Sam Knowles, 12|11|10

Writing for the media

All the research I've seen says that editorial

publicity is better than paid-for publicity.

Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP, The Times

“ “

Agenda

A. Do you know who I am?

B. Brand speak

C. Churnalism

D. Everyone an editor

E. Bringing this together

Do you know who I am?A

#regentswriting

Brand speakB

Competition for attention is intense

In the 30 seconds of a normal TV commercial, it is

possible to take a telephone call, send a text,

receive a photograph, play a game,download a music track, read a

magazineand watch commercials at x30 speed.

They call it Continuous Partial Attention.”

Maurice Saatchi, The Strange Death of Modern Advertising

“ “

The challenge

Brand empathy

Any conversation you have has to be of value to your customers

Brands need “social currency” to build relationships and spark reactions

Compelling content starts sustainable conversations and cut through the clutter

The cocktail party principle

“If you want to be boring, talk about yourself. If you want to be interesting, talk about something other than yourself.”

RULES OF SUSTAINABLE CONVERSATION

>> 0 >> 1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >>

1

Understand your media1

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

1 2 3What do they cover?

What is their target audience?

What are their deadlines?

>> 0 >> 1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >>

2

Be punchy, focused and clear

Journalists and bloggers cut your story from the bottom up

Get the what, why, who, where, when, how into the first two paras

Be succinct2

>> 0 >> 1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >>

3

Be interesting3

Capture attention from the start

Provide the kind of content you’d share with your friends in the pub

Or with your followers on Twitter

(And don’t be boring!)

>> 0 >> 1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >>

4

Frequentest thou this fine hostelry oftentimes, fair

maiden? Do you come here

often?

Talk human4

Plain English Campaign“Foot in Mouth Award”, 1994

“Gordon Brown MP for his 'New Economics' speech. He covered "ideas which stress the growing importance of international co-operation and new theories of economic sovereignty across a wide range of areas, macro-economics, trade, the environment, the growth of post neo-classical endogenous growth theory and the symbiotic relationships between government and investment in people and infrastructures - a new understanding of how labour markets really work and constructive debate over the meaning and implications of competitiveness at the level of individuals, the firm or the nation and the role of government in fashioning modern industrial policies which focus on nurturing competitiveness."

Talking human

• Avoid sounding like a spokesperson

• Social media has blurred the line between corporate and consumer speak

• Fashion great client quotes by talking to them

What kind of language?

SIMPLE

INFORMED

INFORMAL

ACCURATE

FLEXIBLE

… but not trivial

… but not full of jargon

… but never sloppy

… but not technical

… but not infinitely varied

>> 0 >> 1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >>

5

• Pitch content they want to cover• Pitch content their readers want to read• Understand that it’s not just your story that will be told

Be useful5

>> 0 >> 1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >>

6

• Be authentic• Make extensive use of case studies• Tell stories

Keep it real6

>> 0 >> 1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >>

7

Think visual7

>> 0 >> 1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >>

8

Use facts and figures8

Be able to back up your claims

Use statistics as proof points

Deploy issues first, products second

>> 0 >> 1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >>

9

Be accurate (and don’t lie)9

>> 0 >> 1 >> 2 >> 3 >> 4 >>

10

Hold something in reserve10

Companies that follow these rules

ChurnalismC

Our media have become mass producers of distortion. An

industry whose task should be to filter out falsehood has

become a conduit for propaganda and second-hand

news. Nick Davies, The Guardian, 2008

“ “

Cardiff University Research

Just 12% of 2,000 UK news stories composed of facts discovered by reporters

80% wholly, mainly or partly constructed from second-hand material from news agencies and PR; clone stories

Only 12% of stories have facts checked

Causes

FEWER JOURNALISTS, EDITORS, FACT CHECKERS–From active gatherers of news to passive processors of unchecked content

MORE CONTENT REQUIRED – FOR THE PAPER, THE ONLINE VERSION, THE BLOG, THE VLOG–Three times as much copy since 1985–Just one third the time per story

Consequences

Unchecked stories spread – unchecked – like wildfire, from news reporters to columnists to become received wisdom

Companies with access to the best advisers have disproportionate influence

Decline in respect for journalism

Everyone’s an editorD

Causes

• Mass availability of easy blogging tools and smart phones

• Single-issue fanatics’ focus – live, multimedia, interactive fanzines

• Collapse in trust for traditional media and corporations vs participatory journalism

• Truly democratic – all opinions count

• Harness the wisdom of crowds

Consequences

Mass participation in journalism – the rise of the citizen journalist

Success through quality content (content creates links, create popularity)

Corporate transparency and accountability (nowhere to hide)

An outmoded point of view

Bringing this togetherE

In summary

• Traditional and social media offer great opportunities for brands to reach target audiences – if they follow simple rules

• Pressures on journalists provide brands with opportunities but also responsibilities

• New channels and technology mean many more voices matter

Thank you

sam@saltlondon.com

+44 (0)20 8870 6777

Park House, 14 Northfields, London, SW18 1DD

www.saltlondon.com