By inmedia
Under the banner “The Death of Print,” Gawker today reported the filing by Ziff Davis Media for bankruptcy protection. Ziff Davis is responsible for PC Magazine, among other gaming and technology titles. Upon reviewing the filing and the coverage this news has received so far, we’re relieved to see that not all the titles under the Ziff Davis Media banner, including those under the Ziff Davis Enterprise label like eWeek, Baseline and CIO Insight, are in jeopardy. A post on the Ziff Davis Enterprise web site by its CEO highlights in bold that “Ziff Davis Enterprise and Ziff Davis Media are not the same company.” Still, this leaves even fewer outlets in an ever-shrinking media universe through which our clients can communicate to their markets.
And this development is a continuation of the sad state of affairs for the struggling print industry that seems to produce a fresh corpse almost every day. As Gawker pointed out, “Print revenue for ZD fell from $215 million in 2001 to $40 million in 07. Now they owe creditors about $200 million more than they have.” The bursting of the tech bubble had repercussions from which a lot of companies, including media outlets, are still reeling.
By inmedia
In the February edition of Insights from the PR blogosphere, we pointed readers towards the AngryJournalists.com link that had been making the rounds. Today, we have a more positive link to share, HappyJournalist.com. For now, the number of anonymous comments on the angry site drastically outnumber those on the happy site. With journalist burnout on the rise, we can’t say we’re very surprised.
By inmedia
The February edition of Insights from the PR blogosphere is the first of what we hope will become a regular feature. For now, we are keeping our roundups monthly but may decide to pick up the pace and deliver weekly roundups in the future. As always, we welcome our readers’ thoughts.
10 ways to get coverage in local press
What does your client do? (No, really)
This is merely a sample of the great content published by the Getting Ink blog. Their post on knowing what your client does and being able to explain it in 20 words or less should act as a warning. Stay away from hyperbole and meaningless buzzwords!
For beginners, Linda Jones’s post on generating local coverage provides a helpful list of things to keep in mind. Don’t make the mistake of sending every story to the news desk, find out who writes about the kind of story you’re pitching and take a targeted approach. On a similar note to Linda’s post, Cece from PR Meets Marketing shares four tips startups can use to generate media coverage.
Angryjournalist.com — Things Are Tough All Over
Over the past few days, the Angry Journalist link has made multiple appearances in my Google Reader, being picked up by the likes of Michael Tangeman and Tom Murphy. It seems the AngryJournalist inspired Kevin from the Bad Pitch Blog to remind us of the inevitable – for each of us the day will come when an angry journalist gives us an ear full. He suggests we don’t take it personally.
The Future of Blog Outreach
How Far Should We Really Go to Please Bloggers?
Conversations about blogger relations continue with Melanie Seasons weighing in on what she thinks the future of blogger outreach holds and Jennifer Mattern questioning how far out of our way we should go to please bloggers. This continues to be a hot issue and it’s something we need to write more about, our most recent post on the topic being Fiction: Bloggers are different from other journalists. For those engaging in blogger relations, Marshall Kirkpatrick wrote a helpful post that compares six ways to identify top bloggers in any niche.
PR Agency Review Tips, No. 436
When I saw this post by Scott Baradel, I was disappointed we hadn’t thought of it first. The images say it all. Who’s on your account team, really?
Taking issue with tech PR stories drive national coverage
Bring back the news release; forget about social media releases
In his post about catching the attention of national media, Stephen Waddington outlines the challenges PR agencies face and makes some recommendations, saying securing national coverage “requires creativity aligned with the current news agenda, with a fast turnaround best achieved through the use of pre-packaged comment. PRs need to scrutinise the media constantly, hit the phones and make sure spokespeople are available for follow-up.” His post on writing news releases is similarly sagacious. He suggests we get back to basics and focus on writing good news copy.
The junk man talks about PR
I love this post. If Julie gave a similar speech, I’m sure she would get a standing ovation. After having no luck with PR agencies, some companies see better results by taking the work in-house. Julie explains why this isn’t always the best solution and shares advice on how clients and PR agencies can work together to create an environment that’s conducive to success.
Access CNW: A Good Step Forward
Dave Fleet offers CNW some feedback on Access CNW, a new tool that allows their clients to have more control over the news distribution process. We’ve just started testing the tool but are excited at the thought of being able to mange the formatting and editing process online, rather than by phone or email.
By inmedia
Late yesterday, Gawker purported to spill the beans on the secret to all good PR: a sandwich. The post’s author espoused the virtues of buying reporters lunch and building a face-to-face relationship, and that truly that face time is the secret to all good PR. While I won’t object to the value that’s derived from face-to-face meetings and relationships built, it’s a lot easier said than done when your key media targets are not just around the corner and able to meet up for lunch but instead are part of the global media marketplace, reporting from places as far afield as Hong Kong, Australia, the Netherlands, or throughout the U.S. as do some of our key targets for our clients. If we are truly talking to the correct targets and bringing them the components of our client’s story that they need and want, it’s that intersection of interest that results in positive coverage, not whether we’ve broken bread with the reporter.
