Media

Tips from the top. What journalists really think when you’re selling-in

Selling in is core to a PR’s role and as the media landscape continues to evolve and develop, so must we. We are never too old or ‘good at PR’ to learn new tricks and getting insight from our peers is fundamental to growing our expertise.

That said, hearing those nine magical words – ‘can you send it through to the news desk’ – when you’ve finally managed to reach a real person after hours of being stonewalled by man’s friend, voicemail, can be frustrating.

News creation and distribution agency 72Point hosted a breakfast seminar last Thursday. Hosted by Doug Shields, Sam Allcock and Chris Brooks, the talk offered insider tips and advice to help extend the reach of radio, press and digital campaigns.

Notebooks, pens and mobile phones in hand to tweet using the official #72seminar hashtag, Account Executives Chidi and Rachel headed into town to hear what they had to say.

Here are just a few of the tips we came away with:

Send stories early

Journalists on national news desks start their day around 7 or 8am and head into news meetings at 10am. Get your news to them as early as possible to give yourself the best chance of getting on their agenda.

News site web traffic is at its peak at 9am, 1pm and 4pm, with the most popular content featured prominently on home pages and in dedicated ‘trending’ sections.

Keep it brief on the phone and don’t overlook the power of newswires

Tell them you’ve got a story and read the first paragraph. You’ll know if you’ve got their attention if they keep listening. Having the story on a newswire gives it extra credibility too.

Paid for promotions are worth thinking about

So you’ve secured coverage on a national news site and have hit a KPI. Being published shouldn’t mark the end of your activity. You should share links on social media and consider boosting your posts. What works in print shouldn’t be confined to that – extend the reach of all stories in rounded and integrated outreach.

Know your audience

Think about tailoring copy to fit in with style of your target title, as it will be noticed. This is especially true for radio. A press release written as a 15 second news bite shows the story at its full potential. Don’t forget to send the full story along with it for background.

Time is a premium

Make a journalist’s job as straightforward as possible. They just don’t have the time to chase you for extra information. Put the story’s key facts in bullet points at the top – the body of your release might be edited when published, but the most important details will remain.

The Future’s Bright, but Not Always Digital

If you’re planning on picking up a copy of Company after this month, we’re afraid that won’t be possible. The monthly magazine has stopped printing after 36 years and has gone online-only. After our initial surprise abated, the mag fans in the office had to be honest and admit we were now much more likely to get our lifestyle fix online.

The news of the title’s demise came just one day before the latest ABC magazine circulation figures were published. A seemingly sad repetition of Bauer Media’s suspension of More! magazine last year after poor sales, we were curious to see how the wider consumer lifestyle magazine market was performing.

Company’s print circulation was down more than 30% year-on-year, not including 2,000 digital editions. The overarching and ongoing conclusion was that magazines continue to suffer, but some iconic mags are still flying the print flag flying high. Cosmopolitan, Ideal Home and Vanity Fair all showed strong sales.

Cosmopolitan’s strength appears to be in its content – steadfastly dealing with topics relevant to all women, from careers and self-improvement, to fashion and celebrities, relationships, sex and beauty. So popular is the magazine, it has 64 international editions, printed in 35 languages and circulated in more than 110 countries.

The best-selling homes-magazine in the UK, Ideal Home knows when to move with the times. Now 94 years in circulation, the glossy continues to capitalise on the nation’s fascination with home improvement. Inviting a turnover of new readers each month, the magazine gives great focus to specific sections and standout DIY project areas.

George Clooney, Daniel Craig, Will Smith and supermodels that “won’t get out of bed for less than $10,000”. Vanity Fair only deals with the Hollywood A-list. A magazine of popular culture, fashion and current affairs, readers are taken on a fashionable journey of luxury and bright lights, and get to see how the other half live. Escapism at its best.

Capitalising on the strength of their brand, moving with the times and staying true to readers’ interests are all core themes in the success of the print stalwarts.

We often hear the millennial generation now only consume news with the simple click of a mouse instead of in the ‘traditional’ black and white, but it was good to see an article – online, ironically – on The Huffington Post diffusing that notion. It’s true to say we’re well-versed on digital outlets like Buzzfeed and social media, but we’re reading traditional news outlets too.

So how have print magazines stuck around for such a long time? The Guardian’s Mark Hooper attributes it to the internet. We had to scratch our heads on that idea for a moment too. Then one word stood out – permanence. Even the big hitters like ASOS and net-a-porter have print versions too.

It is true that news can be accessed with the mere click of a button, but for some, there’s no escapism like that 30 minutes tucked away with a new mag and the feeling of pages between your fingers.

Yes, we’re in a digital world full of tablets, laptops and smartphones, and a digital world may be on the horizon, but the print pages aren’t finished turning just yet…

Rule 5 Makes National PR Awards Shortlist

We are thrilled to have made the short list of the prestigious Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Excellence Awards.

These awards are national and Rule 5 has been short listed three times in the Outstanding Small Consultancy category and twice in the Best Sporting Campaign category. This comes less than 18 months after the company launched. The Outstanding Small Consultancy award recognises the achievements, performance and excellent work of a small agency over a period of up to three years. Rule 5 is one of only six agencies to make the list.

The competition is no less illustrious in the Best Sporting Campaign, for which the agency is recognised twice for its work for the UCI Track World Cup and World Taekwondo Grand Prix. Other shortlisted campaigns come from the Football Association and the RBU 6 Nations.

The CIPR’s national awards are hotly contested with 700 entries from the UK and internationally. The short list was announced on Friday 4 April.

#SocialMedia WhatsTrending at the BBC

One of the many advantages of being in MediaCityUK is our proximity to the media and anchor tenant the BBC. This happy juxtaposition occasionally throws up a real gem of an opportunity and #SocialMediaWhatsTrending was one such, in the form of a one day conference.

It brought together a series of panels and speeches that only a broadcaster of the BBC’s weight and stature could manage. It was also the first time I’ve seen Google Glass in the flesh on the face of New York based Vice Journalist Tim Pool (should that be in the ‘glass and metal’?). There were about 500 people in attendance – perhaps a quarter were BBC employees, most others by invitation. The wealth of expertise gathered on stage was truly extraordinary; BBC Radio 1 Controller Ben Cooper, Matt Cooke from Google+, Newsnight Editor Ian Katz, Football Focus presenter Dan Walker, Anna Dobbs Channel 4 Head of Online, Tim Gatt of ITV News, Luke Lewis BuzzFeed UK Editor, James Everton of Hits Radio, Alex Miller and Tim Pool of Vice. This feels like quite a list but I’ve missed out most of the talent. The full programme is here.

The day opened a window onto the ways in which many media channels and programmes are continuing to evolve in a dramatic fashion through the use of social tools and channels. This was insight from the coal face and the pace and diversity of change is extraordinary. This wasn’t just a catalogue of social strategies from programme makers, the sessions also tackled difficult questions such as the line between content and marketing. The decline in radio listening for example is widely being tackled by radio stations producing video content. So is this still radio? It was fascinating also to hear Philippa Law of The Guardian explaining how the news organisation uses the social network accounts of content suppliers to test the veracity of their stories, photography is also reverse searched to ensure it hasn’t just been grabbed from the net.

The day straddled, music, sport, hard news and more. If anything the event had more content than can be consumed in a day and there were two streams running throughout. Happily the sessions will all be shared online. Check the BBC Academy College of Journalism website, the should be uploaded next week.

RULE 5