We Earn Media – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Today’s guest writes for a major finance publication that we see all over Qwoted and HARO, and is heavily syndicated and featured on Apple/Google News, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and more. Today we’ll learn the kinds of stories a high-volume online publication writes and what exactly they need from publicists to complete their stories. We’ll start with analyzing a pitch for a seasonal shopping roundup then dive into media queries. You’ll walk away with sharpened knowledge of digital media strategy and utilize it to come out ahead and earn those syndicated features for your client.

In this episode, you'll learn…

• The types of stories a high-volume finance publication wants to publish

• What to include in a seasonal shopping roundup pitch

• Why consistent persistence matters (even if you’re just past the deadline- follow up!)

Our guests:

• Heather Taylor is a senior finance writer for Go Banking Rates. And the head writer and brand mascot enthusiast for PopIcon, Advertising Week’s blog dedicated to brand mascots. She has been published on HelloGiggles, Business Insider, The Story Exchange, Brit + Co, Thrive Global, and more.

Most journalists we talk to tell us they get way too many pitches. When we were told by today’s guest that she’s experiencing the opposite problem, we knew we had to investigate! Today we learn all about local news and how to identify and tell a story that captivates a local audience. Hear about 2 real stories by a local NYC non-profit (and on the flipside a mention of the all-too-many “missed opportunities”) and walk away with inspiration for how to identify a story and sharpen your own storytelling skills.

In this episode, you'll learn from a local TV journalist…

• What makes a good, local news story

• How newsrooms, producers, and journalists choose the stories they cover

• How TV has adapted (and continues to adapt!) to a digital audience

Our guests:

• Checkey Beckford is an Emmy® Award-winning reporter for NBC 4 New York. She covers breaking news and general assignment stories

In this episode, we analyze a real pitch sent under embargo by the CTO of a tech company to a tech reporter at a leading business publication. We’ll learn how and why this pitch worked, and gain some takeaways of how you too might secure a dream, spotlight coverage like this for your own client or employer.

In this episode, you'll learn all about pitching a reporter for The Street…

• Why timing is everything with pitching stories

• How a tech reporter views and utilizes embargos

• Why efficiency and responsiveness is crucial to securing coverage

Our guest:

• Ian is a tech reporter for TheStreet. He reports on the tech industry -- with a focus on artificial intelligence -- covering AI companies, safety, regulation and ethics extensively. As an offshoot of his tech coverage, Ian additionally covers Elon Musk and his many companies, namely Tesla and SpaceX, as well as the companies under the "Magnificent 7" umbrella. He is endlessly fascinated by the ongoing conversation around, and many implications of, artificial intelligence. Ian has previously written for CNBC, Patch.com, The Young Folks and Screenrant, among others.

Today’s episode we connect with a TV producer who has worked with both Britt and Jaclyn. Catch a glimpse into both of our worlds and come out inspired to build your own, rewarding relationship with an awesome producer doing important work. Along the way, you’ll learn that some prescriptive advice (like brevity and digital-only) might not always apply, depending on who you’re reaching out to.

In this episode, you'll learn all about pitching an investigative producer…

• Details to help foster a working relationship the right way

• Tips for having enough and the right information in your pitch

• The kinds of stories they cover and how far in advance they plan

Our guest:

• Daniela Molina is a bilingual Investigative Producer at Gray Television InvestigateTV who has a great interest in human trafficking and healthcare stories. Since her time at InvestigateTV she has covered abuse in nursing homes, bad doctors, and societal issues. She has also started her own franchise within the team called "Cuidando Su Billetera" which provides financial content to Spanish-speaking communities. Before joining InvestigateTV, Daniela interned for three summers with WTVJ (NBC) in South Florida and worked with their digital duopoly team. Daniela is a graduate of Indiana University with both a bachelor’s and master's in journalism.

This season we will also be sharing the video recordings - yay! We figured we would test out the new video platform we're using and give a little teaser into the 2024 season. Keep an eye on your feeds for new episodes dropping in March. TTFN!

Today’s episode stems from a freelance journalist’s heartfelt confession of how she deals with nerves before conducting interviews. As publicists, we too deal with these nerves, but to hear it from the other side? Refreshing. We speak with our guest regarding her experience of working with sources and come out understanding just how much care goes into a freelance journalist’s work. We’ll cover how shopping roundups are put together and how older pitches and smaller, “hometown experts” (think: local podiatrist) fit into this world. With it, come out on top with new ways to provide value to those reporters whose mission is simply to make their audience’s lives better.

In this episode, you'll learn why…

• key phrases matter with pitches and story ideas

• imaginary editorial headlines create winning subject lines

• ALL experts should pay attention to shopping stories

Our guest is:

• Diana Kelly Levey is a freelance writer, journalist, published author, and editor whose work has been featured in outlets such as Health, Real Simple, InStyle, and Reader's Digest, just to name a few. She has 20 years of experience working for national publications and award-winning brands on staff and as a freelancer. She thrives when she is covering topics, products, and services that help people and can improve readers’ lives in some way.

Our guest today, a freelance health reporter, doesn't use PR pitches to write her stories. And, despite this, she still works with publicists! So how does it all work? This episode is all about the art of answering media queries. If you remember Casey's episodes, we've already talked about HARO extensively on the podcast. This week, however, we're jumping off from the #journorequest hashtag and talking about Qwoted. We're also covering lots of interesting details in between. Get an insider's look at how these different services fit in and complement one another, and walk away from this episode empowered to really take charge when you see relevant queries come in. Spoiler: our guest shares the story of receiving commentary written by ai (yes, there are tools to identify that). You won't want to miss this episode!

In this episode, you'll learn...

• How a freelance health journalist lines up her stories
• The current landscape of media query tools and services
• Best practices for responding to these queries

Our guest is...

• Taneia Surles, MPH, a freelance health writer, editor, and public health professional. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has bylines in AARP, Health, Healthline, Insider, Parents, Verywell Health, and other publications.

This is the story of a piece that almost wasn’t meant to be. And, if you’re into interior design, you’ll especially want to give this episode a listen. Our guest shares how a trending topic, unlikely pitch, and serendipitous encounter with a stranger all culminated into a nice, long feature with beautiful imagery for the Wall Street Journal. Gain insider tips for pitching a national lifestyle freelance writer, and so much more.

In this episode, you’ll learn…

–How a big feature (with original imagery!) is put together for a top tier outlet

–Why social trends matter to journalists and editors (hello again, TikTok!)

–What additional info helps a freelance writer make an informed decision (transparency is always key!)

Our guest is:

Kelsey Ogletree, an Alabama-based independent journalist covering travel, food, design and golf. Her work has appeared in various print and digital outlets, from Midwest Living and Real Simple to The Wall Street Journal and Allrecipes. She’s also the founder of Pitchcraft, a journalist-led membership platform helping PR professionals build relationships with freelance writers and editors in the national consumer lifestyle space.

In this episode, dive into a story of a digital fashion journalist who moved forward with a piece, despite pushback from the subjects’ corporate communications department. From it, you’ll learn how smaller brands can step up to the plate and provide value to a digital journalist in the age of TikTok, competing with corporations for coverage in a top fashion outlet.

In this episode, you'll learn…

• How the economy, pop culture, and social media all play roles in online fashion reporting 

• Why data may be just as powerful as a product sample for some fashion reporters 

• How brand previews and other aspects of the fashion reporting industry work

Our guest is:

• Frances Solá-Santiago, a journalist from Puerto Rico, works as a fashion writer at Refinery29. She also writes for publications like The New York Times, The Cut, Rolling Stone, NPR, Numéro, Glamour, Remezcla, and Bustle, covering fashion, beauty, music, and culture.  

Our guest today is a media veteran with over 30 years of experience. He’s been on both the PR and journalism side of things and lately has been the executive editor at a trade publication. We end up talking quite a bit of shop with him. Hear us chat about the past, present, and future of media, and so much more, on today’s episode. In this episode, you'll learn about pitching a trade publication… What the benefits are of sitting in on interviews How far in advance you should pitch a story How editorial calendars and news wires can be useful tools Our guest is: Greg Sleter, executive editor and associate publisher of Store Brands, which covers the world of retail and private brand products. He has worked in the world of communications for nearly 30 years. Most of his career has been spent in journalism, working for several B2B and consumer-facing news outlets. He has also worked in PR for two Long Island, NY-based healthcare systems.