Surprises when pitching a story

Working with a new editor, we called first to pitch a client before sending the release.

And ran up against an unusual situation—someone pretending to be a colleague of our nationally known client who wasn’t affiliated with him.

Even we explained our client was legit, the editor was less-than-impressed.

“Not likely” he said, when asked if they’d run a release.  

Though it seemed like a lost cause, we didn’t give up. 

Instead, we changed the game plan. 

We beefed up the client’s credentials, adding an article from a nationally known newspaper with a photo of the journalist and client together.  

By doing so, we made it easier for the editor to check out the client's credibility and satisfy serious concerns.

As a result, the release was published, giving the client the publicity he wanted.  

For more information, please visit us at www.dellrichards.com.

Why knowing the owner doesn't get press

Someone recently called who wasn’t happy with their PR firm even though they had received media at a really good price.

They said they thought they could have got one hit themselves because they knew the owners.

Not so, I said, publishers want to sell ads. The stories are the draw that pulls in readers for the advertising numbers.

Owners will sometimes say they have an upcoming feature that would be perfect, only it’s already closed.

But, they have a special advertising section for it—that comes with a hefty price.

An advertorial looks like an article except for the strip at the bottom that says “special advertising supplement”.

If the person asks about being in another feature, the publisher also could call on the “wall” between advertising and editorial.

If it’s a legitimate publication, the wall usually isn’t breached by the owner.

Even newspaper owners who don’t like what their editors create don’t interfere—as long as circulation is up.   

For more information, please call us at (916) 455-4790 or visit www.dellrichards.com.