It’s a great day to be a PR person and a bad time to be a journalist.
So says the March 20 issue of PR Week, in an article commenting on the third annual State of the Media Report written by the Project for Excellence in Journalism.
The report found that the newspaper industry, in shreds because of staff layoffs and diving circulation figures, chronicles complaints by journalists, who will rely more and more on PR people as they face increased pressure.
Writer Hamilton Nolan quoted Jonathan Capehart, a former head of the editorial page at the New York Daily News, who said the report offers a chance for crafy PR people to deliver complete story ideas, in-depth story ideas.
“Because reporters are so stressed for time and for ideas, the PR person who can give the reporter a complete package, if you will, is the PR person who stands a greater chance of piquing the reporter’s interrest.”
That means smart Publicity Hounds will:
—Offer not only themselves as sources, but others, along with contact information.
—Find sources with opposing viewpoints.
—Suggest sidebars for articles. That is, facts or statistics or a smaller story that can accompany the main story.
—Make sure pitches are short and compelling, preferably in less than one screen of type or in fewer than 30 seconds.
—Send press releases only when there’s legitimate news.
In other words, make the media’s job easy. Which is what PR people should have been doing all along.