We work closely with trade & consumer titles to gain media coverage for our clients, yet we always want to progress and keep updated with journalist preferences and industry trends.
So, after hearing great things about Soulful PR Sessions with Janet Murray, Emma and Sophie took a trip down to London to see what the hype was all about!
The guest host for this Soulful PR Session was Lucy Sherriff, multimedia editor at Huffington Post, who provided a great insight into what kind of stories they’re looking for and the best ways to approach them with ideas. So, we thought we would share our key takeaways with you…
Every publication is different
This is key. Whether the publication you’re reaching out to is print or online, this can have a massive impact. Online is very current and the turnaround is rapid, whereas with print, there can be more leeway. This isn’t always the case though, so remember to know the publication before sending a press release. Each publication’s culture is also very different, so the way in which you approach journalists should reflect this.
TOP TIP Make the effort to find out the correct email address to send your story to. If it is sent to a general news desk email address, it can get lost. If possible, send it directly to the desired journalist. Handily, we also have a PR database of contacts to help here!
The subject is the headline
Journalists are inundated with stories every minute of every day, so you need to make yours stand out. We have been advised prior to this session to add ‘PITCH’ or ‘PRESS RELEASE’ to the beginning of our subject, yet this ideology was not preferred by Lucy Sherriff. We have now been advised to write the subject as if it was the headline of the story as this is more likely to grab the attention of the journalist.
Don’t use attachments
Journalists are SO busy, so the easier you make it for them, the greater the chance that your story will be featured. We have learned to paste a press release and any images into the email body, instead of adding it as an attachment. It may not look as neat, but it can be much more effective.
Use awareness days to your advantage
If your story is relevant, you have more chance of getting published. We have always used awareness days for our client’s social media plans and you can find a long list here, just pick the most relevant ones for you.
These are our four highlights and ones that we will most certainly be adopting to better the PR opportunities for our clients. We will definitely be heading back to London soon for another one of Janet Murray’s Soulful PR Sessions as we have learnt SO much. If you’re also interested, we would highly recommend!