What the Western Morning News needs from you!

A few months ago I was in the Western Morning News with a group of other PRs, talking with the paper’s editor.

A colleague, Sue Bradbury, commented on how difficult it was to get coverage for small businesses. Couldn’t they have a dedicated page? “Great idea!” said Alan. And the rest is history. 

For small Westcountry businesses wanting to get regional exposure about new developments, this is brilliant.

So what are they looking for? The text from an email sent to me from the WMN's deputy Business Ed, Catherine Barnes, may help you.

I’d asked Catherine whether she liked the current fashion for packaging press releases into pretty email templates. Her response, as was every other journalist’s was: “God, No!” And then she added…

BUT A GREAT PICTURE ALWAYS HELPS- ESPECIALLY IF IT IS AVAILABLE HI-RES AND IN FOCUS!

When sending emails:  A nice, clear type font is good- don’t make them too ‘busy’.

A readable format:  

Sum up the story’s main message in sentence- or two.

Further information:

Tell us:

The name of the company and where it is based (town, please- as we are a regional paper, so Devon/Cornwall is too vague.)

The role of the spokesperson and/ or  subject the item is focused upon

When the event happened- or is set to take place

When was the business established and how many employees does it have?

Avoid jargon and any acronyms should be initially  accompanied by words they stand for, in full.

Useful daytime contact numbers- preferably the client’s- we like to get the story down, in our own words.

Please try to ensure that the client (and you!) will be available if we follow up; I’ve been taken aback by the number of people who appear to head off on holiday the moment they press ’send’.

For business news, please include figures if possible, when referring to growth, or investment, figures. If an exact sum cannot be disclosed, then a percentage increase from the previous year/month is a good indicator.

*The Western Morning News  SME  Business News page now runs on the last Monday of every month and will provide you with the best idea of all, in terms of how we deliver our content.

*WMN business pages also run daily, Tues-Sat, with our extended supplement on a Thursday and special supplements covering Green innovation, local business growth appearing at various dates throughout the year. Again, you can keep in touch with what we – and the businesses we cover- are doing, by reading the paper- and encouraging your clients to do the same!

As Catherine said - Hope this unsolicited feedback is of use!

A picture is worth a thousands words

Image is king. Websites and social media all demand instant eye candy. These days even radio stations need art.

If you can provide a good photo then your story is likely to be bigger, better placed and more widely read. Even camera phones can now provide print-quality pix so there really is no excuse not to.

Don’t be intimidated into thinking you need to provide the shot of the year. Picture editors basically need four things:

1.     Make sure your subjects are in focus

2.     Make sure the shots are high res

3.     As a rule don’t provide black and white shots

4.     The picture must tell the story – provide a short caption with names so they know what it is about.

More and more pictures are now contributed rather than commissioned. Editors will be grateful for your help if you give them what they need.

©Claire Crawley StartPoint PR 2012

The five words every hack loves to hear

If you want media coverage there are five little words that will help grab your key journalists' attention.

The Who, What, Where, When and Why are the essential elements of every news story. 

They need them. You need to given them.  

Who                – the source of the story. Is it you? Make that clear.

What               – you’ve won an award, achieved record sales – this is the crux of the story.

Where             – has your story happened? Are you the best in the South West or just in Torquay? Make sure if you give a location you also give the county or region. 

When              – You need to show why your story is current news. The sooner you tell them the more newsworthy you are.

Why                – What led to this event? What makes it a problem? What made the award winners stand out? What makes your story interesting?

Now you need to practice.

First of all, scan a newspaper and identify the five W of each story. You will almost always find them all in the first two sentences of an article. Once you are used to looking for them you will see how easy it is to include them. 

Next, try summarising your own news in a couple of lines. When you’re confident you can explain your story clearly and quickly you’re ready to call the news hounds.

Ready? Go for it!

© Claire Crawley StartPoint PR 2012 

PR Tip of the Week - Getting to grips with media deadlines

Newspapers may thrive off their ‘Hold the Front Page’ image but in reality their contents are planned early.

If you want to maximise your chances of good coverage in the next paper then don’t wait until the last minute to give them your story.

Weekly editions are best contacted a day or two after the last issue has come out. Dailies have usually filled the paper well before lunchtime.

If you are planning a big announcement but need to keep the details under wraps, at least give the journalists some advance notice so they can save you a space.

If you are hoping to appear in a specific section, such at What’s On or Business, these may need even more time. Often there are queues of stories waiting to go in.

Longest lead times of all are for magazines. Many national publications are prepared six months before the issue date and they don’t welcome last minute changes. 

If you are still unsure and it is really important to get yours in for a specific then appears in a specific day and no other, call your target media and ask their advice. They are usually happy to give it.  Good luck!

For suggestions on how to make sure your news is a good enough story please see my earlier blog post.

© Claire Crawley 2012 - please don't reproduce any material on the start point website without my permission