Tag Archives: media relations

Media News and Moves for February

Posted on February 5, 2013 by | Leave a comment

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MEDIAware, PR Newswire’s Audience Research Department newsletter, features recent media news and job changes in the industry. Here is a sampling of this month’s edition:

Time Inc. (
http://www.timeinc.com
), publisher of Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, People and In Style announced that they would be laying off 500 employees across the world. These cuts include 250 jobs in New York which accounts for 6% of its workforce. Among those cut was Health Editor-in-Chief Ellen Kunes. Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes and Time Inc. CEO Laura Lang‘s put the layoffs in motion after Time Inc. saw a 6% decrease in revenue in the third quarter of 2012. The culprit of the layoffs was a revenue shortage caused by the drops in print advertisments and magazine subscriptions.

Al-Jazeera (http://www.aljazeera.com and https://twitter.com/ajenglish) purchased Current TV (
http://current.com
) for $500 million. Current TV was former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s startup vehicle designed to provide news analysis, politics and commentary. This purchase puts Al-Jazeera into nine times the amount of homes it was reaching previously.

The Boston Globe could be up for sale again. The New York Times Company tried selling the paper three years ago but was unsuccessful in finding a deal. The possibility of selling the paper was revisited again last year although CEO Janet Robinson wanted to wait in hopes that the launch of the Globe’s new pay wall would improve its sales.

Univision has renamed and rebranded their Telefutura network. It is now named Unimas.
http://tv.univision.com/unimas/

This month The New York Times (
http://twitter.com/nytimes
) announced major changes to its masthead with several top veterans accepting buyout packages. Among those saying their final good byes to the paper are Assistant Managing Editor Jim Roberts, Sports Editor Joe Sexton, and Culture Editor Jon Landon. The buyout packages were developed as a way to avoid major layoffs and did alleviate the bulk of the necessary budget cuts. Editor Jill Abramson (abramson@nytimes.com) (
https://twitter.com/JillAbramson
) expressed sincere gratitude to all those who will be bidding the paper farewell. Now that the NYT’s shake-up at the top has come to an end, expect several familiar names at the paper to take on new and increasing responsibilities.

Boston’s Phoenix Media WFXN-FM has been sold to Clear Channel Communications. Only the signal has been sold, Phoenix Media will keep its call letters. The station consisted of 21 employees. Most of the employees’ have left except for Program Director Paul Driscoll and Promotions Director Mike Snow.

The Crossover (
https://twitter.com/crossover
) is a brand new show which premiered on January 26th on the NBC Sports Network. The show is hosted by Michelle Beadle (
https://twitter.com/MichelleDBeadle
) and Dave Briggs (
https://twitter.com/DaveBriggsTV
). Beadle is a former ESPN SportsNation host and Briggs is a former “Fox & Friends” host. The show features sports news, pop culture and social media news.

The Financial Times (
http://www.ft.com
 and
https://twitter.com/FinancialTimes
) is planning to cut 25 jobs via either buyouts or layoffs. Editor Lionel Barber believes this will save up to $2 million a year. He also hopes to add 10 new staffers to the digital side of their operation.

SiriusXM Satellite Radio (
http://www.siriusxm.com
) added two million new subscribers in 2012. They now have 23.9 million subscribers tuning in daily.

The Tribune Company has emerged from bankruptcy. After restructuring, the company is anticipated to trade its newspaper assets and focus on its 23 television stations, including WGN America. Peter Liguori has been named CEO of Tribune Company. He will manage the Tribune Broadcasting Company network and the company’s publishing and digital operations. Liguori most recently served as COO at Discovery Communications.

There’s a new publication in Miami, Florida. NEW YOU magazine (
http://www.newyoumedia.com
) is a quarterly magazine dedicated to helping women find the latest anti-aging methods and technologies. Ruchel Louis Coetzee (ruchel@newyoumedia.com) is the Editor. Follow NEW YOU on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/NewYouMedia

Earlier this month, Editor-in-Chief Cindi Leive (cynthia_leive@condenast.com) (
https://twitter.com/cindi_leive
) announced the addition of Ying Chu (ying_chu@condenast.com) (
https://twitter.com/yingchunyc
) to the Glamour (
http://twitter.com/glamourmag
) masthead as the new Executive Beauty Editor. Chu comes to the magazine after a stint as Marie Claire‘s Beauty and Health Editor for several years.

The Washington Times (
http://www.washingtontimes.com
and
https://twitter.com/washtimes
) started the year with at least 20 layoffs including Sports Reporter Patrick Stevens (
https://twitter.com/D1scourse
). Executive Editor David Jackson had announced in November that there could be layoffs and there were in January.

Joanna Coles (
https://twitter.com/JoannaColes
), who just recently took over as Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan magazine (
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/
 and
https://twitter.com/Cosmopolitan
 and
https://www.facebook.com/Cosmopolitan
) made an exciting announcement earlier this month. The magazine will be featured on an upcoming reality show on CBS called, “The Job” (
http://www.cbs.com/shows/the-job/
and
https://twitter.com/TheJobCBS
). Coles is no stranger to the TV world as she had a recurring mentor role on the hit show, “Project Runway” while she was Editor-in-Chief at Marie Claire. “The Job” will air on Fridays at 8pm ET in February and Cosmopolitan will be featured on its second episode airing on February 15th. Five contestants will compete for an editorial assistant position at Cosmopolitan.

The Star-Ledger (
http://www.nj.com/starledger/
) recently announced a large-scale layoff of 34 employees including 18 from the newsroom. The layoffs were due to financial hardships and the effects of Hurricane Sandy. The paper is also considering outsourcing the printing and packaging of the paper. The following link is provided for additional information on this story:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/01/star-ledger_announces_layoffs.html
. The Star-Ledger can be followed on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/starledger
 and on Facebook: 
http://www.facebook.com/Star.Ledger
.

After a short prime time career WNYW-TV’s (
http://twitter.com/myfoxny
) Greg Kelly (
http://twitter.com/gregkellyfox5
) will be returning to “Good Day New York” as Co-Anchor with Rosanna Scotto (
http://twitter.com/rosannascotto
). The network announced that Kelly would Anchor the 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. newscast just a few months ago while veteran Dave Price (
http://twitter.com/DavePriceTV
) returned to the network taking over Kelly’s open morning spot alongside Scotto. However, in an unexpected turn of events Price will once again depart from the network allowing for the return of Kelly. Additionally, current early morning Anchor Steve Lacy will be filling in during Kelly’s prime time spots.

ESPN all-pro Sports Reporter Rachel Nichols (
https://twitter.com/Rachel__Nichols
) has traded teams and is headed to CNN (Cable News Network) to become a Sports Anchor/Reporter there.

You can view the whole February January issue of MEDIAware here:
http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/

And all of the Regional Updates here:
http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/February2013UpdatesByRegion.html

You can also follow all of the latest media moves and news from PR Newswire’s Audience Research Department on Twitter at: twitter.com/PRNmedia

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How to Become an Expert Source for Top-Tier Media

Posted on December 17, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Earlier this year, Charles Passy, staff writer for the Wall Street Journal Digital Network, sent a query via ProfNet looking for experts on farm stands. Mark Tardif, director of college communications at Unity College in Maine, saw the query and immediately knew he had the perfect expert – Sara Trunzo, Unity’s food and farms project coordinator. Tardif responded to Passy with Trunzo’s information, and the pitch resulted in a national media hit for Unity College, a small environmental college with less than 600 full-time students.

We thought it would be interesting to hear about the mechanics behind the article and pitch from three different perspectives – the reporter, the PR professional and the expert — so we invited Passy, Tardif and Trunzo to be part of a free webinar we hosted last week.

Here are some highlights of the webinar for those who were unable to attend. You can also access a recording of the webinar.

Charles Passy, staff writer, Wall Street Journal Digital Network

Passy, a “big fan of ProfNet,” primarily writes about personal finance, food, wine and other gourmet topics.

On the personal finance side, he writes for both MarketWatch.com and SmartMoney.com, both part of the WSJ Digital Network. Occasionally, some stories also appear in the print version of the Journal.

On the food and wine front, Passy writes a food and wine column, “Table for One,” for the WSJ.com blog Speakeasy, which covers cultural/lifestyle/arts topics. He also occasionally writes a front-page piece on an offbeat topic, like the one he recently did on experts who get certification as beer sommeliers.

Passy has been utilizing ProfNet for several years, so we asked him for tips on how ProfNet subscribers should respond to queries:

The early bird gets the worm. Time really counts. Don’t hesitate with a response. The sooner you reply to Passy’s query, the more receptive he may be, particularly if it’s a story on a tight deadline (meaning one where he has given a deadline of the same day or within a day). However, even if he does list a longer deadline, he’s always curious about the first few responses, just to see what he’ll get.

“Sometimes people try to craft the ‘perfect’ response, particularly if I’m indicating a tight deadline,” said Passy. “It really does help to get a quick response. If it’s a tight deadline, I’m looking for people that I can potentially talk to within a window of 2-3 hours. If I’m asking for a written response, which I often do, it still helps to get in there early.”

Don’t call. If Passy wants phone responses, he’ll indicate that in the query. Otherwise, reply only by emai.

“I really do go through my ProfNet email responses,” said Passy. “Calling doesn’t help. In fact, it kind of ticks me off, especially if I’m on deadline. It’s not that I don’t like talking to people, but the whole point of email responses is that it allows me to put a filter through the responses to see who’s right or who’s not.”

Be specific and detailed in  your response. If Passy asks for a written response, give him a written response. It’s crucial in a deadline crunch, and it tells him if the expert really knows the subject.

“I know gathering a written response takes time — and time can be of the essence — but if I’m asking for it, I’m doing so for a reason,” he explained.

Passy also said he sometimes uses quotes directly from email responses, although he generally follows up by phone.

“I’m not a big fan of email interviews,” he said. “Sometimes a quote can be too perfectly crafted. I like to make sure it’s a thoughtful, but honest, response. But when I ask for it in writing, I do like to get it in writing.”

Offer a real expert. Don’t offer just anyone; make sure it’s someone who really knows the subject Passy is writing about — and make it clear why your expert is the best person to answer the query. Include a short bio (not a generic one) that explains the expert’s qualifications.

For the bio, don’t send a five-paragraph boilerplate bio, which gives Passy too much to read and doesn’t really tell him how the expert fits into his article. If the expert has written a white paper or is doing research on the specific topic Passy is writing about, include that at the top of the email response — even if that means appending a couple of lines on top of the boilerplate bio to tell him why he really wants to talk to your expert.

Understand the odds. In some instances, Passy gets hundreds of responses for a story, and he’s only able to quote two or three people. Don’t take it personally if he doesn’t use your expert — but don’t respond with a high expectation of being quoted, either.

“I might end up interviewing a dozen people. I might only quote two or three. The odds are somewhat stacked against you. It’s not necessarily a crapshoot in that I do try to focus on people with the best responses, but there can be several good people all the same.”

However, Passy does sometimes keep good experts in mind for other stories.

Stay on topic. Don’t respond to a ProfNet suggesting another story.

“Do yourself a favor and make the pitch separate from my ProfNet query,” said Passy. “When I see ProfNet in subject line, I’m expecting someone responding to the matter at hand. It’s a waste of my time, it’s a waste of your time, and it’s bad form. I understand the temptation, but understand I’m opening up the emails thinking I have something for my story. If you have my contact info and you want to make a pitch, that’s fine, but please don’t say you’re responding to that query. It doesn’t serve anybody’s purposes.”

Mark Tardiff, director of college communications, Unity College

Unity College (tagline: America’s environmental college) is a private liberal-arts college in Unity, Maine. The college is completely focused on environmental topics, and has various experts who are really good in the niche markets the college serves.

Tardif shared the following tips on how communication professionals can best manage the PR-expert relationship:

Build trust. Experts need to trust their communications professional. When faculty members trust their PR person, it allows the PR pro to responding to reporters quickly when a query relates to the faculty member’s expertise.

No one is expected to know everything about a given topic, particularly in the case of experts that don’t have a great deal of experience with media. That’s where trust-building comes in.

“I say to our faculty, ‘You can trust me to identify your expertise and match you with an opportunity that is right for them. I’m looking out for your best interests.’”

Communicate regularly. This is especially important in a smaller organization. Have regular, face-to-face contact to really understand the skill set of all your experts. This will also help you respond quickly to ProfNet queries.

Also, when responding to queries, send a copy of the query to the expert you’re pitching.

“Right after I responded to the query, I immediately sent it to Sara so she had a chance to see it and would be able to think about what parts of the query are in her wheelhouse and what parts are associated with our larger goals.”

This tactic can also help in creating a follow-up to the reporter.

“When Sara saw the query, she engaged a professor in the program and the sustainability coordinator, and they each were able to look at the query and say, ‘I can discuss this part.’ I was then able to immediately turn around and, within three minutes of the original outreach to Mr. Passy, send a follow-up email saying, ‘Here is what each expert can offer.’”

Know and communicate your mission. Experts should understand what it is you’re trying to do with your communications program and the larger goals of the organization.

“Your experts have to understand what it is you’re about, what it is you’re essentially ‘selling,’ and why their input is very important,” said Tardif. “At Unity College, our faculty and staff understand that sustainability science is the center of the curriculum.  We are the first college in the United States to have all aspects of the curriculum connect to sustainability science, the most leading-edge approach to 21st century environmental problem-solving.”

Help experts work through their misgivings. An expert doesn’t have to be a Pulitzer Prize winner to be qualified to respond as an expert. At times, especially among experts with limited media experience, speaking with a member of the media can be daunting. Establish open lines of communication with experts to encourage them to express their misgivings.

And if something doesn’t turn out right, ask experts to let you know so you can work through it.

“I’m looking to build confidence in my experts,” said Tardif. “They are confident in their field, but some still have limited experience dealing with the media. I follow up on what was positive and what was negative about the interaction, and take it from there.”

Communicate successes. When you get a media hit, it can be seen as a validation of your larger goals. Whether it’s big or small, Tardif shares that in a college-wide email

Sara Trunzo, food and farms project coordinator, Unity College

Trunzo is the food and farms project coordinator in Unity’s sustainability department, focusing on organic, sustainable and small-scale agriculture, particularly within the context of regional and local food systems, community food security and hunger relief. This is all done through the lens of higher education, experiential education, and sustainability science as a tool for teaching environmental problems and solutions.

While Trunzo did have some media experience with local or regional outlets, this was her first foray into the world of national media. Here are some of her tips for other experts:

Be open to media opportunities. Some experts question whether they know enough to talk to the media. Don’t feel like your contribution isn’t valid.

“If your PR person is asking you and is considering you an expert, it’s because you have the experience and you have an informed opinion,” she said.

Don’t be afraid to say no. However, it’s also important to know when you’re not an expert on a topic.

“You shouldn’t have to overthink whether you can answer a question. Be careful not to overreach.”

And while dealing with the media can be awkward at first, allowing yourself to be put on a pedestal will also elevate the profile of your organization.

Take advantage of technology. “One of the things that make it a lot easier for me is having a smartphone,” said Trunzo. “Some of what I do is in the field, and being able to see the query while I’m out in the field with students makes me able to turn something around quickly.”

Keep PR in the loop. Let your PR department know what you’re working on so they already have someone in mind when a query comes up.

Trunzo suggests firing off a quick, once-a-week email to the PR group that includes a couple of bullet points about what’s going on and the most exciting stuff you’re working on. Make it short and easy to read.

She also recommends eating lunch with them from time to time to “talk shop.”

Q&A

Q for Tardif: What criteria helps you determine which experts to use?

Tardif: “I love this question. It’s such a great question because it really goes to the heart of what we try to accomplish with this department, and I think it applies everywhere. Develop a gut instinct through a dialogue with an individual to really gauge their level of understanding on what you’re trying to accomplish with the communication program, their level of buy-in, their level of comfort. If somebody is fundamentally not there yet, in terms of comfort, you’re going to be in a situation where it falls flat. You really have to develop a rapport with that expert and have that back and forth over time.”

Q for Tardif: Do type of media training do you do when you’re working with an expert?

Tardif: “Another great question! We don’t have formal media training program, but we’re starting to move in that direction. But on a one-on-one basis, I will do an informal Q&A. I think the training ground for us has been regional media. We have some smaller newspapers, some TV stations that cover our area.”

Q for Passy: Are there any suggestions on how to write email subject lines to improve the chances of having it opened or read?

Passy: “The first thing is to make it clear in the response that you’re responding to ProfNet. It’s a basic thing, but that’s how I’m going to visually flag those emails. Beyond that, there’s a part of me that has to admit that if it says something like, “I have the perfect expert for you,” I’d be inclined to open that email. It’s human nature. Although if it’s not the perfect expert, I’ll probably get annoyed.

“If you can put in a few words that shows you really get my query and my story – ‘ProfNet response: expert who wrote white paper on subject’ or ‘ProfNet – have expert who has done research on your topic’ – I’d probably be inclined to read that. I want something that signals to me that you’re a little more real than some of the other responses.

“Also, no more than two medium-sized paragraphs.”

Q for Passy: Is it OK to include a link to the person’s expertise, or do you prefer a short bio?

Passy: Include both – a short bio just for the query, and why this person is particularly suited, and then maybe a link to a longer bio. Include a little bit of bio in the response, at least telling me who this person is. I wouldn’t rely on the link only.”

Author Maria Perez is director of news operations for ProfNet, a service that helps journalists connect with expert sources. To read more from Maria, visit her blog on ProfNet Connect at
http://www.profnetconnect.com/profnetmaria/blog/

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“Relentless, Informed and Passionate”: How a Digital Campaign by The Times is Achieving Great Things for UK Cyclists

Posted on November 12, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Lucia Adams of The Times was the featured speaker.

On the morning of November 4th, 2011 The Times journalist Mary Bowers and her bike were being cut from underneath the wheels of a cement truck by paramedics on the streets of London. Mary, 27, had been hit by the truck during her cycle to work, and within minutes was being rushed to hospital, where she remains today.

While Mary has been in hospital, her devastated colleagues at The Times have responded to the tragedy with the Cities Fit for Cycling campaign, a collaborative form of journalism aimed at provoking as much response from readers as possible, and raising awareness of one of London’s most evocative topics to the highest levels of government.

At October’s Meet the Media Event, held in the crypt of London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, Lucia Adams, digital development editor of The Times, explained why the campaign was such a success, and how engaging with people online has enabled journalism and campaigning to go much further, due to a unique position that The Times holds as the UK’s most digitally innovative newspaper.

The Meet the Media event with Lucia Adams was held in the Crypt at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

The Cities Fit for Cycling campaign began with a heartfelt plea for safer cycling from a colleague of Mary’s, and quickly became a collaboration between The Times and its readers, who could follow updates, speak directly to journalists, lobby politicians such as London Mayor Boris Johnson, and of course share the campaign with their own friends and fellow cyclists. British newspapers typically sell only a few hundred thousand copies a day but a multi-platform campaign can reach millions of people within a morning, it can show them how them how things have changed between their morning commute and their journey home, and, crucially, it can make them proud of their own contribution.

“Focusing on the reader is key: there are some really powerful things we were able to do using relatively simple means,” Adams said. “The cycle campaign used lots of tools that are already out there – social media to help spread the word, writetothem.com powered the ‘write to your MP’ funciton on our campaign page and readers were given the opportunity to join our mailing list meaning that we could keep them up-to-date on the progress of the campaign.”

Amongst the highlights of the campaign’s achievements:

  • Lucia Adams’ goose-bump moment, when Prime Minister David Cameron backed the campaign in Parliament.
  • In September the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group APPCG announced that it is launching an inquiry in association with The Times newspaper to address the issue of ‘Why Don’t More People Cycle?’
  • The Times and Philip Pank, its Transport Correspondent, won Best Media Campaign award at the National Transport Awards for its “relentless, informed and passionate” campaign

Members of the PR Newswire team based in London include Andrew Woodall, Richard Birks, Craig Norquay, Adam Channell and Sam Madden, all pictured at the Meet the Media event earlier this month.

The Times’ increased ability to engage directly with their readers began a couple of years ago with the bold and risky launch of their subscription service for online content. While the rival sites of The Guardian, Telegraph and Independent remained freely available, The Times went behind a paywall.

Adams is proud of the effects that this decision has had on editorial activity at The Times, and says that the most powerful advantage of having a subscription model is getting to know the readers so that they can ensure that The Times’ journalism is relevant to them.

When The Times announced they were ending the availability of free content on their website and digital apps, everyone had an opinion and not many were supportive, Adams said. “A lot of people were saying, ‘News is a commodity. You can get news from anywhere. Only niche publishers would really succeed in charging for content.’”

This has proved wholly untrue for The Times. The site now has 295,000 monthly readers, and while it also remains Britain’s most popular quality daily newspaper, it is the digital drive that is making the most exciting inroads into the future of their journalism.

The key to a successful campaign is to know your audience and to reach them on a platform that allows them to take your story to its maximum potential. That means launching a campaign on print, online and tablet formats and often letting the direction be chosen by the audience rather than the writers. It is often now the case that a story only really begins to reach its potential once it has been shared.

This is just about updating them, not re-telling them what they have already heard that morning, adding an extra layer of texture to the stories.

“We need to think about what impact our journalism is having on our readers as well as how, when, where and why they’re choosing to engage with us,” Adams said

Nowadays, journalists have to think very differently about what impact their story has once it is out there.  “It is really thinking about an article as being the beginning of the story in the eyes of the reader and working out how we can help readers engage with the story in interesting ways.”

(See more pictures of the event, and the stunning setting at St. Paul’s Cathedral, on our Facebook page in the Meet the Media photo album.)

For our readers in the United Kingdom:  Follow Meet the Media on Twitter (@MeetTheMedia) to stay current on events we’re hosting in the UK.

The attendees enjoyed networking and some nibbles at the event.

Authors Sara Kuhlman and Andrew Woodall are members of the PR Newswire Europe team based in London.

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Ask PR Newswire: Why Didn’t My Story Make the New York Times?

Posted on November 9, 2012 by | Leave a comment

“Why didn’t the New York Times / Wall St. Journal/ USA Today/ [insert other publication title here]/ pick up my story?

It’s one of the most common questions PR pros hear from their bosses and clients, and we hear it frequently, too.

So why do top tier news outlets give stories a pass?   Here are some of the key reasons:

  • Exclusives.  Almost all outlets prefer exclusives.  The top-tier publications demand them.   Exclusives attract audiences, sell news stand copies, drive web site traffic and ignite conversations on social networks.  A great way to kill your chances is to send pitches via e-mail, putting recipients on the BCC line.  Another sure-fire way to wreck your chances is to tell your target outlet about all the media coverage your story has already garnered.
  • Scope.   While a story is undoubtedly important to the organization pitching it, the value of the story to a target publication’s audience may be an entirely different kettle of fish.   One sure fire test – does the publication actually run the kind of story you’re pitching?  Media outlets are very good at understanding what kind of stories attract their audiences.  If your organization wants to attract attention from a particular publication, it’s crucial that you frame your message in a way that will interest the publication’s audience.  National news outlets are looking for stories with broad scope – namely, those that will be of interest from coast to coast.
  • It’s old news.  In today’s ‘deadline every nanosecond’ information marketplace, currency is, well, currency!  Search engines and social networks denizens want the latest information.   Big name publications aren’t going to cover events after they’ve happened.   That said, all is not lost.  Many smaller outlets – from local newspapers to industry monthlies – will still devote some print space to recapping events, so if you missed the boat with the big boys, you may still be able to gain coverage of your new product launch or event recap, provided you provide them with a reason (read: some real news they can sink their teeth into) to do so.
  • Your story is boring.  There.  I said it. And I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.   Developing a good pitch takes time.  You have to really delve into the story and find the most interesting angles – the whys and hows and whats that people will really care about.   Read your pitch and your story.   Is it so interesting that you would actually like to tell your friends about it?  If the answer is no,  sharpen your pencil and give it another shot.

In a funny twist, my colleague to whom this exact question was posed this week learned more from the client in a follow on conversation.   The client had, in fact, violated two of these cardinal rules. First, the headline of the press release in question included a date far in the past.  Secondly, they told the lifestyle editors at the NYT that other publications had covered the event previously.    The fact that the pitch was accompanied by a valuable gift worth about $75 was the final nail in this pitch’s coffin – newsrooms do not work on a “pay to play” basis.

Our director of audience development, Victoria Harres, oversees the media relations efforts here at PR Newswire, and she has some good advice regarding pitching.

“National publications are looking to publish stories that connect with their readers,” she notes, going on to suggest, “Ask yourself what the human angle is in your story. And remember, PR jargon does not work. Leave it out. “

Here’s some related reading, if you’d like more help with your pitches and press releases:

How to Pitch Lifestyle Editors

4 Keys to a Successful Digital PR Pitch

Getting the Press to Cover Your Conference

When your Client (or Boss) Wants to Issue Non-News

Author Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media.

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Media Moves & News for November

Posted on November 8, 2012 by | Leave a comment

http://prnbloggers.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/agility-logo.png?w=127&h=125

MEDIAware, PR Newswire’s Audience Research Department newsletter, featuring media news and job changes in the last month, is now available. Here is a sampling of this month’s edition:

Newsweek (
http://www.thedailybeast.com/content/newsweek.html
)announced it will cease printing with its last issue on Dec. 31st. Newsweek will be an online publication only in 2013. Newsweek estimates that its been losing $40 million annually on the print edition. Layoffs are expected in the transition. The new online product will be called “Newsweek Global”. Some Newsweek articles will continue to be available on The Daily Beast (
http://www.thedailybeast.com
) free website run by the same company. Newsweek began in 1933 and competed and battled with Time magazine to provide readers with the top weekly news stories in the newsweekly magazine business. The magazine peaked in 1991 with 3.3 million readers and was down to 1.5 million at the midway point this year. The lack of advertising dollars for a national weekly losing readers played a part in the demise as well.

It’s stormy weather for employees of The Weather Channel (
http://www.weather.com
) lately as approximately seven percent were laid off last month. The Atlanta-based company, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, had to lay off employees as part of a restructuring. The restructuring affected about 75-80 people. The last such layoff was in 2008 after NBCUniversal acquired a controlling share of the company. Meteorologists Jeff Morrow and Adam Berg were among those out.

The Seattle Times (
http://seattletimes.com
) reported on its own employees protest against the company, following the company’s controversial decision to purchase a full-page ad supporting the Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna. More than 100 Seattle Times news staffers – including reporters, photographers, columnists, artists, editors and online news producers – signed a letter protesting the Times Co’s decision to sponsor newspaper ads supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate McKenna and a statewide referendum for legalized gay marriage. The employees cited threats to the paper’s credibility and neutrality as reasons for the protest.

Anderson Live (
http://www.andersoncooper.com
), Anderson Cooper’s daytime talk show, will not return for a third season. The program will run until Summer of 2013 completing its second season. You can still see Anderson Cooper on his CNN program “Anderson Cooper 360″ (
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/
).

After Newsweek announced its move to digital earlier this month, popular Senior Correspondent Peter J. Boyer makes a major move. The former New Yorker and Vanity Fair Staff Writer has been named the new Editor-at-Large of Fox News. The new hire was named by Fox News CEO Roger Ailes in a statement to his staff, describing Boyer as a “talented and insightful journalist.”

Former “CBS This Morning” Co-host Erica Hill has joined NBC’s “Weekend Today” as its new Co-host. Hill will host on Saturdays and Sundays beside Lester Holt. In addition to her new Co-hosting duties she will be a national correspondent for NBC News reporting on “Today” and “NBC Nightly News”.

Comedian Adam Carolla has joined Fox News Channel (
http://www.foxnews.com
) as a Contributor mainly on “The O’Reilly Factor” program (http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/oreilly/index.html). Carolla is set to appear each Monday on the show to comment on political and social issues. In addition to appearing on “The O’Reilly Factor” he will make appearances on other Fox News Shows. You can also see Carolla on his daily podcast show “The Adam Carolla Show” (
http://adamcarolla.com
).

As countless publications continue to take major hits due to the economic recession Condé Nast Corporation (
http://www.condenast.com
) announces several cutbacks. Eight editorial staffers and three business staffers were laid off at Self Magazine as part of Condé Nast’s 2013 budget cuts. According to New York Post, reports state that each title under the major publishing house must cutback by an estimated 5%. Although the cutbacks are said to continue within the coming months, large brands such as Vanity Fair and The New Yorker may escape staff reductions this time around. However, other powerful names were not so lucky, such as Susan Portnoy (Vice President Media Relations for Digital and Corporate Communications), most commonly known for her involvement in New York’s annual Fashion’s Night Out.

LANG (
http://www.langnews.com
) which include the Los Angeles Daily News, the Torrance Daily Breeze and seven other papers has taken the obvious next step into becoming a regional news operation with an emphasis more on digital and less on geographical. Carolina Garcia will take over as Managing Editor of digital news for all LANG papers.

The Chicago Sun-Times (
http://www.suntimes.com
) has announced the hiring of Actress and Author Jenny McCarthy as Columnist. Ask Jenny will appear in the newspaper’s Splash section, and her blog will run Monday through Friday at splash.suntimes.com. The column will focus on and answer questions about love, sex, parenting, friendship, fitness and duties of a single mother.

Wired (
http://www.wired.com
) is bringing advertisers and the blogging community together by running ad-sponsored blogs. http://www.adweek.com/news/press/wired-bringing-advertisers-and-its-blogs-closer-together-136211

The Los Angeles Times (
http://www.latimes.com
) circulation figures are showing an increase due to paid digital subscriptions:
http://www.laobserved.com/biz/2012/10/digital_helps_lat_ga.php

Meteorologists Dick Albert of WCVB-TV (
http://www.wcvb.com
) in Needham, MA and Steve Cascione of WLNE-TV (
http://www.abc6.com
) in Providence, RI are teaming up to create a weather-focused online forum called SkyWatchers (
http://skywatchers.me
) which is set to launch by the end of this year. SkyWatchers will be a platform for weather lovers to connect with and share information about all things weather. They are tweeting:
https://twitter.com/skywchrs

The Press of Atlantic City (
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com
) powered on through Hurricane Sandy and printed 24-page editions on Tuesday Oct. 30 &  Wednesday Oct.31st.

You can view the whole October issue of MEDIAware here:
http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/

And all of the Regional Updates here:
http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/November2012AgilityUpdatesByRegion.html

You can also follow all of the latest media moves and news from PR Newswire’s Audience Research Department on Twitter at:
https://twitter.com/PRNmedia

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4 Keys to the Successful Digital PR Pitch

Posted on September 25, 2012 by | 5 Comments

The key to garnering digital exposure for your messages? Easy. Don’t handicap your messages by ignoring all the different ways your intended targets might use the content you publish. Make it easy and intuitive for people to share your messages with their networks.

I’m active on LinkedIn, and it’s not unusual for me to hear from a recruiter every now and then.  Last week, one sent me a note about an interesting sounding job.  While I had zero interest in the gig, I know others in my social networks might be interested.  So, instead of ignoring this message, I responded to the recruiter, asking if she had any publicly-available information so I could share it with my network.

She sent me an attachment. 

This reminded me of an exchange we had once with a heavy hitter editor from one of our sister company’s leading technology magazines.  When asked what his PR pet peeve was, he had a ready answer.   Email pitches that didn’t include a URL that he could tweet, link to and share.

Consider how your audience will use the content you share. 

In both cases, the people contacting the targets (the recruiter contacting me, and a PR person contacting the editor) either don’t understand or aren’t considering what behaviors their communications inspire.    The recruiter assumed that when I said “share with my network” that I was talking about e-mail.  The PR person is assuming that the outcome is going to be traditional media pick up in the form of a print story.

By letting these assumptions drive their communications strategies, both miss out on significant opportunities for exposure.   For public relations especially, the lessons are important:

  • When you’re targeting media and influencers, take the time to research and understand how their beats and responsibilities have changed.   Most journalists who write for a print publication are also creating digital content and sharing content in social networks.  Even if your story doesn’t make the print publication, exposure on the outlet’s digital channels can be immensely valuable (and may reach an even larger audience!)
  • Tailor your pitches accordingly.  The e-mail pitch that includes the press release pasted into the body of the email (and then attached for good measure!) is dead.

Here are four keys to ensuring your PR pitch isn’t out of step with the realities of today’s news rooms, social networks and the blogosphere:

  1. Provide links to digital assets (images, videos, infographics) in your pitch.
  2. Include links  to the story and other information the journalist can reference and share.
  3. Structure your pitches and press releases with tweeting in mind.  The headline needs to be a perfect tweet.  Highlight key themes with paragraph subheads (in bold so they’re easy to see) that are also perfect tweets.   Call out key facts in a bulleted list.
  4. Ensure the URLs you provide render well when shared on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and LinkedIn, rather than displaying HTML gobbledygook to users of those networks.

In other words, make it dead easy for journalists, bloggers and other influencers  to share your story with their respective social networks.  Decisions to share and tweet content are made in fleeting seconds.  Don’t handicap your messages by ignoring all the different ways your intended targets might use the content you publish.

In the case of the recruiter, I actually took the time to send her a note explaining the problem with the attachment, and noting that if her firm wanted to recruit social media candidates, they needed to run a social-friendly recruitment campaign.   She replied, saying that she agreed, but that her boss did things “the old way.”  In this interaction is one more lesson for us all – it’s up to all communicators to ensure their organizations are in step with their audiences.  The up side of doing so is clear – your communications are more likely to be successful.  The down side is equally clear – your communications are more likely to be irrelevant.

Author Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media.

 

 

 

Image courtesy of Flickr member Donna Sullivan Thomson.

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September Media Moves

Posted on September 12, 2012 by | Leave a comment

http://prnbloggers.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/agility-logo.png?w=500

PR Newswire’s Audience Research Department continually updates our Agility Influencer Targeting global media database, with more than 700,000 journalist and blogger contacts.

The MEDIAware newsletter, published by the team each month and featuring media news and job changes in the last month, is now available. Here is a sampling of this month’s edition:

Anderson Cooper‘s daytime talk show has been renamed “Anderson Live”. (
http://www.andersoncooper.com
) The second season will feature rotating guest hosts and will be filmed live. His first guest will be singer/actress Beyonce.

Reed Elsevier, parent company of Hollywood trade paper, Variety has accepted a multimillion dollar bid from Avenue Capital to purchase the longstanding entertainment trade paper. Avenue Capital is the parent company of the The National Enquirer.

Check out Miabella Magazine (
http://www.miabellamag.com
), a new magazine out of South Florida spearheaded by Editor-in-Chief Gina Villani Addison (editor@miabellamag.com) (
https://twitter.com/MIABELLAMag
). Miabella is a bi-monthly magazine geared towards young women ages 14-21. The focus of the magazine is to provide help and guidance in gaining a positive self-image.

The new owners of the Orange County Register (
http://www.ocregister.com
) has approved 25 newsroom positions, including Movie & Resturant Critics, Business Editor and Auto Reviewer.

NS: Modern Luxury for the North Shore is set to launch in October. The publication will navigate the North Shore area of Chicago, highlighting the local businesses and personalities. Elaine Doremus (edoremus@modernluxury.com) (
https://twitter.com/NSEditorinChief)
 will serve as Editor-in-Chief. For additional information visit: http://www.modernluxury.com/ns.

KXTV-TV (
http://www.news10.net
) in Sacramento, CA has launched a new weekend morning broadcast, which will be anchored by Kate Larsen. Follow the station on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/News10_CA
.

The Los Angeles News Group (LANG) has appointed Gene Warnick to the position of Sports Editor, which will expand his duties to oversee sports for all of the LANG newspapers. LANG newspapers include the Los Angeles Daily News, Daily Breeze, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, San Bernardino Sun, Redlands Daily Facts, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News and the Whittier Daily News.

Good Morning America (
https://twitter.com/GMA
) Host Robin Roberts (
https://twitter.com/RobinRoberts
) said goodbye Thursday, August 30th as she is taking medical leave to undergo a bone marrow transplant from her sister. Roberts announced in June that she has Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a rare blood disorder that affects bone marrow. It was then announced there will be a series of guest hosts in her absence such as Oprah Winfrey, Kelly Ripa, Barbara Walters, Katie Couric and more surprise guests.

Live! with Kelly (
http://dadt.com/live/
) has announced ex-football player Michael Strahan will be Kelly Ripa‘s new Co-Host beginning September 4th. Strahan was one of 59 co-hosts who had sat next to Ripa during the past nine months after Regis Philbin left the show. He is expected to also continue his co-hosting job on Fox NFL Sunday.

Highlights Hello (
http://www.highlights.com/highlights-hello-magazine-for-kids
) is a new publication from the Highlights for Kids crew that is ramping up for a January debut. This pub targets toddler up to age 2 and parents with reading and picture activities and advice from pediatricians and other children’s experts. Christine French-Cully is the Editor: eds@highlights-corp.com

The Red and Black (and Blue?), the University of Georgia newspaper, is now run by Adviser Ed Morales, who is in charge of all editorial content. Editor-in Chief Polina Marinova and the staff of this student-run newspaper have quit in protest of the university’s decision to oversee the Red and Black (
http://www.redandblack.com
).

The Birmingham News is going through many changes. The new publisher, Alabama Media Group, has dropped the paper from a daily to a three-day per week publishing schedule. It will now be printed on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The paper will still be updated on its shared website,
http://www.al.com/al.com
,  which includes The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times and Press-Register in Mobile.

You can read the full September MEDIAware Newsletter here:
www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/medi…

And check out all of the Audience Research Group’s Updates by Region here:

http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/SeptemberAugust2012AgilityUpdatesbyRegion.html

Follow all of the latest media moves and news from PR Newswire’s Audience Research Department on Twitter at: 
https://twitter.com/PRNmedia

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How to Pitch Lifestyle Editors

Posted on August 31, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Publicity Club of New York (PCNY) hosted a luncheon earlier this month, featuring a panel of five lifestyle editors who discussed how they like to be pitched. Check out comments about it on Twitter via #PCNY.

Peter Himler (@PeterHimler61), president of PCNY, kicked off the dialogue by telling the crowd that these days, “publicists outnumber journalists 3 to 1.” Sharpening your pitching technique is more important than ever if you’re looking to land press coverage.

Each panelist spoke for about 10 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of general Q&A, moderated by Edelman Worldwide’s Lisa Kovitz (@lisakovitz50):

New York Daily News: Life & Style Editor/Producer Lindsay Goldwert

  • Goldwert looks for stories with a “women’s magazine-type feel,” including topics like body positivity and food, as well as “feel good” themes.
  • She notes that article pitches must be as current as possible and relevant to “right now.” She needs subject-matter experts who can talk right away.
  • Stories on celebrities with health problems (and relevant experts) are especially pitch-worthy, e.g., when Paula Deen announced she had diabetes.
  • Pictures are great and the most important part of a pitch!
  • No time for desksides.
  • Contact: @lindsaygoldwert11or lgoldberg@nydailynews.com

WNYW-TV “Good Day New York”: Executive Producer Jason Hartelius

  • Hartelius receives hundreds of emails daily — sometimes even a thousand or more. Be concise, don’t overpitch (i.e., don’t send the same email every day) and don’t use bait-and-switch tactics.
  • Pitches can be as simple as: “Hey, I got this idea — what do you think?” Put relevant information at the top; don’t be longwinded.
  • Subject lines should be catchy. If you write “Attention Jason Hartelius: [Topic]” he will very likely read it.
  • Stories must be local. And no promotional material — the segment should be about the story, not selling. “Know the show!”
  • There is one slot per day for a fun or remote piece. Recent examples include local firemen washing circus elephants and an anchor taking a ride in a monster truck.
  • The show generally has no interest in featuring a guest who has recently appeared or will soon appear on a competitor’s show (no “same day” bookings). The only exception might be if it’s an extremely famous celebrity.
  • Contact: @jasonhartelius12 or desk@foxfiveny.com or GDNYpitches@gmail.com

The Huffington Post: Women’s Editor Margaret Wheeler Johnson

  • HuffPost Women typically features news items and original reporting, essays from “ordinary” women, body image, women’s health and compelling stories.
  • Do not pitch off-topic ideas about dieting and nutrition, parenting and fashion and style. Wheeler Johnson is not interested in any stories that include the words “your man.”
  • If you’re a woman, ask yourself: “Would you want to read this story?”
  • No product pitches.
  • Images are great! Nice images can be turned into a slideshow. This is a great option for book publicists in particular.
  • To know what types of topics to pitch, read the front page! And watch out for cross-posting (e.g., sometimes fashion stories are reposted from HuffPost Style).
  • She looks for fresh perspectives from subject-matter experts.
  • Experts must have links to back up their statements. Quotes from health experts in particular will be checked.
  • Wheeler Johnson doesn’t usually leave the office to cover events, since Huffington Post has a national audience.
  • She doesn’t understand the concept of a deskside; the pitch should be engaging and well-crafted enough that a deskside isn’t necessary. If she’s looking for a fresh quote, she’ll call you on the phone.
  • Typos in article submissions are a big no-no; the editorial department is busy enough already.
  • Contact: @mwjohnso14 or scoop@huffingtonpost.com

WPLJ-FM “The Big Show With Scott & Todd”: Producer Joe Pardavila

  • Radio in general has a large reach for suburbanites, particularly in the New York area, which has lots of commuters (i.e., “bridge and tunnel”).
  • This morning radio show targets women ages 25-54 in the New York area in particular. The crowd includes college-educated women, soccer-mom types and even teeny boppers (since they’re in the car with Mom). This audience might not want to listen to Justin Bieber, but they certainly know who he is.
  • Press releases and pitches don’t need to be longer than one paragraph. If Padavila isn’t interested in the idea, extra paragraphs won’t help.
  • Have fun with a pitch. Pardavila is not interested in anything morose, depressing, technical or “high brow.” Simple stories are best!
  • People say: “I want to wake up and laugh.” Keep that in mind.
  • Contact: @joepardavila or bigshow@plj.com

BuzzFeed Shift: Editor Amy Odell

  • BuzzFeed wants every single article they post to go viral. Most traffic on the site comes from Facebook. Think about what people want to click on.
  • Common topics cover style, beauty, health, fitness, food, grooming, powerful women, career, celebrities, relationships, hipsters. Anything funny!
  • Fashion pitches in particular must be funny or relatable; high-fashion pieces are not appropriate.
  • Odell says press releases are basically never funny, and she hardly ever finds story ideas from them. She might open a press release if the idea sounds really bizarre.
  • What does Odell want from PR pros? Exclusive access to experts or celebrities.
  • She can’t use content if it’s posted on other sites — original material is a must.
  • She prefers to use stories immediately; there’s not much lead time, unless it’s an interview a celebrity that has to be planned in advance, for example.
  • Odell typically doesn’t cover events, but she might send reporters to an interesting event so they can live tweet from it (to draw in new followers). But it most likely will never become an article.
  • No desksides.
  • Contact: @amyodell56 or amy.odell@buzzfeed.com

Written by Grace Lavigne, senior editor of ProfNet, a service that helps journalists connect with expert sources. To read more from Grace, check out her blog on the free social networking site ProfNet Connect.

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Dear Gracie: Getting the Press to Cover Your Conference

Posted on August 24, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Each week, Dear Gracie answers questions from ProfNet Connect readers with advice from our network of more than 44,000 ProfNet experts. Has there been a question burning in your mind lately, something you’ve been wondering that none of your friends can answer? Please send it to grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com

Dear Gracie,

I’ve been tasked with wrangling up press to cover and attend an upcoming conference. Although the organizers have some great content, the conference is a newbie on the circuit and it’s been difficult to get this on press radars. I’m looking for a Conference Confucius to offer up some advice.

Conference Conundrum

********

Dear Conference Conundrum,

Five ProfNet experts offer some advice on how to get the press to cover your conference:

Newsworthiness

If you’re trying to get reporters to cover your event, the first step is to try and get them to come, says Vince McMorrow, associate vice president of Fahlgren Mortine. Many reporters nowadays have gotten the green light from bosses to travel to events. “What gets them there is good content,” he says.

“News is news — you can’t make it up,” says Lisa Layne, principal of Lettuce PR. News outlets will never come to your conferences again if you say there is news to announce, but then just treat it as a messaging outlet. If you spin a conference that isn’t newsworthy, you can damage your PR career.

How do you know if your conference is newsworthy? McMorrow suggests asking these questions:

  • Do you have speakers that are well-known in the industry?
  • Will there be sessions/tutorials on topics/trends critical to the industry?
  • Can you leak some of the information to the media before the conference to entice them to attend or cover?

“Big subjects sell themselves,” explains John Brooks, director of media relations and news at North Park University in Chicago. For example, when Brooks was director of news for a mainline church denomination, they’d get coverage for anything controversial happening at the national assembly. Matters relating to sexuality and the church, as well as a church-to-church agreement that some members of both churches opposed, drew the press in particular.

“Unfortunately, controversy seems to work, but it can open the door for coverage of other conference happenings too,” says Brooks.

Furthermore, in these days of tighter budgets, a reporter might not be able to travel to your event, so in that case, provide them with a phone number they can call to talk to someone, or provide them with the necessary info to watch it live (like if there’s a webcast of the conference), says Brooks.

And if there is a webcast, tell the reporters when to watch for key subjects, Brooks continues.

If online attendance is an option for a national conference, then make a concerted effort to get press from all over the country to attend from their desks, suggests Elizabeth Arritt, director of marketing at Omega Performance Corporation. Send out personal messages to different reporters in different cities, and highlight speakers from their area. This generates local coverage all over the country, she says. (She used MEDIAtlas to find these reporters.)

“Survey attendees and then offer the results to the media,” suggests McMorrow. “Ask for media input in the initial stages of creating the survey, so that you can get their buy-in. Provide it to them after the event to continue getting coverage.”

Work the Reporters

“Get to the right reporter,” says Brooks. The reporters who cover your beat will be the most interested in your conferences.

If reporters do decide to attend your event, make sure they have press passes that will give them access to all areas, says McMorrow.

Before a conference, Brooks travels to the city where the conference is being held and visits with industry reporters and assignment editors to tell them about the event.

When Brooks worked for an agricultural organization, the reporters most interested in their events were farm reporters and broadcasters. “They’d come and talk to several agricultural experts, and use those comments for several days. What worked there was providing solid content to beat reporters interested in the subjects we were communicating,” he says.

Being transparent and inviting reporters ahead of time helps secure coverage later when the conference is being held, explains Brooks.

Also, make your CEO visible, Brooks continues. When the presiding bishop of the church Brooks represents travels to another city for a speaking engagement, Brooks contacts local religion writers and tells them about where the bishop is going, so that the reporters can schedule a meeting and interview with the bishop.

It’s even better if the local host of the speaking engagement contacts local media directly, adds Brooks. But either way, find a reporter who covers your beat, and tell them about your CEO too.

Kill two birds with one stone by hosting a news conference or conference call to kick off your event, Brooks continues. Have your CEO speak to the media about key issues to be discussed at the conference.

“Invite reporters to participate in your conference,” says Brooks. “If you’ve got a communication theme, invite reporters as event speakers, or invite a well-known reporter in the conference city to speak as a keynoter,” he suggests. “Audiences like reporters because they can tell stories relevant to everyone — and reporters sometimes cover reporters.”

High-Profile Names

“The key to press conferences is understanding what type of high-profile names you get there,” says Layne. Try to get industry officials, celebrities, authors, etc.

“Encourage planners to get recognizable names,” agrees Brooks. “The toughest thing to do is get coverage for a great speaker that few have heard of.”

Celebrity endorsements are a highly important factor for conference campaigning, continues Layne. Even if the brand is a yoga mat, a tourism bureau, a new tech gadget — backing your event with a name is crucial.

“Consumers and media want to care about your conference for a reason,” says Layne. If they can associate a household name that they trust, then they trust the brand too.

But she notes that it can be difficult to get celebrities to your conference unless they are already a spokesperson for the event.

To get high-profile names to attend your conference, look for relevant charities, Layne suggests. Do some research. For example, Jennie McCarthy has an autistic child, so if your event revolves around that, pitch her publicist.

If the celebrity bites, send a town car to pick them up, says Layne. “Make it easy for them, and hand hold. It’s like babysitting — but researching the kid’s hobbies first.”

Local Community

“Don’t overlook the little things your organization might be doing for the conference’s host city, particularly if there’s a societal benefit or if it has a positive impact on those who are less fortunate,” suggests George Deutsch, senior media relations coordinator at the International Facility Management Association.

For example, at an expo show in Orlando, Fla., a few years ago, Deutsh was trying to promote the conference and its educational sessions, new products and services, and its sustainability. While he was talking to one of the reporters in attendance, he mentioned as an aside that the company would be donating the excess food and beverages from the show to the needy in the local community.

That brief remark is what the reporter picked up on. “The story ended up being the best coverage we got from the show,” says Deutsch. “It taught me to remember to promote the little things.”

Any information you can provide about how people from the community in which the conference is being held will interest reporters, says Brooks. “They want local people in their stories who are relevant to their readers.”

So for national events, Brooks always tries to include a local-story angle if possible, because that’s the kind of information that gets covered.

Local news organizations are also typically interested in the financial effects of a conference to be held in their town, says Brooks. “It invites coverage of the conference in a different way, which can lead to coverage of the conference itself.” The Convention and Visitors Bureaus could be helpful with this, he adds.

Arritt got great coverage from a local news station where she was holding a conference once with a money-grab exhibit booth. The idea was that a participant would climb inside the booth, and then get 30 seconds to grab as much flying money as they could.

She contacted the local news director and invited their weatherman to do the noon weather report from the booth. As a bonus, they agreed to match whatever the weatherman grabbed and donate it all to Habitat for Humanity (with a guarantee for a minimum donation if he grabbed less than expected).

“It was a great spot,” says Arritt. “They re-ran it for the evening news, and we had copies to use for ourselves as well. It provided us, the station and Habitat with some good PR.”

Gracie

Written by Grace Lavigne, senior editor of ProfNet, a service that helps journalists connect with expert sources. Dear Gracie is published weekly on ProfNet Connect, a free social networking site for communicators. To read more from Grace, check out her blog on ProfNet Connect.

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Inside PRN: Meet Blogger Relations Manager Thomas Hynes

Posted on July 24, 2012 by | 1 Comment

When it comes to building community, Tom Hynes is a natural.

More than a decade ago, Hynes single-handedly organized the Shippan Turkey Trot, a Thanksgiving 5K in his Connecticut hometown to help benefit a local homeless shelter.   What began with a handful of runners in costume has grown in recent years to a few hundred participants (costumes encouraged, but not required).

Tom Hynes (right) and friends.

Of course, what’s a race without a colorful blog?

In addition to the race, this blogger relations manager stays pretty busy. Admittedly, he doesn’t get much sleep.

So what does the PR Newswire blogger relations manager do? Well, he blogs.

You can find Hynes’s work on PR Newswire blog, Beyond PR. He also keeps a personal blog and more than a year ago began with a friend another blog called Bike Gang! (Hynes manages the guest writers and riders who participate in it.)

But most importantly, the New Yorker said, he reaches out to and assists blogs.

“My favorite part of the job is anytime that I can help a blogger,” said Hynes, 32. “I also enjoy the writing part of it — writing blog reviews every week. I just jump into a subject, I get really into for a week, and then I walk away.”

Once in a while, he’ll receive a follow up from a blogger, saying that his write up summarized the blog better than anyone had ever done before.

“That’s really satisfying,” Hynes said.

Hynes got his start with PR Newswire in the editorial department in April 2005, and began managing blogger relations in March 2010.  Today, no two work days are alike. In addition to writing and keeping up with blogs, Hynes manages the company’s Tumblr page and PR Newswire For Bloggers.

On PR Newswire for Bloggers, Hynes loads releases, curates the stories there, writes blog reviews, and provides content for the blog.  He’s handy at troubleshooting with bloggers, helps the PRN sales team with assisting clients on the best ways to reach bloggers, freelances about PR-related material and speaks on panels. Most recently, Hynes spoke at PRWeek’s Social News Summit in New York.

To stay on top of the industry, Hynes attends conferences, tweets live, writes about the events, and shoots video blogs.

During Austin’s annual SXSW Interactive, Hynes shoots with Tom Miale, global account manager for streaming media with MultiVu, what’s become a popular series of five-minute daily video wrap-ups affectionately referred to as TnT. You can find the TnT videos on the PR Newswire YouTube channel.  A couple months ago, the duo shot a video on the social consumer.

Personally, Hynes is a loyal friend and has been in 11 weddings in the last couple of years. He anticipates at least a couple more by year end.

“Everyone calls me the male Katherine Heigl,” Hynes said, referring to the actress in 27 Dresses (2008).  Most recently, all this wedding experience has served him well. He profiled several wedding blogs on Beyond PR.

Hynes comes from an enormous family (I’m actually not exaggerating. He has only two biological sisters, but through his blended nuclear family with step-siblings and in-laws – Hynes’s total siblings number at 22). He literally has a chart – most might call this a family tree – but Hynes keeps a flowchart of his family nearby.

He also is a proud uncle to 22 nieces and nephews, with a 23rd “in the oven.”

Christine Cube is a media relations manager for PR Newswire and freelance writer. You can follow her @cpcube.

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