Getting Ink

5 ways to get your business in the papers

Since becoming a parent, it’s amazed me how many people of my age (22, or thereabouts, obviously) have kids and morph into super-entrepreneurs.

Among my circle of friends in Lytham (which is a really small town) there’s an online retailer of fashionable shopping trolleys, a first aid tutor, a mobile IT support wizard, an osteopath and two women who run pre-school literacy classes.

I’m forever nagging my friends to do more PR and get their ventures covered by the media. After all, why buy your shopping trolley from John Lewis when you could buy it from Trolley Gorgeous?

So, here are my top tips for any small business to increase their chances of being covered in the press:

Track down editorial calendars: most magazines and newspapers publish a list of key topics they'll be covering over the coming months. You can get a copy of this from the Media Pack or About Us page on their website, or by telephoning the editorial assistant on the main switchboard number. If you think there's a topic you could comment on or provide information for, just email your details to the editorial assistant and ask them to be passed on to the writer.

Be the story: magazines and newspapers rely on what we call 'case histories' - real life stories that illustrate features on all sorts of topics, from personal finance to body image. Volunteer to be a case history, and you can expect a plug for your book, business or website in return. So keep an eye out for suitable opportunities in publications your customers are likely to be reading. Why not subscribe to Getting Ink Requests for opportunities in your inbox?

Do a survey: Journalists love surveys and web-based services make it easy for you to survey several hundred customers for very little cost. But a word of warning: nobody likes self-serving questionnaires that are designed just to big-up your company. Try and find something that's timely and newsworthy. A security company saying we need to be more secure isn't news. But a security company telling us the top 10 ways burglars break into homes - just after a big celeb gets burgled - just might be. Do your survey and write a press release about it (someone like Press Dispensary can help if you’ve never written one before).

Enter awards: I included this tip on the list as I got a press release a few days ago about the Business Mum of the Year - an award that two of my Lytham neighbours, Tracey and Lisa, have applied for! They're running a small start-up business and have scored big by applying for an award sponsored by a much bigger organisation, with a big PR budget to go along with it.

Write it yourself: Local newspapers and trade magazines are often looking for great copy with a zero price tag. If you've got some experience of writing, consider offering to write a practical advice piece for a local paper - or an opinion column for a magazine's regular slot. Just don't forget to study the paper closely and come up with an idea that will really fit before approaching the editor. 

Things You Might Like To Know (9) - Pictures

One of my regular gigs is a monthly product roundup for a magazine for senior citizens. Each month, I produce a list of lovely gizmos, gadgets and shiny things that might be interesting to those over 50.

Increasingly, hacks like me are asked to source pictures along with our editorial - it's one less job for the editor, after all. So every month I end up chasing a dozen PR types for pictures of products to feature on the magazine's pages.

One of the PRs sent me a collection of 7 pictures to choose from this morning - images of her client's website, the client's logo, products on the website and so on. The problem? The largest of the images was less than 50kb. Far too small to use in print, I'm afraid - and since I'm on a deadline the only option is to cut that item from this month's roundup and use something else instead.

So - in practical terms, what's a PR to do? Well, remember that anything you copy/paste from a client's website and save as a JPG is going to be too small for a print publication. A picture for print needs to have a resolution of around 300dpi (dots per inch) and not come out looking like a postage stamp.

I'll admit I'm not a massive technical expert on graphics (and more detailed advice is v welcome) but as a rough rule of thumb, I aim for files saved as jpg to be at least 500kb for publication, up to a maximum of 2MB.

Things you might like to know (8)

One of the constant moans in journo circles about PR types is that we think you just don't listen. If we say we want to interview chief executives of FTSE 100 companies, why oh why do we get offers of an interview with the MD of a pet food retailer in Luton? It's especially a problem when using online PR services, simply because the request goes to so many PR types to whom a query simply won't be relevant.

You think we exaggerate? A journo colleague posted a request for info about washing machines on ResponseSource yesterday. And here is one of the responses she received:

Dear Louise                                                      

I hope you do not mind me getting in touch; I wanted to ask you whether you write any articles around sexual lifestyle and hot new trends. I only ask, as I represent a few clients that produce affordable adult luxury lifestyle products which are completely inoffensive in appearance to the extent you could have them on your coffee table (if you wanted to!) and no one would know what they were!

A washing machine and a vibrator? There's a gag to be made, I'm sure, but I'm not going to lower the tone quite that far.

It's fine to contact journalists if you think they might be a good match with your client. But there are two golden rules if you don't want to look like an idiot to the journo:

• Don't simply respond to a request for information with something irrelevant. The chances of your pitch being immediately dismissed as pointless spam are very high indeed. This particular PR has sent exactly the same pitch to dozens of hacks in recent days. All the hacks I've spoken to were similarly underwhelmed...
  
• Have a point to your pitch apart from a variation of "my client is lovely". Try and think of a specific story, a news angle, a feature opportunity - something that helps the journo see this as a story, not just a press release about your client's existence.

Things you might like to know (7)

One of the things that smart PR types like to do is make an effort to get to know their journalist contact.

But I was chatting with a fellow hack this week and we had both had the same experience: a PR asking us “how are the kids?” Which is fine, but both of us only have the one child, unless I really missed something in the delivery suite.

As the hack in question says: we understand you’re trying to be friendly, and we also understand there are dozens of hacks whose personal details you’re trying to keep a track of. But when you get the most basic details wrong, any attempt to convince us you actually give a rat’s ass about the house move/new child/promotion/whatever falls a bit flat.

The best case scenario is you look like you’re only pretending to like us to gain professional ground (heaven forbid!) but you could offend someone or end up looking dumb. Like the PR exec who pitched my colleague Alex a complimentary breast health exam at a private clinic without checking whether he had breasts. He doesn’t.

Things you might like to know (6)

Freelance journalists are great. Honest. And not just because I'm one.

Invite a freelancer on your press trip or offer them your new case study and the chances are you'll get two or three hits for the price of one. That's because a seasoned freelancer knows that selling stories to more papers means getting more cash for less work.

With that in mind, how do you know where to find decent freelancers?

1. First of all, look online at the NUJ Freelance Directory, where members list their expertise, geographic location and contact details.

2. Second, consider using industry-specific directories - Gorkana has a freelance directory with lots of finance hacks, with lots of others including the Medical Journalists Association and  Sourcewire.

3. Look at contributors to your target magazines. Many larger titles only employ editors, with the vast majority of copy generated by freelancers. If you spot a name you'd like to investigate further, the editorial assistant should be able to put you in touch with the hack, or at least pass on your details to them.

4. Hang out where lots of freelancers hang out. Online at least. Try journo forums like Journobiz or UKPress,

Things You Might Like to Know (4)

There are three sorts of phone call that are completely and utterly pointless : 

1. Any call that involves asking BT to provide accurate billing information (in my experience, at least)
2. Any call that involves asking a journalist whether they'd like to receive a press release (just send it, already)
3. Asking a journalist when a piece of copy is going to appear in print.

The last one is particularly, spectacularly pointless. Why?

Well, when a reporter is commissioned to write a story, they have a deadline to file their copy to their editor. In the case of news, it may mean the story will appear in the next issue after this deadline - but if something more interesting comes up in the meantime, or if someone higher up the food chain doesn't like the story, it may be spiked permanently or held over for an issue. When this happens, nobody would bother to tell the reporter.

It's even more pronounced with features. Scheduling of features is done by the features editor, in partnership (usually) with the advertising department. Feature deadlines will be set well ahead of the planned publication date, and the writer won't usually be informed of the planned publication date at all.

We often get told: "Oh, it'll run sometime in April" but find ourselves still scanning the shelves in WHSmiths in June. We're scanning just as hard as you because many magazines only pay freelancers when the magazine hits the bookstand.

So how do you find out when a story will appear?

The best bet is to call the features/news/section editor, since they draw up the schedule and will know exactly when things are planned, or if any changes have been made. If you can't reach them, then the editorial assistant is usually up to date with content plans - since they're the ones who often process invoices from contributing writers and photographers. In some papers, this person might go by the title "editorial secretary" or "features secretary" so it's worth checking.

Don't Worry, be Happy

After all of yesterday's unpleasantness, I thought today we could all use some time thinking Happy thoughts. So here's Happy, my chocolate Lab.

Yesterday,  while we argued about whether blogs were about personality or principle, Happy stole a pair of shoes, and then ate a 7oz tub of play-dough (blue). I think we can all learn something from this.

So, there's three editors on a desk...

Imagine in front of you are a production editor, a sub editor and an art editor. Which one of these esteemed editors could make the difference between your story appearing in the paper, and it being spiked?

Answer: all of them.

Very often, PR pros (and reporters, it should be said) make the mistake of thinking that selling a story is simply about getting the initial interview done and filed. Not so, my friends, not so.

Once a reporter files their story, it will be read and edited by the section editor (say a news editor, or a finance editor) who will probably make some changes and chuck it back to the writer for amends. Once that’s been done satisfactorily, the story will be passed to the production editor, who decides where stories sit on the page, how long they will be and whether there are any glaring errors or omissions. Again, the story may be chucked back to the reporter, often with a request for 100 more words or a fuller explanation of how some technology or other works.

At around the same time, the story will be passed to the art editor, the guy responsible for making sure pages are designed, not just stuck together. The art editor is most often seen complaining that the PR has sent a grab from the client’s website rather than a print quality picture. The reporter (again) is dispatched to find a better picture.

Once all this is done, the sub editors will go through the final copy, making sure it’s totally in line with house style – every magazine has it’s own house style which dictates everything from whether Internet takes a capital ‘i’ to whether people are referred to using their first or second names. They’ll want to check spellings, acronyms and figures for accuracy.

So why is this your problem?

Because, as a PR, whenever the reporter needs to fix his story, he will need your help. And if you (or more likely your client) has buggered off skiing after the interview, then your hard-won coverage could easily end up being spiked in favour of a less flaky article.

The best advice is to try and anticipate follow-up questions that the production ed, art ed and subs might ask. So, if your client uses a bit of terminology in the interview, check what it means. If he refers to a report in Harvard Business Review, know when it was published. And have a number of good, print quality images ready to go before lining up interviews.

The next best advice – if you don’t do the above – is make sure you and your client are contactable between the time of the interview and when the publication goes to press. That way, when the reporter is being chased, he can at least find someone to help him out.

Making nice at lunchtime

The Getting Ink team received a mail this week from a fellow journo, who wants to know why PRs are so bad at doing lunch. She writes:

"I had a dreadful experience last week where the PR spent most of lunch regaling us with tales of her husband's DIY skills (or rather, lack thereof). Utterly unproductive for me and for her client - although, to be fair, her client was as boring as all get-out and I can't remember why I agreed to do the lunch in the first place. Ho hum."

Now, lunches with your clients are a necessary evil for most journos (or a perk if you're a junior reporter who usually dines on Supernoodles or a stale sarnie) but there are some basic rules.

1. Pick a venue with reasonable size tables, good space between tables and food that nobody in the party is allergic to. Nothing worse than sitting through lunch in a seafood restaurant when you're a veggie. Except sitting through the same meal, unable to hear anything over the muzac.

2. Don't expect the journo to conduct an interview. It's awkward and embarrassing trying to ask questions and record/write things down while eating and drinking. This is a get-to-know-you opportunity we want to know what sort of company your client is, what they do, what they're like to work with.

3. Don't try and stick on-message. The point of lunch is that it's less formal than an interview. What we want is an insight into your client's views on an industry - they're the expert. We want to know what trends they see, what their customers are saying, what analyst predictions they think are nonsense. There's nothing worse than being subjected to sales patter for three courses.

4. Keep it professional. Telling stories about your partner, your really funny drunk Friday night or similar isn't really appropriate unless this is one of those Friday lunches with just you, the journo and a company Amex card. In which case, feel free.

5. Ideally, try and come up with some story ideas or pitches ahead of the lunch that the client can discuss with the reporter. Then when we return to the office, we can say we were honestly at a business lunch, not just a jolly.

6. If your client is deeply dull challenging, then the best you can do is make the suffering brief. Don't order a starter (nobody else will if you don't) or alcohol (same applies) and after the main course, announce "I'm stuffed" then say "coffee, anyone?" (this way nobody will order dessert, either)

Tis the season to be jolly

Dear PR Doctor:

We're a mid-sized PR agency and this year we wanted to throw a party for journalists and clients in Central London. We've booked a venue and sent out email invitations, but so far we've only had a trickle of replies. Should we start calling people, or have we left it too late to get into people's diaries? Clare

Dear Clare

Let me start by telling the half dozen PR agencies that have invited us to Christmas parties happening this week that NOVEMBER is NOT Christmas!

Okay, so providing you're having a Christmas party that's taking place at Christmas, the answer is no, you're not too late. You're a bit too early.

Here's what's happening out in journo land. We're currently getting a couple of invitations every hour, to various parties, shindigs and soirees. Someone in the office is making a note of all the dates, locations and RSVP requirements (some are stricter than others about numbers).

Once we've got all the data, the team will collectively start making decisions: do we go to Nobu for dinner then to the PR agency party on the rooftop? Or should we start at the pub drinks in Soho then head off to the consultancy's party at the club in Mayfair? But if we go to the lunch at Fleet St, then the subs are invited, too. And we can't go to the pub quiz, because it's in West London and a cab will cost a fortune.

My point being that your invite will be somewhere in that mix and nobody will commit before they have all the options. Even if they do commit, frankly, don't count on it. That lunch party might overrun or turn out to have a free bar, and then it's all over for the evening shindigs...

What's a PR to do?

First of all, include a link in party invites to a registration website and make it clear that numbers are limited.

Second, if your party isn't near to the offices of your most prized hacks, offer them a cab from a pub near their office to your venue.

Third, don't be a names nazi. I remember going to parties where names were checked on the door, and colleagues from the office who worked in production would have to pretend to be writers to get through. Then they'd spend the whole evening being introduced to the PR's clients as the editor of Computing. Inviting people from a magazine, rather than just the star reporter you want to meet, guarantees you more guests and more goodwill. And please, no name stickers.

Finally, offer good food. Seriously - we're that shallow.