You send us lots of rejected contributed content, asking what went wrong. Sometimes we can spot a path forward, but it’s heartbreaking to hear that “the client wants it written this way” or “this has already been approved.” That’s why this week we studied nine sets of contributed content guidelines from top edit targets and packaged what we think is their most valuable advice.
YOUR ACCOUNT
FRIDGE NOTES
Sara Fischer of Axios nails another scoop: Time is merging its Time Ideas section into a new one, called Time100 Voices. It doesn’t promise big opportunity for tech PR — it aims so high that only the Benioffs and Nadellas stand a chance.
Recent research from Semrush, a data partner of ours, reveals the most searched societal issues based on average monthly Google searches between January 2019 and June 2023, and how they rank across 35 countries. Searches related to mental health are skyrocketing.
It is now called AI Time To Impact, and if you care about what’s real in AI and when we need to care about it, AI Time To impact is a must-read.
Says Digiday today: 40 percent of Gen Z uses TikTok or Instagram when searching for lunch recommendations. The younger you go, the tighter the grip held by platforms. Musk’s calculation that few will ever leave X might not be too far off in the long run.
Digiday granted anonymity to seven journalists working in shops that are experimenting with generative AI. “Nothing we have found is ready for prime time, at least not for serious journalism purposes,” says one, adding that “there is no way that AI results in more people being in journalism. This only can result in less.”
Some individuals said they dabble with Gen AI to find good headlines and story ideas.
The last word seemed to go to Insider EIC Nic Carlson, who said, “AI will replace, over time, journalists who refuse to use AI.”
We’ve been working on updating our CEO Profile cheat sheet and noticed that only the New York Times insists on calling these executives C.E.O.s. How stuffy. And the C.E.O.s they do cover always seem to be resigning for one reason or another. We’ll have the updated cheat sheet ready for you very soon. The FT’s ‘How To Lead’ feature appears to be in hiatus. The WSJ has some opportunity in WSJ Magazine.
