For gawd's sake...check a journalist's details
I’m writing this from Boca De Agua in Bacalar in Yucatan, Mexico. This jungle retreat is sustainable luxe (my room is about $750 a night) with guesting stay high up in treehouses with pools. As yet another freelance journalist with money woes, it is (of course), out of my budget but luckily it's a work gig so I have the opportunity to see how the other half live. And I'm probably the first person to walk through the doors with a dusty old backpack. After almost a month in Mexico, I'm finally bidding adios for a short while from tomorrow as I travel through Belize. Any tips welcome.
The latest Buzzstream State of Digital PR report is out and I thought it was interesting to see how many (61%) PRs said the main challenge in building their media lists was information was outdated or incorrect. I know journalists move around but if these media list companies are charging thousands, I don't know why they can't keep them up to date. The next question asked if a PR verifies a journalist’s fit by looking at their recent articles almost a third (31%) said sometimes, while when the same question was asked about their bio, 36% said they only did it sometimes.
Unless I know for certain the Money editor I want to pitch at the Independent is in fact the Money editor, then I always need to verify details. I do this by visiting the website they work at. If this isn't clear, I also check out social media profiles. I know the report indicates that many PRs are indeed doing a thorough job and checking details and making sure their pitches reach the right person, there are many out there that are just winging it (I can’t tell you how many column pitches I’ve received and generally how many irrelevant emails land in my inbox). Like us journalists, we need to check the right in-house editor's details to make sure we our story ideas land correctly. Not doing so can lead to so many emails coming through that are irrelevant and are a waste of everyone’s time. More information on the report here.