Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Dear iujhb98,

Editors need content that their readers will enjoy. Where there are readers there are also advertisers.

So target the needs, solutions sought, and the interests and desired outcomes of the editor's readership.

IN press releases, use language that addresses the interests of readers and how useful they'll find the results obtained as a result of using the goods, services, and products you're offering.

Also, think how your products can tie in with advertisers and how editors can then connect specific advertisers to specific, content-rich material.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
The Direct Response Marketing Guy™
Princeton, NJ, USA

Call or email an editor or researcher, introduce yourself and say you would like to know how you can best help him/her with coverage for your industry. Assure them that you may occasionally have information that their readers may want, and want to be sure you present it appropriately -- the way they want.

Do not be blunt and forceful because that will only put your business on the "do not ever contact that business" list. I don't think you want to go there. Be honest, however. Don't embellish, but simply provide the facts and why they are applicable to the audience served by the magazine.

Want a better chance for being included in a story? Provide them with more than just your business as a source. It saves the outlet's staff time, and shows you care about the industry, not simply your own interests.

If you were an editor, what would YOU want?

I think you'd want material that your readers and advertisers would find engaging, newsworthy, interesting and informative.

That's not a bad checklist.

What would turn you off?

Blatant commercial messages; PR people who are pests; writers who don't have a clue about who my readers are and what they want/like; and people who don't understand and respect my role and/or who waste my time.

Your goal shouldn't simply be to get more articles written (if that's your short-term goal - pay for advertising) but rather to create a relationship with the magazine's editor(s). This is long-term thinking, and requires patience, knowledge, and transparency. It requires you to know about what stories they're working on and offer story ideas to them. The other experts have given you the right advice to ask - listen - and research (including actively reading the magazine to better understand how they position themselves and by reading the letters to the editor, how the readers view their positioning).

I am an editor for a small, regional sports publication (www.calkayakermag.com), and can tell you that I would not want anything forced on me.

Re-read Gail's response above - it is very good. Offer to be of assistance to the editor/writers for any needs you can be of help with. Editors and writers often have last minute needs for quotes, information verification, etc. - be available for that. Call or email to introduce yourself and offer help (ask not what a magazine can do for you, but for what you can do for the magazine). If there is a trade show or similar, meet the editor face to face. Or if they are in your town, offer a tour and meet and greet with key people at your location. Build a relationship - it is work for you up front, but it generally pays off in the long run.

Gary is also spot on about targeting your press releases and such to that publication. If the info you send is unrelated to the magazine's content, it will get trashed. I unsubscribe for more press release emails than I read, as the content they send is not related to what my magazine does. If someone sends something so far off, I don't want my time wasted, so I unsubscribe.

Editors do have to run a balance between editorial and ads. And I do take into account who our advertisers are when I am working with editorial. Those who have been advertising for a while will get first shot for helpful content. If you have competitors who are advertisers (and you are not), it will make it more challenging for you to get coverage.

That said, it pisses me off if someone says they will advertise if I run an article. I will not trade 1 time ad for editorial coverage, and even asking this feels like bribery or extortion or something, and just gets my blood boiling. Not the type of emotion you want to bring out in an editor.

I agree with Peter’s response, and for the most part that has been my personal experience as well. I think that I would perhaps reverse the order:

I believe that advertisers, especially regular, long-term supporters of a publication get first preference when it comes to providing content that supports an editorial project. If nothing else, because the publication is familiar with them, they are top of mind.

Next, I think that you must know and understand what the focus of the trade pub is and how it differs from its competition. Using your example, not all home improvement magazines target the same exact audience. Some may target the contractor crowd whereas others my target the do-it-yourselfers and others may target the female decision maker in the home. As you can imagine articles to these different groups would be written very differently. Make sure that the information you provide addresses the appropriate audience for the specific magazine.

And yes, you must be willing to do the extra work – make the editor’s job easier. Never make it more difficult with too many contacts, too many calls to follow up, too many requests for specifics and so on. Make sure you deliver on your promises. Any opportunity to meet in person will help establish rapport, but don’t be a stalker – online or otherwise.

Finally, one tip I’ll add in addition to the others, I offer attractive, professional photography with whatever story/quote/ pitch I’m making. Magazines don’t always have the resources to shoot on location or to hire or send a professional photographer. By using the shots we have for promotional purposes – usually high quality, glossy images, I am overcoming a hurdle in choosing my offering over a competitors. I send lo-res digital copies with the pitch and offer hi-res images in the required format.

Neither blunt nor forceful should enter into the equation in establishing a relationship with magazine editors/researchers. Remember that any mutually beneficial relationship takes time to build.