Two big announcements this week have “media” people (journalists, PR folks, social media peeps) wondering is this truly the beginning of the end. And the interesting thing is the announcements come from organizations on the opposite ends of the media world. First, Condé Nast, home to such high-regarded media brands like The New Yorker, GQ, Vanity Fair, etc., announced the birth of 23 Stories. This new “studio” gives brands and marketers direct access to editors at Condé Nast magazines to create “branded” content designed to fit in…
Read MoreWe had a client a couple years back that was launching a new product. It was a boot-strapped enterprise, funded mostly by family money and propelled by the kind of energy that fuels early-stage companies and that we PR folks love to feed on. We also did a lot of feeding on the product itself. I won’t reveal what it actually was, but suffice to say it was yummy. REALLY yummy. Because the founder didn’t have much of a marketing budget, he threw what he…
Read MoreWe at Hodges, especially the team that has worked with ChildFund International over the past five years, already knew what the editors at Time magazine recently declared — that the folks working in Africa on the frontlines against Ebola are heroes. The medical staff and aid workers who are putting their own health at risk to care for those who have contracted the virus deserve every bit of the recognition and accolades they are receiving. ChildFund’s focus has been on the children who have lost one…
Read MoreWhen I first started in PR, no matter who the client, they wanted to be on Oprah. And many wished for the most-anticipated show of the year, the reveal of Oprah’s favorite things. Frankly, it’s a bit easier for us PR folks that there no longer is the “holy grail” that was Oprah. (By the way, until I googled a moment ago, I had no idea that there was still a “favorite things” list. Credit to you if you have the patience to click through…
Read MoreMedia relations is a core assignment and talent for most public relations pros. It’s what I cut my teeth at when I switched over from journalism 20+ years ago. It’s a lot of what we built The Hodges Partnership on when we started the firm 12 years ago. But the practice of media relations has changed dramatically over those 12 years. What used to be an exercise in list creation and blast emailing is now a more targeted, research-driven approach to find the right reporter/editor/producer…
Read MoreHave you heard the news? Richmond is out. As a member of Richmond Region Tourism’s LGBT advisory committee, I’m so excited to see the OutRVA campaign launch – and thrive. For the past four years, we’ve promoted Virginia’s capital city to LGBT travelers through a campaign called Rainbow Over Richmond. We ran advertisements in nearby states, organized press trips and created online content to educate prospective travelers. I loved visiting journalists’ reactions a few hours into the press tours. “Whoa, I never expected this. Richmond…
Read MoreI admit it: I recently listened to a Bulldog Reporter webinar on engaging journalists on social media hoping that I’d find that one secret to unlock all doors: “If you do X on social media, 25 percent more journalists will say ‘yes’ to your story pitches.” Sigh. That didn’t turn out to be one of the slides. In dieting and in media pitching, there’s no magic pill. However, the webinar did confirm a lot of our own practices at THP as far as dos and…
Read MoreEditor. Industry analyst. Blogger. These are people PR folks routinely identify as influencers – those who get the distinct honor of getting bombarded with our pitches, introductory call requests and emails with “quick question…” as the subject line in the hopes they’ll mention our organization in an article. The problem though is that reporters are an endangered species, and more organizations are bypassing the middleman and producing their own content. But as content marketing continues to rise, and more studies like this highlight the disconnect…
Read MoreOne of the first things we do here at Hodges during our onboarding process with a new client is to sit down with them to learn their story — usually a personal narrative that naturally progresses into and reflects the brand’s story. For those of us in media relations, storytelling is essential to what we do. After all, once you get the attention of the media, what’s next? It’s telling the story — one that is compelling enough for the media to share with their…
Read MoreLast Monday afternoon we were thrilled to host Greg Gilligan of The Richmond Times-Dispatch for lunch. If you don’t know the long-time business reporter, creator of the Biz Buzz column and now business editor at the T-D, then you’re really missing out. Here are four insights Greg shared with us over Bottoms Up pizza: Research reporters before you pitch them. A perennial plea from journalists of all kinds, Greg emphasized this PR 101 tip because it’s so very, very important. If you’ve ever heard Greg talk…
Read MorePitching the media is hard, and getting harder, but we PR people aren’t doing anything to help make it any easier. Below is my approach to crafting a pitch, but first a couple words of caution for would-be pitchers. Stop it! Hey everyone, pay attention! Especially all you start-ups out there. Stop sending useless emails to the media, you are ruining it for those of us who try really hard at sending useful pitches. To find out what constitutes a bad pitch, Google “bad media…
Read More“Incessant follow up is annoying.” Or, even harsher: “Following up is not a good idea. All of the time, a follow up is not necessary.” Those points were made repeatedly by several journalists at a FORBES “Inside the Media” event I attended in NYC this month. And even a few weeks later, I’m still having trouble accepting the fact that even one follow-up is a mark against myself and my fellow PR professionals. Not to say I don’t understand the journalist side of things: Online…
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