Effective PR from an Editor’s Perspective

• What we’re usually looking for

• What helps a pitch

• What doesn’t help a pitch

• What we’re doing all day instead of returning your calls or emails

• What to keep in mind

• Published 6x/year

• Business-to-business with a qualified, controlled circulation

• Focused on sustainability in commercial architecture

• Online at eco-structure.com

• Part of the Commercial Design Group at Hanley Wood Business Media

What We’re Looking For

In short: Everything.

News

Products

Projects

Interview sources

Subject matter experts

Ideas for columns, features, blog posts, multimedia packages

But most important:

Something that will interest and be of value to our readership

AUDIENCE/READERSHIP

Source: Eco-Structure, BPA Worldwide, June 2011

Total Subscribers: 28,039

What Helps a Pitch

• Research: How frequent is the magazine? Who is the readership? Do they focus on certain subject topics at specific times of the year? How far in advance do they work of an issue date?

• Research, part 2: What kind of content do they run in print? Is it different online? How do features differ from columns?

• Research, part 3: Have they already published the project/person/product/news I am about to pitch them?

• Research, part 4: Who is the best contact? What is the best way to contact them?

• Develop a relationship so that it doesn’t feel like you’re only after getting one thing published. Not every editor needs to be schmoozed, but they do want to keep up an active network of trusted resources.

• An elevator pitch, even in email. An attachment with no explanation and/or vague subject line will most likely be flagged by a system or a person as spam.

What Doesn’t Help a Pitch

• Over-eager pitching and follow up

• A no-name pitch. Please tell me who you are and how you are connected to what you are pitching

• A blanket, generic email to multiple media sources (especially when everyone’s email address is cc:’d so I can see exactly who else has received it)

• Misdirected pitches or inappropriate subject matter (“I’d like to pitch your green column.”)

What We’re Doing All Day

• Editing stories

• Writing stories

• Chasing down late text, art, or other story components

• Pitching stories to other team members

• Posting web content and dealing with a tricky CMS

• Dealing with IT

• Dealing with tricky interns or assistant editors

• Dealing with freelancers

• Dealing with accounting to pay freelancers

• Dealing with accounting and sales to get more pages and/or resources

• Dealing with tricky publishers and sales teams

• Monitoring and running various social media feeds

• Researching topics our readers might be interested in

• Issue planning

• Running awards competitions

• Meetings. Endless meetings.

• Dealing with hundreds of backlogged emails

• Most likely not answering your phone calls and emails immediately (Oops!)

What To Keep in Mind

• We’re limited in resources: time, space, pages, personnel

• We (most of us, I would hope) have ethical limitations as to what we will cover

• Trade shows hurt our feet, our brains, and our Outlook calendars.

• Being published on the website of a print magazine and/or newspaper is no less valuable than being covered in print. Print pages are limited. Online actually can have longer, wider distribution.

• We talk to other editors. We also move around the industry.

• We’re looking for help as much as you are, year-round, across multiple media platforms.