I used to work in the newspaper industry, and I’ll admit that some of the criticism that journalists are arrogant and holier-than-thou is justified. Take, for example, the smart-aleck news brief that appeard on Page 3 of the July 6 issue of the Denver Business Journal. The headline read “Another episode: Bad Press Release Theater.” “Don’t imply that… Read More
Print Media
CIO Magazine offers pitching tips
If you’re trying to get in front of CIOs and IT managers, your best bet is CIO magazine. It has 120,000 readers, and a pass-along rate of four readers per copy. Their readers’ average IT budget is $230 million. This week, Marketing Sherpa is sharing tips on how to pitch CIO magazine. You can access it for… Read More
What do journalists REALLY want? (Bookmark this link)
One of my very favorite features that explains what journalists hate about PR people, and what they really want, is Bulldog Reporter’s excellent weekly installment “Journalists Speak Out.” Each week, the short feature offers pitching tips—along with a good dose of bitching—from reporters, editors, TV producers, radio talk show hosts, and journalists in charge of… Read More
Great lobbies, receptionists worth bragging about
Does the receptionist at your company make visitors feel welcome by offering a bowl of M&Ms? Or a dry towel for people who walk in a torrential downpour from the parking lot into the lobby? Is there a TV in your reception area so visitors who have to wait can enjoy the Three Stooges on DVD? I’ve… Read More
Media interviews: Balance of power has shifted to sources
If you’re involved in a news story and you’re afraid the media will misrepresent you, slant the news, or write it according to their own agenda, don’t refuse comment, thinking they’ll just go away and leave you alone. As I’ve said so many times before, refusing an interview is akin to screaming “we’re guilty,” even if… Read More
Is Atlanta Dog Life Magazine still publishing?
Frank J. Gallo of Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. asks: “Sometime back in 2006 I saw a copy of the Atlanta Dog Life Magazine and was hoping to know whatever happened to the magazine? It seemed like a great concept. I met the editor, Kitty Roberts, a few years back when this was just a concept and was… Read More
Alternative newspapers should be taken seriously
If you get a call from a reporter who works for an alternative newspaper, be on your guard, and don’t take the interview any less seriously than you would if a reporter from your local daily newspaper had called. That’s the advice from Ken Haseley from the Ammerman Experience, a media training company. In this week’s… Read More
Forbes.com editor offers 6 pitching tips
I’m starting to sound like a broken record: Read the magazine, read the magazine, read the magazine before you pitch. If you want to make it into the online version, read the website, read the website, read the website. PR people still don’t get it. So says Forbes.com Editor Paul Maidment. He says almost no one—can… Read More
Small newspapers prospering, so contact them now
Amid all the grim news we’ve been hearing about the demise of big-city newspapers, some small newspapers are sitting pretty. An article at WashingtonPost.com says that while the Internet is transforming the largest papers in the business dramatically—siphoning classified advertising and commoditizing national news—many small papers are weathering the decline with relative ease, and some are even prospering.… Read More
L.A. Times to discontinue book review section
More bad news for authors and publishers who want book reviews in top-tier newspapers. The Wall Street Journal says that sometime this spring, the Los Angeles Times will announce that it’s folding its highly esteemed Sunday book review section, shown at left, into a new section that will combine books with opinion pieces. That leaves only five separate… Read More