Business in the media – a behind the scenes perspective
11 June 2009
Rob Pittam, Business Correspondent, BBC
John Hemmingway, John Hemmingway Communications Ltd
Key Points
- Rob; " There are some industries/companies we won’t film, like internet companies, unless something interesting takes place such as an internet company training dogs. It has to be visual. We want moving pictures of people – sterile machines are dull."
- Stories have to be interesting to the audience and intelligible with no acronyms – the sort of story you would tell someone in a pub.
- Magazine and newspaper editors are bombarded by press releases that often end up in the bin. The release might be interesting to the company and PR agency, but often there is no connection with the target media.
- There’s a 15-second rule. A reporter might be very excited about a story but if they can’t tell it in 15 seconds they need to think again. It must be brief, to the point and as interesting as possible. A story is "Man Bites Dog", but not "Dog Bites Man".
- "When we film we like people to be natural and wearing normal work clothes. We don’t want to turn up at a farm with the farmer in a suit".
- Try to be comfortable and relaxed. If not, the viewer becomes uncomfortable. If people umm and err and stutter, that’s OK.
- Never offer advice on what will make a good shot to a cameraman !!!
- If pitching an idea, hang it on something; a hook. Pitch by email followed by a phone call. Ring the newsroom where they will be helpful and honest. If ringing EM Today, identify first the journalist you want to speak to, say you have an idea and ask when would be a good time to talk to them about it.
- Appearing on TV and BBC "Working Lunch" is hitting the jackpot but never forget regional newspapers, trade and EM Business magazines. Obscure publications like "Parking News", for example, needs to be filled. Ring them and they will be glad of your story. Pitch where you want your story to appear. Do your research, decide your story and make personal contact.
- Sometimes the BBC doesn’t cover a story but "We’re like the Fire Brigade. We don’t always come out but we like to know about it."
- Newspapers are 90% journalism/10% production; radio is 50% journalism/50% production; TV is 10% journalism/90 production.
- It’s good for business to say you were in the Evening Post this week. Saying you were on the BBC opens doors. A link on Google to a BBC story about you or your business is priceless.
- " Just because we have featured a company, doesn’t mean that’s the end of it. If you are a good talker with a new angle, then we will often cover you again".
- Journalists hate pushy PR people who send releases and ring up 2 days later. They hate to be hassled. If it’s not appeared or you’ve heard nothing after 2 weeks then ring to ask if it was OK or how it could have been written differently. Ask journalists for their advice and build relationships.
- Journalists view PR people as a necessary nuisance but are always on the look out for interesting stories.
- The media is changing and staffing is being squeezed. John said his press releases have been used without question, appearing word for word, uncropped. If a release is well produced with a nice picture, it will tend to be used. Once this would never have happened but instead checked out.
- Journalists work under pressure with deadlines. " At BBC Working Lunch we work one week in advance."
- Media training can be good and thorough, especially if you get experience of door stepping, never actually done by the BBC. Training helps to de-demonise journalists. You learn to be passionate and speak from the heart.
- You know 10 times more than the journalist. If asked a tricky question ask them: " What have your read that makes you ask that?" On BBC Breakfast News recently an MP asked a journalist what they get paid and they admitted they earned £92k . This is tail wagging dog. Challenge a journalist and mentally rehearse difficult questions.
- You can tell who has been media trained. They use the reporter’s name and keep mentioning their company name. In interviews don’t mention your company name because it will appear at the bottom of the TV screen.
- John spoke of securing a one page feature for a client with Chat magazine without the client’s name being used once. On the back of this feature John brokered a successful deal with the advertising department.
- Online activity puts pressure on local newspapers. The web is having a big effect on weeklies. The Chad was weekly, but is now in effect a daily with web site updates. The pressures on space are increasing.
- John spoke of how web use bypasses the gatekeeper – Rob Pittam for example. By uploading material on the web yourself: a blog, Facebook, Twitter or You Tube, you erode the former role of the newspaper. This has been the biggest change in PR in the last 12 months.
- The media is very high tech – we move information around. Working lunch has a Twitter feed with a line right into us. Online newspapers, e-readers, are a new development but are not brilliant.
- There is no business model to show how newspapers can survive profitably via online content. It’s important local newspapers survive – they are the cornerstone of democracy and a forum for expression. If we lose those then we lose the lot. I
- John talked about having worked at the BBC for 20 years before finding the opportunity to use his skills in a different way. The journalist role is beginning to die out.
- A video cameraman will merge roles with a picture editor. Real skills go as everyone multi-skills. Regional newspapers now send reporters with cameras to record stories for the paper’s web site.
- The Daily Telegraph and the expenses story had a massive audience but little opportunity for the Telegraph to research and investigate that story itself. They bought the information and then paid £50k to have it analysed by an external company.
- Twitter is moronic but to many it is a savvy marketing tool !
- The most outlandish story covered by Rob was how jewellery is made from the ashes of the dead !! Rob can also successfully turn around a dull story but it is hard work to do so.
- If a story appears in one medium, Radio 5 Live for example, this can often be picked up and used by the others. If a story appears on BBC Working Lunch it can be picked up by 40% of the media the next day.
- Think how a bad news story can be reversed. The Chair of MS Aberdeen discovered theft from the charity by a worker. The story would be big on TV and newspapers and could alienate fundraisers. Finding case studies of sufferers losing out if treatment is withheld turns the story around.
- Press releases can result in unfavourable coverage - that’s the risk you take. You are riding a tiger and it can bite your head off. Journalists hold the cards and unless they libel you there is no redress. If we get it wrong in the BBC we follow up and put it right, but this won’t happen with a tabloid.
- If you don’t like something in a regional or local paper you can withdraw advertising. Editors are terrified of losing revenue.
- Piggyback on a national issue by setting yourself up as a specialist and expert who can talk about this. Get into journalists’ contact books. They are always looking out for stories. Half the stories Rob covers are the result of press releases. Email him with a link to the day’s news story. If it’s been featured elsewhere, tell him.