don’ts for pitching their publications.

According to Brandie, five key points to consider while targeting top Canadian newspapers are:

1) Dovetail your press release with market trends

The Toronto Star might not run a company profile or a news story just about what your company is doing. Try to consider your promotional needs in the context of broader issues and news. For instance, suggest a story that examines what your company or organization is doing in the context of a trend, market need or societal issue.

2)  Beef up your credibility

Make sources besides your own company contacts available. Ensure that your contacts are well-prepped with relevant talking points. If possible, try to get an outside source for an unbiased perspective.

3) Be media wise and stay ahead of the game

Research the types of articles run by the publication you are pitching. For example, if you pitch a pure product story and the publication does not have a product-related section or history of running that kind of story, your press release won’t get lucky. Tailor your pitch to the sections they DO have and the article types they favour. Browse the publication’s website to learn more about the news sections.

Brandie Weikle

Brandie Weikle, Editor for healthzone.ca and parentcentral.ca

4) Relevance is directly proportional to pick-up!

Suggest your ideas in the context of ongoing coverage of stories that are already being developed. If your idea can further the story in some way, and you can show that you have been reading our coverage closely, your chances of success are greater.

5) Information combined with data: A winning duo

Lastly, websites do very well with headlines that have numbers in them — for instance: “7 things you need to know about XXXXX,” “5 secrets to XXXXX,” and so on. If suitable, consider structuring your pitch to provide these kinds of winning lists that readers enjoy.

As a final word to the wise, Andrew has this suggestion: “In an industry characterized by continuous change, the most essential attribute for any news content is relevance. Sometimes it is a prestige issue for companies; however, they need to understand the importance of getting their message out by leveraging social media and bypassing the bigger media. For example, announcements about management changes within companies, unless they involve corporations such as RIM or Apple Inc, do not qualify as being newsworthy for our publication.”

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Posted by Monika Maeckle

Hispanic Media Experts Advise DC-Area Audience on Marketing to Latinos

October 6, 2011
by Danny Selnick, Vice President, Public Policy Services

Business Wire’s LatinoWire hosted a panel  event for professional communicators on Sept. 28 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

The panel featured:

  • Erica Gonzalez, Executive Editor of El Diario/La Prensa
  • Julio Aliaga, News Director, Telemundo (Washington, DC affiliate)
  • Hilda Garcia, Vice President of Multiplatform Content and Information for impreMedia
  • Charlie Ericksen, Managing Editor and founder of Hispanic Link
Danny Selnick, Julio Aliaiga, Erica Gonzales, Hilda Garcia and Charlie Ericksen

L-R: Danny Selnick, Julio Aliaga, Erica Gonzales, Hilda Garcia. Seated: Charlie Ericksen. Photo by: Michael Toner/Business Wire

Moderated by Danny Selnick, vice president for Business Wire’s Public Policy Services, panel members all underscored the notion that professional communicators must understand the particular needs and interests of this ethnic community and the Hispanic media that is in touch with their readers, viewers and listeners — only with that understanding can communicators successfully connect.

Key points made by each panelist:

Erica Gonzalez:

Erica pointed out that it is important to understand the history of Hispanic journalism.  Spanish-language media should be treated as a valid news outlet – not a 2nd class one.   Your news should relate to the audience – just because it has been translated into Spanish doesn’t qualify it as being newsworthy to the audience.

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Posted by Phil Dennison, Senior Marketing Specialist, Business Wire

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