If you want journos’ attention send us free stuff, PRs are told

My opinion: Sending journos gifts is one way, but not the best way, to get their attention 🙂

The best way is extremely simple: read their articles and those of the broader publication they work for, and work out exactly what sorts of information they like to publish. Then do your utmost to send them this sort of information, honestly and in an upfront and simple way.

Gifts are just window-dressing and many of them end up in the bin.

There is also the fact that many journos are not allowed to accept gifts above a certain value due to ethical concerns.

Cheers,

Renai LeMay
News Editor
ZDNet.com.au

Print continues to reassure that they’re handling the online paradigm shift intelligently!

Go to all the PR seminars and panels you like, but you won’t get better advice than Renai’s comment.

If you don’t want to do the hard work of reading journalists, go with gimmicks and giveaways – but you won’t fly above the pack.

Who doesn’t like a gift? When they are a value add to already valuable information and when a PR has done their homework re the individual journalist and media outlet they work for, gifts are the perfect treat. I love giving pressies that are eye catching and may just help a relationship develop but PRs must remember that gifts only mean something when nothing is expected in return and it is, in fact, a gift.

The pitch does need to be relevant, but if you’re competing with a range of other similar stories a novelty item will definitely give you the edge.
Especially if it’s something for the desk, a visual reminder will often encourage follow-up stories and ongoing coverage.
But if the contact is slow with responses, unpleasant on the phone or unable to recognise the brief of the outlet, those factors will outweigh any gift, any time,
Jenna Daroczy
Journalist
Bayside Bulletin/Redland Times
Ps – Yes, the desk is looking a bit bare at the moment…

On its way, Simon.

Having worked in the media in a previous life, I never accepted anything from an organisation or company. In that way, I was never compromised and could write freely without having to watch my back. I also slept better at night.

Sounds like the old days of Contra is coming back….and who says there’s no credibility in journalism any more?!?!??!

And in breaking news, bears found to be defecating in woods…

Murky, murky waters. Maybe I am taking this too seriously, but gifts are the thin edge of bribery. Just ask the police. If you have a ‘product’ that is good enough, it will sell. Journos who advocate gifts for coverage are digging their profession’s (and its reputation’s) grave. Ethics, anyone?

Does that mean PRs can ask for gifts in return for helping out journos needing info, spokespeople, case studies, facts/stats? 😉

Also in breaking news, the Pope is apparently Catholic.

So this is what we’re teaching young PRs these days? Whatever happened to perfecting the art of media pitching and working hard to develop a relationship with a journo. Know the publication you’re pitching to, understand what constitutes a good story. I think this ‘send us gifts’ idea undermines both the credibility of journalists and PRs.

Build your credibility as a PR on the value you provide to media through newsworthy stories and being quick and responsive to requests. Not rocket science.

Pope’s found to be catholic….

Renai is pretty spot on.
I work at a large regional newspaper and I can tell you now, if it doesn’t relate directly to our audience, we won’t run it. None of our papers will… I occassionally get quirky material that is re-written to include our region… It grabs my attention, even if it is something relating to a big city.

I also give preference to my “nice” PR’s… The ones I have built a relationship with. They’re the ones I can call on the day of publication and get pics or prices or whatever I need at a moments notice.

And finally – gifts are great, they don’t have to be big, often funny quirky and crazy gifts are the best by far. I was sent a stuffed toy months ago now, who’s been up and down this office and everyone loves him. He still does the rounds getting hugs… However, the egg cooking toaster also got a giant roar of approval from all staff.

Ethics…does that exist in a jornos vocabulary or spell check?

Come on, there have to be some perks to being a journalist and getting the occasional gift – concert/theatre/cinema/sports game ticket, posh lunch, yacht trip, or even the actual product you are pushing isn’t so outrageous!

Just don’t expect media coverage in return. I do believe that it can help to build relationships with individual media contacts and I’m sure most media would like the practice to continue.

forget PR, its a waste of time for most occasions – the way to get the medias attention is to book advertising! that way, you control your message, the media outlet makes money and can survive and both parties win!

Journalists will only cover what is of interest to them and to their readers, and with pr, you can never guarantee that a story will go the way you want… if you want positive and guaranteed coverage, buy an advert space, and write your own copy! funnily enough – the general public DO pay attention to ads if they are clever and interesting!!!

rofl love the comment from Sean.

*seconded*

Renai

And TV stations have never indulged in Cheque Book Journalism. Ha

This article is nothing short of ignoble!

integrity, ha.
who has it?
PR companies charge a fortune, then waste it all on gifts that go in the bin. In my view most over promise and under deliver.
It comes back to a simple equation – content. if it’s worth talking about people will publish it.

Personally I never feel obliged to write anything as a result of being given a gift/freebie but they’re always welcome, just like the birthday flowers I received from a PR agency today 😉

Lol…. pick the advertising geek anyone?

Audiences listen to advertising? Come on, can anyone here remember the last ad they saw in a newspaper, you just flick over them because they are crap!

What this story says, is that gifts get cut through, but nothing beats a good story. If you have a good story, you will get attention, regardless of your personal relationship.

Dave

This comment thread is starting to smell a bit evil.

If journalists want to be respected they should refuse gifts – simple!
However they tend to slag PR’s while they happily open their hand to gifts.

This is gold – so what would the journalists out there like us to do about obtaining them discount for products they want to buy? By some of this thread’s logic, it falls in to the same category as “bribe”.

But it really comes down to definition – some particpants in the wider Mumbrella readership readily accept “long-term loan” products, and many often “lose” them. But no, they won’t accept a “gift”.

Kudos to those (i.e. Jen B) who openly acknowledge that gifts are not a precursor to coverage, and accept them in the spirit that they are given.

Is everyone forgetting that if you’re flogging a product, it might actually help if the journo has actually seen/tasted/played with said product?

We’re not just sending you things for the fun of it. We’re sending it to you so you have a realistic understanding of what it is we’re promoting.

As far as gifts go, human beings love to be acknowledged. If we send you flowers on your birthday, it’s because we like you and appreciate the way you have dealt with us. It’s that simple.

Agree with Em. I get invited to a lot of fancy (and no doubt expensive) launches for new phones, where they never, ever (apart from one exception, by a well known smartphone manufacturer’s smart PR agency) give me a phone. Considering the amount this would cost the manufacturer (not a lot) this surprises me. Isn’t it the obvious PR tool to let the potential reviewers try it for themselves? In my opinion that would seem less of a bribe than taking journos for a posh lunch and not giving them a phone? I don’t want your free phones by the way, I’m quite happy with the one I’ve got 🙂

@Jen Bishop

most phone vendors have review handsets that they lend to journalists for a week or so, so they can conduct reviews of the handset, and then give it back. The phone then gets sent on to the next reviewer etc.

This practice means that journalists can get access to products they need to review, without buying them every time or constantly being given thousands of dollars worth of phone hardware.

Good solution for everyone?

Renai
News Editor
ZDNet.com.au

Agreed Renai, only it will always means some journos get their hands on them before others, and I don’t believe the actual cost to the manufacturer would be thousands of dollars. Regardless, the review phone thing doesn’t happen that often in my experience.

Well this is a spirited debate isn’t it.
Good to see…..

And print ads generally are skimmed over – unless you have a clever one.

Spend your hard earned dollar getting a good ad in your target market (print, online, radio or TV) and a well constructed media release and you’ll be much better off in the long run.

Doing these things by halves won’t make a whole.

Renai is on the money.

The best, most appropriate gift a PR can give a journalist or editor is paying due respect to the publication and its readership.

Inappropriate gifts are the thin end of the corruption wedge – and can be seen as an insult to a journalist’s credibility.

On the other hand, loans of phones, gadgets and software are essential, journalists can’t be expected to pay for hardware out of their own pockets.

Another person agreeing with Renai here.

But the real reason I wanted to comment is that there’s a real big difference between receiving an unsolicited gift from a PR or company and a journalist saying “you can get our attention by giving us free stuff”.

That’s just cash for comment with another name.

The point is, is that “free stuff” sent with a release is more likely to capture attention of the journo not guarantee coverage.

It’s the same principle you were taught when applying for your first job. Print your resume on heavier stock so it will “stand out” when in a pile of identical white A4 pieces of paper. You won’t necessarily get the job but you improve your chances of getting your resume read!

I don’t know about gifts but I’m a sucker for flattery. When a PR rings up and says how they loved my last article [I know they’re lying but it’s nice to know someone actually read it] I think they get more of a foot in the door than those who send gimmicks.

Along these lines are the bogus industry “awards” that are handed out and information about which is found pasted around newsrooms.

See if you can pick who hands out these gongs on an annual basis: Awards for best asthma coverage, best coverage of depression issues, best story about youth (govt), best coverage of ophthalmology and so on.

These are just front-end loading cash for comment and they are encouraged by news publishers.

Such competitions typically require at least three entries and usually some big feature. Factor in at least a dozen journos vying for the prize each year and you do the maths on column-centimetres, air-time etc

I know of a few journos who have crowed to me how they gamed such awards to skim off five-figure prizes each year, using their publications to push partisan agendas.

Those worried about C4C need to also look at this area and consider banning or restricting such practices.

Renai, Nick and Bill are all spot on. The best gift of all that PR can provide is a genuine and relevant story opportunity.

i think it’s lovely that everyone is so earnest – but surely Sophie’s comment was a complete p*sstake? give the woman an iota of intelligence – she wouldn’t be stupid enough to propose cash for comment at a conference. She was just making the same point as Jebby, with tongue planted in cheek.

In current tough advertising conditions, PRs and gifts are really undermining sales teams as they pursuade less-commercially minded journalists to feature their clients without any payment. In some media you can see that this “free” coverage is consistently given more prominence than the advertisers who have actually paid, thereby paying the salaries of the staff.

I really hope Julian is taking the piss…

… if not, he’s certainly drinking it.

Nat, I’m definitely not. The aim of PR is to get coverage without payment and in the current market this needs to be managed effectively or the title will fail. There are plenty of magazines who will be gone by the end of this year, some of them will, do doubt, have been writing too enthusiastically about about potential advertisers who sent their staff a few free gifts…

Gosh.

Magazines are, by your logic, supposed to be full of ads supported by editorial about those ads.

No wonder those titles are going under.

Some of the best magazines actually criticise their advertisers products, because those products are poor. Journalists are independent and shouldn’t ever be forced to endorse advertiser’s products (remember how credible the advertiser’s products, and the “journalists” that endorsed them became when “cash for comment” became widely known). I’m think specifically of motoring titles here, none more than Top Gear.

It doesn’t matter what the medium is, people are not paying or logging on to read the ads – it’s the content they are after.

Linking the promise of favourable editorial to advertising is the oldest taboo and it seems ad sales reps are the only ones that don’t get it.

And the next time you speak to a vendor who uses PR, ask them if they get it for “free”… none of of us work solely for love, Julian.

Julian, I’m sorry but your argument has hit a nerve.

I wrote just the other week about advertorials in magazines and how people are smart enough to recognise paid editorial. I believe it does nothing but make people distrust the validity of the editorial and perhaps even turns people away.

Completely agree with Nat and others on this. This is the problem with print media – a new business model needs to be identified to sustain the medium, and paid content is not the way forward.

And although I do work in PR because I love it, I, like Nat and everyone else, don’t work solely for love! Although that would be great wouldn’t it?

Journalists should of course be independent and their comment not tied to advertising nor to recent gifts.

But giving them free gifts and junkets is specifically designed to subvert that through reciprocal favours.

Eg A new phone launched very recently – did journalists need to be given one to keep forever? Or was this designed to slant their editorial in favour of the giver?

Ah, the old paid ‘editorial’ debate. It’s a whole other thread!

Who is interested in getting a present from me to try the product, so then can tell everybody, how good the ‘Achromin’ line is? Why, it is like a bartering – I get your service, in exchange for something nice…..?
‘Turning people away’ ? – nah….- what about the TV ads? – 99% are turning people away, and guess what – they are paid!
You get present, I get present – the public gets to know about this beautiful product!
Everybody happy 🙂
And the product – really great, needs a bit of leverage though in Australia!
Please help! ???