My first radio package

It’s been a long-held dream of mine to work in radio, and to create my own radio packages from overseas was probably beyond what I thought was possible.

I’d tried - and failed - at pitching radio shows over the years. They'd like my ideas but to them I was just a random person, even though I've worked as a journalist for 15 years and write for BBC Online. But as soon as I walked into the BBC building in Manchester in June having started a freelance producer role, opportunities jumped out. Within an hour or two I was chatting to a BBC World Service editor who’d seen my Amsterdam circular economy piece online and asked for story ideas. I pitched him a day or two later. This BBC World Service package on one of my favourite subjects - sustainability (and travel, so make that two) - is the result.

The package, which broadcast about a week ago, featured on a programme called The Newsroom; it was supposed to feature on another show for starters but apparently this non-business programme nabbed it first, which my editor was super pleased about as it’s a “massive” programme). I'll be finding out more about the programme when I freelance at BBC World Service in Manchester over the next few months.

The three-plus minutes may sound easy but there were hours and hours of work involved as unbeknown to me at first, the reporter actually produces it too, injecting sound and editing it into shape (with final edits by the editor). A huge learning curve and hopefully just the start of this side of my radio career.

Here’s a link just in case you’d like to hear my radio voice.

Why we can't respond to every email

Emails. They’re the bane of our lives, aren’t they? I’m not sure how you manage your inbox but for most journalists there’s always a never-ending trail of messages hurtling through at a faster pace than you can ever manage to read them. Probably the same for anyone who works on a laptop.

Now as much as I try to instill kindness and doing good in this world, I will say that for many journalists, it is impossible to reply to every email. Now I had someone pop into my LinkedIn messages disagreeing with me on this recently, arguing that they themselves were a boss, managing a large number of people and juggling lots of various gigs, but they still replied to every email. Good on them. And while I try to respond to personalised emails (rather than generic press releases and pitches that have just swapped a another hack’s name for mine), I know that when you’re on a news desk – when you’re working fast and furiously, focused on that story, building on it, calling sources, meeting people, trying another case study after one just pulled out…while at the same time juggling 12 different stories, as well as perhaps inputting them the system, training the new member of staff, heading to Brussels for a conference and attending yet another internal meeting, it's an impossible task.

I know some people will still argue that we should then continue working till 9pm till we do respond, but I disagree. Instead stories and sources are a priority and producing that TV report for the 7pm news or working on that front page. By the time you want to reply to those emails another 1000 might have come through the inbox. So it’s a trade off: do you want brilliant journalism or someone with a damn good email etiquette?

I hope you understand. We’re not terrible people (most of us anyway) and in an ideal world we’d reply to every email, but the nature of the game means it’s overwhelming (it doesn’t help that our inboxes are often overflowing with irrelevant stories) and impossible without impacting our work or our personal lives.

Thanks for reading,

Susie

Are You Making Journalists Jump Through Hoops?

One of the most common questions in my workshops is how to build relationships with journalists. Key to that is simply being great at your job. For instance, here's not to do it:

Recently I sent an email to an in-house PR recently asking if more people had joined said organisation as a result of the pandemic or environmental issues. Instead of explaining in a line or two she sent me a link to the company's latest report- which I had to fill in a form to download and tick to accept to receive further correspondence from them and be added to the mailing list (there was no way round this so I emailed her back just asking for the report as an attachment). I then read the report which highlighted that membership had increased but within the stats there was no explanation as to why. I had to then go back to ask if they thought it was down to those two reasons, and she replied asking how much time she could have to respond.

A very weird dialogue. You'd expect the PR manager of such organisation to be able to just share anecdotally rather than sending you to a form and then pointing you in direction of a report which failed to answer questions. I simply wanted to know if the query was correct so I could inform my editor.

I'm still waiting for answer to a simple question.

I mention this as how you work with journalists means everything. Creating an easy and simple dialogue and answering questions quickly, means we would want to work with you again. Extending the process out, being uninformed (I wasn't looking for a quote) tells the journalists that is going to be hard work.

It also highlighted how much I appreciate it when I work with on-the-ball PRs and businesses. So thank you to all you out there that make our lives so much easier.

Thanks

Susie

How Not To Handle Phone Calls

Photo by Annie Spratt

Hi everyone
 

Hope you're well.

Firstly, thank you so much for your kind messages and support after my last email. Many of you shared your own personal experiences of brain fog and fatigue, showing clearly that there's definitely a kind of pandemic burnout hanging over us. Or indeed, long Covid.

I've wanted to talk about phone calls for a while. I was prompted to cover the subject earlier in the week after a PR left me a voice message. Now I know cold pitching is god damn hard, never mind when you're trying to sell in a story over the phone and I note it's often the younger PRs encouraged to do this. Now in the most recent voicemail left by a PR I couldn't even tell you what she said, who she was, or where she was calling from. She clearly wanted to get the call over and done as soon as possible, but it just left her message completely incomprehensible. 

Another thing to be beware of is the length of the voicemail. Often I have messages from PRs that are three minutes long. THREE MINUTES. No one should leave a voice message that long. And often what I'm hearing is a whole press release being read out to me. "Hi Susie, I'm calling from x. Our client is launching a new solutions tool to create the perfect hybrid office." I know many experienced PRs don't do this, but just to say, please don't come across as robotic or as if you're reading from a press release. If you need to leave a voice message pitching in a story, and to be honest, no one really does for me (I don't work on a news desk), make it brief, interesting, and get to the point quickly: why should I be writing about it?

Have a great rest of the week.

Thanks

Susie

When You Shouldn't Email A Journalist

Photo by Brooke Cagle

It can happen at 9pm on a Friday night. 12pm on a Sunday. 4pm on a Saturday. What's happening at these leisurely and sociable hours, you might ask? Yoga? Drinking with pals? That might indeed be the case, but what I'm specifically referring to are emails from (some) PRs and founders landing in my inbox. A press release about a new flavour of popcorn. A campaign that's about to launch. Perhaps a guest post pitch. These aren't stories for the national news desks who need solid news trickling through on a weekend. These are emails that can definitely wait until working hours. (They're also mainly irrelevant for me, but that's another newsletter.)

Now, I'm not going to pretend that I haven't done this. I used to send emails at unsociable hours. I didn't have a 'send later' function on my email account, and I'm not sure I still do. With a slew of deadlines, I would work over weekends, contacting PRs and founders, firing over requests for interviews or more information. At the time, I didn't even question my behaviour. I thought it was completely fine. 

But over the past couple of years, I've reined this in. I realised I was feeding into a system we've created where we're 'on' all the time and never stop. Chained to our emails, when one pops up in your inbox you want to respond (or at least read). And that's what my former self and many others are doing: feeding into a workaholic culture when it's completely unnecessary. And so now I prepare and save emails in drafts, ready for the next working day.

I know it feels hypocritical to talk about this when journalists contact businesses at all kind of hours. Although when you're on a news desk, this is what you do. Obviously if you're already engaged in a dialogue with a journalist, fire your email off to them. Or set your own boundaries early with them. But for anyone sending out enquiries on a Saturday or a pitching a freelance journalist at 10pm, maybe think twice before you press send.

Have a lovely rest of the week.

Susie

It's celebration time

Photo by Erwan Hesry

Hi everyone,

I hope you're all very well.

Celebration time is in order as this newsletter turns one next week! What started as a last-minute decision to throw into the void a newsletter demystifying the journalism industry and helping businesses and PRs understand the media more in the midst of the pandemic in April 2020 has led to a regular newsletter with thousands of readers and heartwarming engagement stats to boot.

Over the course of the past year, I've covered subjects such as how to build stronger relationships with journalists, the devastating impact of the pandemic on the industry, pitching, racism in the media, my advice to a budding young journalist, an exclusive interview with former female prisoners in Myanmar, and so on. I hope it's proved a useful resource.

So what's next? I'm bouncing around a few ideas on where I'd like to take the newsletter which of course I'll keep you up to date with. What I would love to know is what subjects would you like covered in the next year?

Also, fingers crossed, I'm hoping to restart my face-to-face workshops in the autumn. I'd love to return to gallivanting around the UK (and further afield when the time feels right) and meeting some of you. Please let me know if you're part of a group in an area that would like me to hold a workshop. What would you love a webinar or workshop in? What are your press coverage struggles right now?

Finally, I wouldn't have continued this newsletter without you. Thank you so much for your support over the past year. Thank you for sharing the newsletter with others so it can reach a bigger audience (you can do that by sending people this link), for writing testimonials on my social media pages, and for your lovely emails. It is all so so much appreciated.

Thank you for reading and your continued support.

Enjoy the long Bank Holiday,

Susie

Please don't pitch us this way...

Hi everyone,

There it goes. Another DM flying into my Twitter inbox. And then hours later, another. Unfortunately, these aren't messages about prospective work gigs or DMs from past lovers. Instead, they're pitches from PRs and businesses. I look back at my Twitter profile to see where I mention that I'm open for pitches on the platform. I rewatch my webinars to try and find where I highlight this as a tip. I look at my website and see if a hacker has removed my email address. 

I'm being facetious and I know many brilliant PRs and founders would never dream of pitching through Twitter. But for some reason, my Twitter inbox is being increasingly deluged with pitches. As I write this, a Twitter DM comes in following up on a pitch sent to me on Twitter the evening before. I've also noted that increasingly PRs are responding to ResponseSource not through the media platform but via Twitter.

Unless a journalist has flagged up on their Twitter that they are open to tips/pitches through the platform, you know them, or you've heard through the grapevine that they're open to DMs, please refrain from jumping in Twitter inbox. I know we can be difficult to get hold of, but for me it's doesn't bode well for a strong relationship. Our email addresses tend to be easy to find. So please, stick to good old fashioned email.

Have a lovely rest of the week.
Thanks

Susie

My resources for helping you improve your press coverage:

You can watch my FREE Twitter webinar How to Tweet Your Way to Media Coverage (if you enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could share it on social media and any groups you're on).

Read my (free) How to Pitch to Journalists During Coronavirus and 17 Insider Tips On How to Pitch to Journalists During Coronavirus (just £5) ebooks.

Take my in-depth course Lessons from a Journalist: How to Secure Press Coverage - This is half price for anyone who has taken my workshop or webinar - just email me for the code.

Check out my pre-recorded webinars.

Organise a brainstorming session with a journalist, an overhaul of the copy on your website with a copywriter, or any other content such as blog posts or an award entry, through my network of professional writers.

Reserve a Power Hour with myself or another journalist.

Explore booking a PR for a short or long-term project. I have many I can recommend.

Is This The Right Way To Keep Journalism Alive?

Photo by brotiN biswaS

Hi everyone

There was much derision at Rolling Stone magazine's announcement offering people the chance to write for the magazine – for $2,000.

The magazine has set up Culture Council, "an exclusive community for visionary leaders" who, after passing a vetting process and stumping up an annual fee of $1,500 plus $500 upfront, will have the “opportunity to publish original content” to its website and become “thought leaders”.

Its website goes on to whip up interest by adding that such “thought leaders” would “join a vetted network of innovators in the multi-faceted entertainment industry who are doing inspiring work”, adding that “each member adds a unique vibe and perspective to the community”.

Each person will be able to set up a member profile, featuring their bio, company description, and areas of expertise.

Rolling (pun intended) my eyes at the nauseating copy, it goes on to say that these so-called thought leaders will “get direct access to a living, breathing think tank – a crucible for the visionaries of our time”.

With a feeling that now anyone can claim to write for Rolling Stone, critics are outraged. However Rolling Stone has insisted that people are vetted and it's created a dedicated editorial team to help polish the words that pass through its gates.

Does it weaken the Rolling Stone brand? Pimping out a slice of the well-regarded title to those with the biggest pockets probably may devalue it slightly in the eyes of its loyal readers, who may feel stung that only the rich amongst them can contribute to their favourite magazine. But from what I understand, it sits separately on the website and it should be clear that the articles haven't been penned by its in-house journalists or freelancers. This style of publishing is similar to Forbes’ membership councils where you have to pay to join.

While thought leadership posts are generally unpaid, paid-for content has been propping up publishing for years. Whether we pick up the Guardian or The Telegraph, chances are we'll see (clearly marked) branded content. 

In an ideal world our most valued newspapers and magazines would be free of advertising, and we'd listen to radio without hearing an annoying ad. But unfortunately journalism is underpaid and underfunded, and many publishers are on the cusp of going under. We saw popular music title Q magazine fold last year after 34 years. NME stopped printing after 66 years. Shortlist was axed.

Do we want our magazines to find new ways of survival if not enough people are willing to pay for journalism and advertising revenue isn't stacking up? 

 Have a lovely rest of the week,

Susie

Stop Before You Set Up This Kind Of Call With A Journalist

Photo by Nick Fewings

Hi everyone

How are you all muddling through January?

So another week, another Zoom invite. I'm rather fortunate that I've pretty fallen through the online video call cracks and unless I'm running a Power Hour, there's really no need for me to be jumping on Zoom. Phew. I can carry on conducting interviews by phone. Like we did pre-coronavirus.

However, I'm noticing that instead of just organising a phone interview, many PRs and business owners want to dive straight in for a Zoom call, often flinging it in the diary before confirming with the journalist.

One word: don't. (Ok, maybe that was two.)

Unless perhaps it's a celebrity interview, or the journalist would usually conduct the interview in person, it feels rather unnecessary to set up a Zoom call. Just because Zoom is now kind of ubiquitous with the pandemic, doesn't mean we need to be turning on the camera for every chat we have. Even for very short interviews, where I'm interviewing say one person for an article featuring seven others, I'll have founders and PRs throwing a Zoom invite in the calendar. 

I'm not the only journalist aghast when this happens; many other hacks have recoiled in horror when they see the meeting code spring up in their email. A phone call means we don't need to worry about scrubbing up or our underwear being on display in the background; we can focus on the interview instead.

When interviewing a founder recently, she started the call saying that she was so relieved I'd switched the proposed Zoom interview to a phone call. "It meant I didn't need to get out of this hammock," she laughed, speaking to me from somewhere far more tropical than the UK. 

So set up a phone call if that's what you would have done pre-pandemic. But otherwise stick to calls or just ask the journalist for their preferred format. 
 

Have a lovely rest of the week.

Thanks

Susie

Why you need to research which journalists you're pitching

Photo by Charisse Kenion

When you have a story you want to sell into the press, you'll need to work out which journalists to contact.

Don't just send it to anyone. I receive so many emails and DMs on LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram from founders and PRs who think that because I'm a journalist I'll write about them. This happens to pretty much every journalist. 📺 📻 🗞

You need to research which journalists your story might suit.

A journalist who specialises in tech? Women's issues? Education? Is your story one for the news or features desk?

Research who is writing about your/your client's competitors. Look on Google News. Buy magazines and newspapers, check out the various sections and look at the bylines to see who's writing about your industry. Pay for access to a media database.

But don't send a release off to - or contact - any journalist "just in case". Our inboxes are already bulging and it's not a great way to build relationships. It's also like contacting an electrician about a plumbing job.

If you're feeling a bit stuck on targeting and pitching journalists, my in-depth course Lessons from a Journalist: How to Secure Press Coverage covers this in more detail.

Don't Contact Journalists This Way

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Hi everyone

How do you feel about WhatsApp? Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with the platform. The upshot, of course, is that it's a brilliant way to quickly chat and ping pictures to friends and family, but on the other hand who doesn't get that sinking feeling when you're added to yet another group?

I bring up WhatsApp as the other day the founder of a business I'd featured in an article WhatsApped me at 6am. Yes, that's right. 6am. I'm just very grateful (for him and me) it didn't wake me up.

The founder had originally been in touch with me over email yet he caught my number at the bottom of my signature and started WhatsApping - asking about pictures, another time asking when the article would be published. I did say to him it would be better to email but still the messages came through.

There was never any reason to bring the conversation onto another (non-work) platform. But this isn't the first time this has happened. I'll often receive WhatsApp messages from PRs when the conversation should have stayed on email. I check my emails regularly enough (probably far too much) and in none of the cases has there ever warranted an urgent need to message me.

For me, and I believe most journalists would nod their heads in agreement on this, from a PR perspective WhatsApp isn't the right platform to converse with journalists on. That is what email is there for.

So my advice is: stick to email (if that wasn't clear enough). Unless a journalist wants you to WhatsApp them, you're pals with a journalist, or you're already working with them on something urgent and it's impossible to get through to them by all other means (and you've tried their email, calling and voicemail).

I know it's not always possible, but some people try to keep their work and personal life separate and jumping into their WhatsApp messages could be overstepping boundaries.

Have a great rest of the week.

Thanks
Susie

This Is The Most Common Question Asked In My Webinars

Photo by Mattias Diesel on Unsplash

Hi everyone

I hope you're managing as well as can be.

The number one question I'm now asked on my webinars or during one of my Power Hours is, “are journalists interested in non-coronavirus stories?” We can all understand why this is a popular question. The C-word continues to dominate the media. Whether it's news of another lockdown and the impact on our mental health or on businesses, or news of the latest changes to the furlough scheme or the self-employment grant, it's still the hottest topic across the globe. Of course, people still want to consume – and editors still want – stories related to Covid-19. Whether we like it or not, it remains the biggest news item worldwide.

However, there's still plenty of room for non-Covid stories. In recent days we've had the election, Johnny Depp losing his libel battle against The Sun and ex-wife Amber Heard, and Dominic West's tryst with Lily James making the front pages. But don't worry if you don't have an A-lister or a politician at hand to help you secure press coverage. When I recently pitched an editor with a few stories, including one related to Covid 19, he stressed that they were trying to keep the feature pages corona-free. With the news section still dominated by coronavirus pieces, the paper wanted to keep readers entertained and enlightened with other things going on in the world. I get it. Even as a journalist, there have been times when I can't face reading yet another story about Covid-19 and I do wonder how much we need a daily countdown of every country's rate of infection and number of deaths. 

Against all this doom and gloom, editors want positive story ideas landing in their inbox. In the past week, I've reported on two non-Covid and hopeful stories. For the i, I wrote about the people committed to giving away a substantial amount of their income to effective charities whilst I covered the rise of bartering and sharing economy for the Guardian.

If you look hard enough, you'll see positive stories everywhere (and pitching positive stories is just one of the pieces of advice in my 17 Insider Tips On How to Pitch Journalists During Coronavirus - now just £5 from £19.99 originally). Now as the UK enters Lockdown: The Sequel, it's still as relevant as ever.

Have a great rest of the week,

Susie

Want To Find Out About My New Launch?

Hi everyone

Some news: I've launched a Power Hour service –  a short yet informative online consultancy session.

During a Power Hour, you'll get the chance to ask any burning questions you have about approaching journalists, building relationships with the press, or any other gripping issue related to journalism or PR that you may have.

There's more information here, but feel free to email any questions you have.

And if I feel there's another journalist who is best placed to help you, I'll be able to direct you to some of the best in the business. 

Thanks
Susie

One Small Way To Build Relationships With Journalists Right Now

Hi everyone

Just a quick newsletter as I write this from the picturesque moors outside of Conwy in north Wales where I'm wild camping for the night.

I know many people are wondering how to build relationships with journalists during these strange times, given the opportunity for face-to-face contact has fallen off a cliff since start of the pandemic.

But you don't need to have had coffee after coffee or cocktail after cocktail with a journalist to consider yourselves to have a strong relationship. There are many people working in comms and founders of businesses that I have a great relationship with – and are my go-to for case studies and experts – who I have never met in person. How to achieve that features heavily in my course and webinars but I'll just give a recent example of how you can slowly get on that path.

After an article I wrote appeared in the Guardian on Saturday, one of the people I featured emailed me first thing in the morning to thank me for including him, telling me he was thrilled with being included and had shared the piece with his family. It obviously meant a lot for him to be in the paper and him sharing how it had made his day was a lovely way to start the morning, especially as the van we had hired had broken down on Junction 21 of the M1 the night before, leaving us stranded on the emergency lane for three hours. That's another story. But the expert's kind words and obvious gratitude to email me first thing on Saturday highlights how relationships can be started and nurtured even in this digital age by a simple and easy 'thank you'.

Enjoy the rest of the week and the upcoming weekend,

Susie