A new survey of more than 2,500 reporters reveals what we already knew: the news cycle has been focused on three stories: COVID-19, social justice and the presidential elections. With the elections over, business news now has a better chance to fit in. In the meantime, however, news staffs are being reduced. Bloomberg announced it was letting go of almost 100 employees. Also trimming staff are The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed, New York Post and others. The survey suggests that reporters can be harder to reach when not working from an office, and that their stories take longer to appear, as a result of the competition from pandemic news.
Survey insights offer new opportunities for success in business news:
Pivot to COVID story angles. Almost 40 percent of reporters said that their stories now have some COVID-19 factor. 65 percent now cover more stories on the pandemic and/or health and wellness, even if that wasn’t their original area of expertise. Finding business news that aligns with current events has always been smart, and today it is fundamental.
Trusted sources include CEOs. A major theme in 2020 was finding reliable news sources, according to the survey. As covered in our October newsletter, How 2020 Changed PR. Business Leaders, Take Note, most Americans didn’t trust traditional media to give them all of the news, so they looked to social media. Now, 58 percent of journalists get news from online newspapers or magazines while only 16 percent rely on Twitter, which is down from 22 percent the year before. The vast majority of journalists report finding academic experts (86 percent) and CEOs (74 percent) to be their most credible sources, good news for businesses and experts seeking to be interviewed and quoted.
Reporters are looking at your social media. 73 percent of reporters said they “sometimes” or “usually” consult a company’s social media channels when covering a story. Business social media pages aren’t just for customers, so it’s smart to post on valuable industry news to position the company leaders. Twitter is still considered a valuable social channel by reporters, but they actually get more information from online newspapers or magazines, the study revealed.
Reporters have a love/hate relationship with PR. While only six percent see their relationship with PR pros as a partnership, 59 percent described the relationship as mutually beneficial. We’ll take it! Reporters are our #1 client, and if we don’t help them, we’re all missing the boat.
The survey reveals that half of media are covering five or more beats and filing seven or more stories a week. They’re busy. Media want to be pitched 1:1 with customized and relevant content. The best times to receive email pitches are Monday mornings. Pitches need to be under 200 words and with no attachments, which means concise, creative and compelling pitches win. Reporters, editors and producers do not like to be contacted by phone, especially now because it means calling their personal mobile phone. Email is preferred, with Twitter as the back-up option.
It’s good news that the press trusts CEOs and knows business expertise when they see it. Let’s get out there and be a part of the story.
Best,
Tracy
