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Teleconferences

  • SWMS Tech Edit Spotlight on The Economist
    2010-03-11 17:02

    After all these years, divining the path to coverage in The Economist never gets any easier.

    Most PR agencies think their clients aren't of interest to such a prestigious title.

    Not so.

     As the editors there might say, “Bollocks!” If your clients truly innovate, or if they’re led by iconoclastic, imaginative executives, PR pros must pursue The Economist. Our PDF lays out the road map for 2010. What’s new with this seemingly ancient magazine? A new emphasis on video and reader engagement.

     
    We've seen PLM covered. Start-up execs like any other. The context is all-important. We share what we learn from our 2010 interviews with those anonymous Economist reporters and editors.
     
    No by-lines? No problem. We name names. Read on.

     

  • SWMS Editorial Teleconference: Nicholas Kolakowski, eWeek
    2010-03-11 16:41

    Layoffs claimed many an eWeek reporter in recent years, but are we noticing the up-and-comers?

     

    Take a good look at a day in the life of a 21st century trade reporter. eWeek’s Nick Kolakowski has multiple huge beats. He writes, on average, five stories a day. He is inundated with PR pitches.
     
    Yet he is open to PR service. He wants hi-res photography. He’s willing to meet face-to-face with your clients when in New York. He’ll even consider writing about small, up-and-coming companies, albeit in context with behemoths such as Microsoft.
     
    eWeek is all about products and breaking news. Don’t bother pitching trend stories; they’ll never be written. There’s no time. Nick Kolakowski doesn’t have much time to ruminate. He’s on deadline. There goes his phone. He has to go now.

     

  • SWMS Editorial Teleconference: Sebastian Rupley, Gigaom
    2010-03-01 22:00

    Sebastian Rupley oversees GigaOm these days, as a busy reporter and senior editor. You know him from his PC Mag days. He's charged with building a competitive edge in a maddeningly overcrowded blog space. He's joining us because he's all ears: how can you help? Expert sources? Scoops? Remember that Giga Omni Media  comprises several edit brands. Sebastian is an influencer to know.

  • SWMS Tech Edit Spotlight on contributed content
    2010-02-23 18:02

    Shrinking edit staffs have made contributed content more important than ever.

    Which outlets publish it? More important, which ones say they do but are becoming overwhelmed with submissions, most of them unacceptable?

    Be it a guest blog post or a more formal submission to MSM, there's an emerging art to contributed content. Learn today's tricks and get the visibility your clients expect. 

  • SWMS Editorial Teleconference - Wendy Tanaka, technology editor, Forbes
    2010-02-21 18:46

    Wendy Tanaka now oversees all technology coverage at Forbes. She's not writing much anymore; her edit leadership is now a full-time role, she says.

    So if you're a tech PR pro, who better to hear from than the editor setting day-to-day direction? Where does the Forbes Video Network fit in these days? Is there still an emphasis on narratives? 

    Listen or watch  to learn Forbes's tech priorities in 2010.

  • SWMS Editorial Teleconference -Stephen Wellman, Ziff Davis Enterprise
    2010-02-18 07:58

    February 2010

    To capture the essence of this teleconference, go to the very end of our notes and begin reading backwards.
     
    Stephen Wellman is purely a 21st century editorial guy. Yes, he can write and report, but he doesn’t. Instead he orchestrates Ziff Davis Enterprise’s daily editorial performances. With intimate knowledge of SEO and web analytics, he knows pretty much at a glance which stories will click and which won’t. He knows which headlines and leads are winners and which aren’t. And he teaches all ZDE reporters and editors what he knows.
     
    To understand how eWeek operates, and all of today’s IT trade reporters, for that matter, spend a few minutes inside the mind of Stephen Wellman.
     
    Your odds of pitching success will rise dramatically.
  • SWMS Editorial Teleconference - Ben Worthen, The Wall Street Journal
    2010-02-10 22:00

    February 2010

    It may not seem that way at first, but read closely and you’ll see that Ben Worthen offered earnest, heartfelt and even useful PR advice.

    Ben works in a shop that sells context and early warning. He can’t sell his editors many of the stories he’s already willing to write, let alone the ones you want to pitch him.

    Notice what he says about the consolidation and reshaping of the tech industry. That’s what fascinates him.

    We suggested to Ben that a big trend was social media functionality showing up in enterprise software. He called that a “one-note” story idea best for the Marketplace section.

    Think big with this guy. And think long-term. Oh, and if you find a good lunch spot, let him know about it.

     

  • SWMS Teleconference: Scott Budman, host, NBC TechNow
    2010-02-02 01:00

    SWMS Teleconference:  Scott Budman, host, NBC TechNow

    If only all TV journalists were as tech-savvy as NBC Bay Area’s Scott Budman. Or as responsive to PR.

    Your big challenge with Scott is, can you tell your story visually? Will it play well on TV? Scott does blog at NBCBayArea.com. But it’s got to work on TV. That leaves out just about all software. Gadgets? Good. Just about any hardware will do.

    Scott also says he’s interested in user-centric pieces, but he has so little time. He’s not going to shoot MOS footage except perhaps in front of an Apple store the night before the iPad goes on sale. So why not shoot some of your own, and send it to him along with a pitch?

    That’s our suggestion. But Scott makes many of his own in the notes to your right.

     

  • SWMS Editorial Teleconference -- Robin Wauters, TechCrunch
    2010-01-21 15:35

     

    Robin Wauters keeps an eye on the tech scene across the pond. He posts between five and six times a day on a variety of  topics ranging from VC to virtual goods.
     
    He’s happy to read your pitch but even if he likes your story idea, he may hand it off to another
    TC reporter, who may not like it as much.
     
    TechCrunch reporters use Yammer to coordinate with one another. To boss Mike Arrington, it’s all the same whether Robin writes the piece or anyone else on his staff. So that’s something to beware of if you’re looking to court Robin — or really, anyone else at TC.
     
     
    Robin works closely with Mike Butcher, who oversees all of TechCrunch’s European coverage. Study these notes: they’ll make a good travel guide for you.
     

     

     

  • SWMS Editorial Teleconference - Tech Edit Spotlight on SEO, with special guest Greg Jarboe
    2010-01-11 13:02

     

     
    Is the media turning a deaf ear to your supplications? The hell with 'em -- do it yourself. Our year begins with a 2010 update on search engine optimization with SEO-PR co-founder Greg Jarboe, himself a longtime veteran of the PR business. Google's new algorithms are but one change you'll need to know about. Look for many more hands-on workshops from SWMS as the new year unfolds.