How to Work with a Journalist
Chloe Hutchinson and Olivia Martin, Outreach Managers at iProspect UK, provide some tips on working with journalists. The key to working with journalists is remembering that they’re just people, too. Like us, they’re trying to the best job and deliver the top stories. Ultimately, their aim is to keep readers coming back. We need to make sure we’re delivering something relevant, new and exciting for them to write about. Media lists and outreach When considering who to outreach to, always do your research. Check that you’ve got the right person, that they’ve written about similar topics or the topic you’re outreaching with, and that your story will resonate with the readers. Tailored e-mails are generally the preferred method of contact over phone calls. But journalists receive hundreds of e-mails every day, so you need to ensure yours stands out. This starts with a newsworthy campaign. Then, make sure your e-mails are friendly (though don’t feign familiarity) and get to the point – who, what, where, when, why and how need to be in the first paragraph, as this might be the only bit they read. Try to mirror their headlines and tone in your outreach to show how perfect your story is. Linkable assets Links are the aim of the game in Digital PR, so highlight the linkable assets and explain the added value. Always offer the journalist something that makes the story work for them, whether that’s more images, video, quotes or an interview. Think of extra assets that could add value and find out if you can provide it. Testing Test subject lines, formats and distribution times to see what works best. Open- and reply-rates can be very telling metrics that help future outreach efforts, but keep in mind: something that sparks interest in one person might not work for everyone. There’s no universal rule for the best time to pitch. Take note of what catches the attention of each journalist and when, especially if they’re a relevant contact for your client. This will help you understand what works for them in future – the more outreach you do, the more you can analyse and measure and make the next campaign an even bigger hit. Build relationships Building relationships with journalists can be beneficial when it comes to securing coverage. But not all journalists have time to head out for a coffee if you don’t have a current, live campaign of interest. In a recent interview with award-winning technology journalist, Holly Brockwell, we learnt face-to-face meetings were particularly difficult for freelancers. Holly said: “When I was a salaried full-time reporter, I would go for coffee meetings, because I was still being paid. I really enjoyed meeting people and having a chat, but I didn't get anything out of them that I couldn't have got through email. Now that I'm freelance, I don't tend to meet up with PRs anymore because I could be using that time to earn. Choosing to spend three hours chatting over lunch or coffee doesn't make economic sense when I could have knocked out a commission or two in that time. I still get to chat to PRs at industry events and on social media. Coffee meetings were a lovely break in the day, and I do think they help relationship-wise – but there are too many things competing for my time, and the first thing to go are unpaid ‘nice-to-haves’.” It's worth keeping this in mind when approaching freelancers for a coffee, but it doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying. Meetings needn’t be formal – it’s all about putting faces to names, strengthening relationships and ultimately having a chat. We tend to go with a 70/30 approach; 70% work talk and 30% getting to know one another. We’ve been told by many contacts that they’re more likely to spot an e-mail from someone they 'know' in the masses of e-mails they receive daily. Starting these relationships can feel forced and awkward. The key pointers are, don’t suck up or appear too rehearsed and familiar – just be natural. Remember they’re just people too. Think about how you’d like to be approached. Let’s talk about exclusives Every journalist wants to be the first to scoop a hot story, so exclusives are obviously preferred. Consider offering one of your contacts the opportunity to break a story first. Can you give them half a day or even a couple of hours of exclusivity? Offering this first up (and showing you acknowledge this is what they want) can really help to strengthen relationships too. Make the most of a conversation Has a journalist published your story, or taken the time to give feedback on why it wasn’t right for them? Thank them! A brief acknowledgement email should do the trick – you can always use this opportunity to pitch in another relevant campaign, or ask what they're working on, if you can, use this intel to help shape your next campaign. Keep moving forward Rejected stories can be disheartening and making the first move to strike up a professional relationship is challenging. But we promise, it’s not as difficult as it seems and it soon becomes natural – after all, you’re just speaking to them like any other colleague or friend, and helping them by providing interesting, relevant, and emotion-provoking stories for their readers. 0
5 min read
The Role of Influencers
Chloe Hutchinson and Erica Vonderwall, Outreach Managers at iProspect UK, discuss the role of influencers. The latest crack down on social media influencers by the committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has really reiterated the difficulties with working with influencers from an 'earned and owned' point of view. The tactics we employed as the outreach team of an SEO agency five years ago are certainly not the same tactics we would even consider these days, and influencer marketing is one channel that is going nowhere – forcing every marketer to reassess just how we can, and should, be using Influencers in marketing campaigns. The last five years or so have really shown how immensely a platform like Instagram or YouTube can change the way a whole industry of people decide to share their content with their audiences – and have even spawned a new sub-industry of talent management specifically for the influencers in these areas. Dentsu Aegis’ Gleam Futures have been and the forefront of this explosion, and have managed to not only lead the pack when it comes to signing on the Internet’s biggest and most influential names, but have also been essential to the shaping of the industry’s best practice in how to work with these people. Social Influencers Influencer marketing is essentially just word of mouth promotion via social media. The downfall of this is when brands try to leverage an audience by paying for what they want, not what’s real. The latest ASA rules have combatted this somewhat, by ensuring that an influencer makes it clear in their caption if (and when) a post is paid for, and in what way. The best option is also the most obvious: if you want to work with social media influencers, they need to align with your brand already. When a brand collaboration appears natural – whether paid for or not – is when the best engagement and conversion will happen, and when you have a genuine chance of reaching a new audience. Ultimately, this will deliver a better return on investment too. Content Creators and Experts Co-creating content with influencers from the beginning of a project has helped us launch some great campaigns. Influencers are often seen as experts in their field and can ultimately help the reach and impressions of a campaign, as their engaged audience is being leveraged throughout the process too. At iProspect UK we have used content creators in a number of ways, from workshop hosts at press events and case studies for publication, to market research assistants and recipe developers – to name a few. Having invaluable insight from those considered to be “in the know” by a shared audience is one of the simplest ways to ensure that any content campaign is not only legitimate, but will also resonate with the shared (brand and influencer) audience. There will always be a level of uncertainty when it comes to influencer marketing – from both sides, as the consumer is savvier than ever at spotting a blatant marketing attempt, and influencers have more than just their bank balance to think about when accepting work. More and more, influencers are leaning back towards authenticity in their collaborations and creations than ever, with large audiences of people deserting once-loved influencers for 'selling out' over 'keeping it real' with them. And, when you consider some of these influencers have been building these audiences over years of honing their craft, is it any wonder they’d rather keep their values (and audiences) intact? 0
3 min read
