Last night, I was researching various newspapers, in preparation for a release I was about to issue for one of my clients.
For one thing, I was researching who’s still there. I was researching who writes what (very important after the constant layoffs at newspapers). I was also looking at what they’ve written recently, so I could sound educated when I contacted them. I was looking at their bosses…Editors, Managing Editors, and so on. And I was also studying the general tone of the papers’ recent coverage, to discern their priorities, and those of their readers.
And then it hit me. Are we going to be able to do that next year? Next month?
What happens if newspapers – and magazines – actually do start charging for online content, instead of just talking about charging for online content? I haven’t read anything, yet, about how this will affect public relations practitioners. But it seems to me the effect could be like a tsunami.
I’m particularly concerned with independent practitioners, who are becoming an ever-more vital part of the PR workforce. These people may not have the resources to subscribe to comprehensive media databases (which may or may not provide all the information I’m able to gather by simply going to a paper’s website). And they may not have the resources to pay for online subscriptions to hundreds of newspapers and magazines.
On a larger scale, however, all the talk about (and possible movement toward) pay-for-content models affects all of us in this industry, from the solo practitioner to the large agency, as well as corporate PR departments. It’s already tough enough to connect with many journalists, because they’re now doing the jobs of two – and sometimes three – people. Putting another wall between us will only make the job harder.
Let’s remember, too, that this is hardly a one-way street. Many journalists – often, because they are doing the jobs of two people – depend on PR pros for a lot of their ideas. By inserting a barrier between PR pros and journalists, pay-for-content will only make the journalist’s job even harder than it’s already become – because it may shut them off from some good sources of ideas.
Look, no one’s saying that the current media models shouldn’t change. They must change, because they’re obviously unsustainable the way they are now. What I am saying, however, is that those of us in this industry had better start tossing around some ideas as to how this is all going to play out. And how we’re going to be able to perform some aspects of our jobs when it does change.
I’ve been reading a lot of talk about whether people will be able to – or want to – pay to subscribe to their newspapers or magazines online. But I haven’t read anything about how PR people are going to afford to pay if pay-for-content becomes standard.
And it’s something I think we should be talking about - before it happens.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Showing posts with label journalists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label journalists. Show all posts
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
THE DEATH OF SERIOUS JOURNALISM
In a democracy, the media are – ideally – supposed to be reporters of the news – not creators of it.
There doesn’t seem to be much genuine (and unbiased) reporting of “news” anymore – because, these days, “news” seems to be defined by the political stance of the organization that’s reporting it. Broadcast “journalism” – especially on cable - is becoming just another forum in which self-righteous “reporters” create their own news from their own viewpoints, and then push it on their audiences…who are tuning in precisely because that particular station is reporting only the “news” they want to hear.
I see television stations becoming shills for whatever political party - and political positions - their corporate owners favor. (I mean, really, folks, no matter what your political leanings, should the word "News" really be used after the word "Fox"???) I see local TV anchors and reporters becoming "personalities" rather than serious journalists. And I see an unending procession of beautiful people - who are not necessarily serious journalists - parading across my screen during just about any news program I watch. And self-proclaimed journalists – actually shills for one party or another – have actually become media stars.
Popular tastes being what they are in this country, the few broadcast media that are still objective – such as CNN - are experiencing pressure to become more opinionated, more “showtime,” more hip.
As for the print media, I see more and more reporters becoming, basically, "local" reporters, or "consumer" reporters...as "local" and "consumer" have become a mantra that's repeated ad nauseum by newspapers trying clumsily to adapt to a new world. I see journalists, who may have been correspondents or investigative reporters previously, now going "local"...or, often, becoming social network stars with huge online followings.
I'm one of those people who believes that a dearth of serious journalism - and journalists - is a grave threat to democracy. I just want to hear the news. I just want straight, objective, unbiased reporting of the news. Then I’ll make up my own mind as to where I stand on an issue. I don’t need to be shouted at.
Obviously, many of the news “models” in our country are changing; and based on the fact that many of their structures are unsustainable in this new world, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But I just hope that we don’t change into news models that are based purely on political agendas. Because that is the antithesis of those in a democracy.
There doesn’t seem to be much genuine (and unbiased) reporting of “news” anymore – because, these days, “news” seems to be defined by the political stance of the organization that’s reporting it. Broadcast “journalism” – especially on cable - is becoming just another forum in which self-righteous “reporters” create their own news from their own viewpoints, and then push it on their audiences…who are tuning in precisely because that particular station is reporting only the “news” they want to hear.
I see television stations becoming shills for whatever political party - and political positions - their corporate owners favor. (I mean, really, folks, no matter what your political leanings, should the word "News" really be used after the word "Fox"???) I see local TV anchors and reporters becoming "personalities" rather than serious journalists. And I see an unending procession of beautiful people - who are not necessarily serious journalists - parading across my screen during just about any news program I watch. And self-proclaimed journalists – actually shills for one party or another – have actually become media stars.
Popular tastes being what they are in this country, the few broadcast media that are still objective – such as CNN - are experiencing pressure to become more opinionated, more “showtime,” more hip.
As for the print media, I see more and more reporters becoming, basically, "local" reporters, or "consumer" reporters...as "local" and "consumer" have become a mantra that's repeated ad nauseum by newspapers trying clumsily to adapt to a new world. I see journalists, who may have been correspondents or investigative reporters previously, now going "local"...or, often, becoming social network stars with huge online followings.
I'm one of those people who believes that a dearth of serious journalism - and journalists - is a grave threat to democracy. I just want to hear the news. I just want straight, objective, unbiased reporting of the news. Then I’ll make up my own mind as to where I stand on an issue. I don’t need to be shouted at.
Obviously, many of the news “models” in our country are changing; and based on the fact that many of their structures are unsustainable in this new world, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But I just hope that we don’t change into news models that are based purely on political agendas. Because that is the antithesis of those in a democracy.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
I'M MAD AS HELL!
I’m mad as hell…and I’m not going to take it anymore!
If you can remember who said those words, you’re not a kid anymore. (It was Peter Finch, in the classic seventies movie, “Network.”) As I recall, Finch’s character was fed up with humanity, fed up with network news, fed up with plastic people (and “entertainment” news approaches), etc., etc. So – if I recall correctly – he went over to a window in the high-rise where his station was headquartered, and bellowed out that famous cry at the top of his lungs.
It’s thirty years later. But I have to admit that sometimes I’m so fed up with some of the practices in my own profession that I feel like doing the same thing Peter Finch did. (Except that today, we’re assaulted by such a constant cacophony of noise that probably no one would hear me yelling.)
I, obviously, meet a lot of PR people, from new graduates to old veterans. The new graduates can be forgiven their ignorance about what constitutes effective PR; they’ve never had the chance to see for themselves. But I have a hard-time dealing with veteran PR people who still cling to the old, outdated ways…basically, old-time release-mongers. And, unfortunately, these dinosaurs are often the ones lecturing the new graduates on the “real world.”
I have a lot of Public Relations “Principles” (too many, say some of the people whom I constantly bombard with them!) And, even though the technology, the marketing environment, etc, have changed, these ten constants, I believe, haven’t:
1) Target your pitches! No shotgun approaches!
2) If you want to piss off a journalist (who, these days, is probably doing the job of three people), send him a proposal totally unrelated to his beat.
3) LEARN HOW TO WRITE! LEARN HOW TO WRITE! LEARN HOW TO WRITE!
4) Next step: Learn how to write effective business communications...which is a lot different than just learning how to write.
5) Learn the concept of a pitch (strategy, tactic, campaign, etc.) that benefits the person to whom you're pitching as well as your client (internal or external).
6) Effective public "relations" is all about establishing relationships. And nurturing them.
7) Read...everything!
8) Become a resource for the media...not only a pitchman.
9) Realize that your client's (or company's) story may seem "great" to them...but that it might not seem that way to the media. And - this is a huge challenge, I know - try to get them to understand that.
10) Try to get your client (or company) to understand that effective public relations takes a long-term approach, not a short-term, shotgun, toss-mud-against-the-wall-and-see-how-much-of-it-sticks approach.
I could go on and on...but (no cheers, folks!) I'll stop here. But I'll add one thing...and this last “constant” is liable to piss off some of the old-school folks: TELL THE TRUTH!!! One story that results from telling the truth is better than ten that result from a lie. Because, sooner or later, the lie will catch up with the company or the client on whose behalf you’re telling the story. And then it will catch up to you.
And, when that happens, it’s the equivalent of going to the window and throwing it open. With one difference - professionally, you may as well jump.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
If you can remember who said those words, you’re not a kid anymore. (It was Peter Finch, in the classic seventies movie, “Network.”) As I recall, Finch’s character was fed up with humanity, fed up with network news, fed up with plastic people (and “entertainment” news approaches), etc., etc. So – if I recall correctly – he went over to a window in the high-rise where his station was headquartered, and bellowed out that famous cry at the top of his lungs.
It’s thirty years later. But I have to admit that sometimes I’m so fed up with some of the practices in my own profession that I feel like doing the same thing Peter Finch did. (Except that today, we’re assaulted by such a constant cacophony of noise that probably no one would hear me yelling.)
I, obviously, meet a lot of PR people, from new graduates to old veterans. The new graduates can be forgiven their ignorance about what constitutes effective PR; they’ve never had the chance to see for themselves. But I have a hard-time dealing with veteran PR people who still cling to the old, outdated ways…basically, old-time release-mongers. And, unfortunately, these dinosaurs are often the ones lecturing the new graduates on the “real world.”
I have a lot of Public Relations “Principles” (too many, say some of the people whom I constantly bombard with them!) And, even though the technology, the marketing environment, etc, have changed, these ten constants, I believe, haven’t:
1) Target your pitches! No shotgun approaches!
2) If you want to piss off a journalist (who, these days, is probably doing the job of three people), send him a proposal totally unrelated to his beat.
3) LEARN HOW TO WRITE! LEARN HOW TO WRITE! LEARN HOW TO WRITE!
4) Next step: Learn how to write effective business communications...which is a lot different than just learning how to write.
5) Learn the concept of a pitch (strategy, tactic, campaign, etc.) that benefits the person to whom you're pitching as well as your client (internal or external).
6) Effective public "relations" is all about establishing relationships. And nurturing them.
7) Read...everything!
8) Become a resource for the media...not only a pitchman.
9) Realize that your client's (or company's) story may seem "great" to them...but that it might not seem that way to the media. And - this is a huge challenge, I know - try to get them to understand that.
10) Try to get your client (or company) to understand that effective public relations takes a long-term approach, not a short-term, shotgun, toss-mud-against-the-wall-and-see-how-much-of-it-sticks approach.
I could go on and on...but (no cheers, folks!) I'll stop here. But I'll add one thing...and this last “constant” is liable to piss off some of the old-school folks: TELL THE TRUTH!!! One story that results from telling the truth is better than ten that result from a lie. Because, sooner or later, the lie will catch up with the company or the client on whose behalf you’re telling the story. And then it will catch up to you.
And, when that happens, it’s the equivalent of going to the window and throwing it open. With one difference - professionally, you may as well jump.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Sunday, July 26, 2009
I'M UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE WORD "PITCHING"
I DON'T LIKE THE WORD “PITCHING!”
By Steve Winston
www.winstoncommunications.com
Sometimes I think we demean our profession – and ourselves – when we use the word “pitching.” And I think that's particularly true these days, when there are more self-centered voices than ever screaming for attention from the precious few journalists who still have jobs.
Maybe it’s because I started out as a reporter…and I still vividly recall those 3 a.m. calls from the City Desk to run out to the scene of a murder or a fire or a tornado or an alligator attack (I live in South Florida). And maybe it’s because I still recall being pretty much the only one driving on the dark roads at that hour of the morning…and the awesome responsibility I felt about providing accurate and insightful coverage for my readers.
I’ve now been in PR and marketing for twenty years. And – although I, too, am sometimes guilty of using the term “pitching” – I’m very uncomfortable with it. That’s because - probably due to my background – I tend to view journalists as partners. I respect the work they do. I respect their needs. I respect that “awesome responsibility” that most of them, believe it or not, still feel. And I don’t see them as faceless enablers whom I should try to manipulate into publishing something about how wonderful my clients are.
I see myself as being in symbiotic relationships with them; relationships in which the back-scratching doesn’t only go one way. I believe that if I help them, they’ll help me. And it’s worked.
I’ve been telling clients for years: When pitching the media, it's not about how great you are...it's about how we can address our own needs by addressing the journalist’s. How we can serve as a resource for them, and for their readers. How we can provide their readers - after all, it's the readers who are the end-users - with actionable or interesting information they can apply to their daily lives.
Every so often, if you're lucky, you get a client who understands. Unfortunately, though, one of the curses of our industry is that many clients seem to think that the media is simply dying to write about their company...and that it will happen if you keep "pitching" them enough. And many clients, no matter how hard you try to educate them, still believe in the old-fashioned "pitch" - where you just keep throwing mud against the wall and hope some of it sticks.
Wake up, PR people!! Now that there are fewer journalists than ever before - and now that most of them are doing the work of two or three people - we need to help them if we want coverage for our clients!
We need to think strategically. We need to educate our clients as to what's now going on in the real world, and as to reasonable expectations. We need to think of ourselves as a resource for the media...not as shills for clients who simply don't get it (and probably never will).
And, certainly, once this recession is over and we’re all less desperate, we need to start seeking out clients who "get it." And we need to get it, as well…if we do business with toxic clients who view us only as pitching-machines, our own reputations can be poisoned.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
By Steve Winston
www.winstoncommunications.com
Sometimes I think we demean our profession – and ourselves – when we use the word “pitching.” And I think that's particularly true these days, when there are more self-centered voices than ever screaming for attention from the precious few journalists who still have jobs.
Maybe it’s because I started out as a reporter…and I still vividly recall those 3 a.m. calls from the City Desk to run out to the scene of a murder or a fire or a tornado or an alligator attack (I live in South Florida). And maybe it’s because I still recall being pretty much the only one driving on the dark roads at that hour of the morning…and the awesome responsibility I felt about providing accurate and insightful coverage for my readers.
I’ve now been in PR and marketing for twenty years. And – although I, too, am sometimes guilty of using the term “pitching” – I’m very uncomfortable with it. That’s because - probably due to my background – I tend to view journalists as partners. I respect the work they do. I respect their needs. I respect that “awesome responsibility” that most of them, believe it or not, still feel. And I don’t see them as faceless enablers whom I should try to manipulate into publishing something about how wonderful my clients are.
I see myself as being in symbiotic relationships with them; relationships in which the back-scratching doesn’t only go one way. I believe that if I help them, they’ll help me. And it’s worked.
I’ve been telling clients for years: When pitching the media, it's not about how great you are...it's about how we can address our own needs by addressing the journalist’s. How we can serve as a resource for them, and for their readers. How we can provide their readers - after all, it's the readers who are the end-users - with actionable or interesting information they can apply to their daily lives.
Every so often, if you're lucky, you get a client who understands. Unfortunately, though, one of the curses of our industry is that many clients seem to think that the media is simply dying to write about their company...and that it will happen if you keep "pitching" them enough. And many clients, no matter how hard you try to educate them, still believe in the old-fashioned "pitch" - where you just keep throwing mud against the wall and hope some of it sticks.
Wake up, PR people!! Now that there are fewer journalists than ever before - and now that most of them are doing the work of two or three people - we need to help them if we want coverage for our clients!
We need to think strategically. We need to educate our clients as to what's now going on in the real world, and as to reasonable expectations. We need to think of ourselves as a resource for the media...not as shills for clients who simply don't get it (and probably never will).
And, certainly, once this recession is over and we’re all less desperate, we need to start seeking out clients who "get it." And we need to get it, as well…if we do business with toxic clients who view us only as pitching-machines, our own reputations can be poisoned.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Thursday, July 2, 2009
THE NEW RULES OF THE GAME
The rules for media relations success - even in this economy, and even with a rapidly-shrinking media base - are so simple that they bear repeating:
TARGET your media.
TARGET your journalist.
TARGET your pitch.
TARGET how you can become an ongoing resource for the media, rather than a pain-in-the-ass shill for your client or company.
People...the rules have changed! "Pitchmen" (or women) who specialize in pushing a button and sending out the same release to hundreds of media (no matter what their demographics, their slant, etc.) have gone the way of the dinosaur. "Output" artists who just throw a bunch of mud (hundreds - or thousands - of releases) against the wall and hope that some of it sticks are no longer welcome in journalists' inboxes.
There aren't many journalists left to "pitch" these days, of course. Recently, a good friend of mine was laid off after 22 years as an Editor at a major daily. A few months earlier, he had mentioned to me that there were so few people left in the newsroom that you could roll a bowling ball across it and not hit anyone. And that you practically had to shout across the room to converse with any other journalists.
In this new world, if we don't help journalists do their job, they're not going to help us do ours (generate coverage)! And if that becomes the case, our own offices are going to look like newsrooms do today - empty.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
TARGET your media.
TARGET your journalist.
TARGET your pitch.
TARGET how you can become an ongoing resource for the media, rather than a pain-in-the-ass shill for your client or company.
People...the rules have changed! "Pitchmen" (or women) who specialize in pushing a button and sending out the same release to hundreds of media (no matter what their demographics, their slant, etc.) have gone the way of the dinosaur. "Output" artists who just throw a bunch of mud (hundreds - or thousands - of releases) against the wall and hope that some of it sticks are no longer welcome in journalists' inboxes.
There aren't many journalists left to "pitch" these days, of course. Recently, a good friend of mine was laid off after 22 years as an Editor at a major daily. A few months earlier, he had mentioned to me that there were so few people left in the newsroom that you could roll a bowling ball across it and not hit anyone. And that you practically had to shout across the room to converse with any other journalists.
In this new world, if we don't help journalists do their job, they're not going to help us do ours (generate coverage)! And if that becomes the case, our own offices are going to look like newsrooms do today - empty.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
THE REBIRTH OF PUBLIC RELATIONS!
We in the public relations profession have the chance to change the world…at least, the world of public relations.
There are some - from our profession and others - who post online about the "death of PR." Or, "the death of PR as we know it."
But I believe differently. Yes...PR is changing. And we have to change with it. But, really, the way I think about our profession is that...it's the re-birth of PR! We have a golden opportunity. We have the opportunity to dispel the old myths - and the old ways of practicing PR. We have the opportunity to ease the release-tossers (throw mud against the wall, and see how much of it sticks) and the "shills" out of our industry, once and for all. The way we can do this is simple: Practice public relations the way it's supposed to be practiced. With honesty. Ethics. Candor to our clients - and our potential clients - about what works and what doesn't, and about whether we actually have a snowball's chance in hell, or not, to really generate positive buzz about their products or services.
We have a chance to dispel all the old myths...I still occasionally meet people who think that my job entails attending a lot of cocktail parties on fancy yachts.
We have a chance to take our profession to new levels...by approaching journalists as of they are real, thinking, human beings. We have a chance to understand that, no matter how wonderful our client thinks his product is, unless it can actually help the journalist's readers improve their professional or personal lives, it's not going to generate publicity. We have a chance to talk about the BENEFITS (to real human beings) about our client's products or services, rather than just the features.
We have the opportunity to "take our case to the people," by learning and engaging in new ways to communicate, whether it be by social media, video, etc.
We have the opportunity, because of the multiple avenues available to us, to learn more about the art of effective communication than ever before. We have the opportunity to learn more than ever before about "win/win" situations, with our clients, the media, and lour clients' stakeholders. We have the opportunity to really learn from people who "get it"...now, more than ever, in online forums and webinars. And we have the opportunity - if we choose it - to learn more about the craft of effective writing, which, I believe, is still one of the core competencies required of an effective PR practitioner.
I could go on and on. But my bottom line is this: for those of us who are honest, who are persistent, who are good writers and good relationship-builders, who are open to new forms of communication, and who are dedicated to constantly improving at their craft - this can be THE RE-BIRTH OF PUBLIC RELATIONS!
And hopefully this group can serve as a catalyst to usher in this new era.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
There are some - from our profession and others - who post online about the "death of PR." Or, "the death of PR as we know it."
But I believe differently. Yes...PR is changing. And we have to change with it. But, really, the way I think about our profession is that...it's the re-birth of PR! We have a golden opportunity. We have the opportunity to dispel the old myths - and the old ways of practicing PR. We have the opportunity to ease the release-tossers (throw mud against the wall, and see how much of it sticks) and the "shills" out of our industry, once and for all. The way we can do this is simple: Practice public relations the way it's supposed to be practiced. With honesty. Ethics. Candor to our clients - and our potential clients - about what works and what doesn't, and about whether we actually have a snowball's chance in hell, or not, to really generate positive buzz about their products or services.
We have a chance to dispel all the old myths...I still occasionally meet people who think that my job entails attending a lot of cocktail parties on fancy yachts.
We have a chance to take our profession to new levels...by approaching journalists as of they are real, thinking, human beings. We have a chance to understand that, no matter how wonderful our client thinks his product is, unless it can actually help the journalist's readers improve their professional or personal lives, it's not going to generate publicity. We have a chance to talk about the BENEFITS (to real human beings) about our client's products or services, rather than just the features.
We have the opportunity to "take our case to the people," by learning and engaging in new ways to communicate, whether it be by social media, video, etc.
We have the opportunity, because of the multiple avenues available to us, to learn more about the art of effective communication than ever before. We have the opportunity to learn more than ever before about "win/win" situations, with our clients, the media, and lour clients' stakeholders. We have the opportunity to really learn from people who "get it"...now, more than ever, in online forums and webinars. And we have the opportunity - if we choose it - to learn more about the craft of effective writing, which, I believe, is still one of the core competencies required of an effective PR practitioner.
I could go on and on. But my bottom line is this: for those of us who are honest, who are persistent, who are good writers and good relationship-builders, who are open to new forms of communication, and who are dedicated to constantly improving at their craft - this can be THE RE-BIRTH OF PUBLIC RELATIONS!
And hopefully this group can serve as a catalyst to usher in this new era.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
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