Our 2021 Predictions Turned Out… Sorta…
November 29, 2021
7:17 am
One year ago we fielded eight predictions for 2021. How did we do? Not great, honestly. Let’s look at each.
>> Covid-19
CES 2022: Clear as Mud
August 18, 2021
9:14 am
In an SWMS spot check, journalists weigh in on whether CES 2022 is now safe to attend and worth attending, now that show organizers announced that all attendees will need to prove they are vaccinated against Covid-19.
Cheat Sheet: Reporters Who Cover Contact Tracing
June 9, 2020
6:17 pm
Whoever thought this would ever be a beat? Well, strictly spreaking it’s not a beat but part of a broader swath of territory patrolled by journalists covering the path forward from the catastrophe that is Covid-19. Here’s a short list of those who are covering apps that will help detect infection.
What to Expect — Apr. 20-24, 2020
April 20, 2020
3:59 pm
As the Covid-19 crisis moves well into its second month, we’ve noticed a dwindling number of new story approaches to try. Roundups, with their low-payoff SOV, still rule, especially in B2B. This week did spot a few emerging approaches — pretty much special reports — but still providing paths for most tech companies and agencies.
Amanda Orr: Edit Themes for Pitching the Recovery
April 15, 2020
2:22 pm
[PR pro Amanda Orr writes:] Like much of the country, communications teams both in-house and at PR firms have been in a holding pattern. As we look at the Johns Hopkins tracker on a daily basis, watching the numbers of infections and fatalities climb, we knew (at least I hope most of us knew) that this wasn’t the time to send emails or make cold calls…
What to Expect — Apr. 13-17, 2020
April 13, 2020
12:22 pm
Last week we polled B2B contributed content gatekeepers, nearly all of whom wanted the same kinds of pitches they received before the Covid-19 nightmare. Our research echoed what we heard last month from reporters and editors.
Constellation Research’s Post-Pandemic Playbooks
April 9, 2020
5:39 pm
“Pitch the reporters but study the analysts” has been our mantra for a while now. In that spirit, we recently checked in with Constellation Research founder R “Ray” Wang, who has been busy presenting to clients — and listening to them, too.
David Strom: Covid Do’s & Don’ts
April 8, 2020
3:50 pm
David Strom says: “My inbox is overflowing with a virus: all Covid, all the time, with pitches and experts offered from all walks of life. It isn’t just the infosec vendors, either: I’ve gotten pitches from genealogy vendors, and how sports reporters are coping now that there are no professional games being played.”
Contributed Content Gatekeepers: ‘Biz as Usual’
April 8, 2020
2:15 pm
With few exceptions, contributed content gatekeepers are operating the way they always did before Covid-19 — serving the readers who buy products, manage teams and have projects to deliver. Here’s what nine of them said this week.
What to Expect — Apr. 6-10
April 5, 2020
7:42 pm
Last week at this time we saw strategic content from levels high above the reporter level, on “What will it take to get past this coronavirus thing?” Here’s what’s coming this week, and how you can get a piece of it.
YOUR ACCOUNT
FRIDGE NOTES
Follow Anthropic’s Steve Mnich For Guidance on Claude
September 9, 2024
Steve is a longtime friend of SWMS and worked at subscriber LaunchSquad before moving on to IBM, Salesforce and now Anthropic. Steve knows exactly how to harness Claude’s power for comms purposes. Follow him and learn.
Google Hoses Publishers
September 5, 2024
Press Gazette has a great story about Google reintroducing AI summaries into search results — less so in queries about breaking news, but definitely when someone searches for trend or how-to info. Convenient for users, maybe… but publishers stand to lose a ton of long-tail traffic because of this. No wonder the vast majority of publisher “innovation” is about commerce or consulting and no longer builds upon journalism.
MIA: CNBC’s ‘My Biggest Lessons’
September 5, 2024
CNBC Make It had a popular video franchise called My Biggest Lessons, in which CEOs shared something valuable that they learned along the way. No new segments have appeared since May 31. We’ll monitor this for you.
Fortune Succeeding In Edit But Not In Sales
August 29, 2024
Great reporting from Mark Stenberg at Adweek. Two departures on the sales side seem to have hurt. The story also suggests that former Fortune CEO Alan Murray — who said he was retiring — may turn up at WSJ. Fortune is said to have released Murray from his noncompete, taking his word that he was ending his career.
Adweek subscription required.
The Fortune Five: Where Are They Now?
August 24, 2024
Ten months ago SWMS spotlighted five up-and-coming Fortune reporters, suggesting that PR get to know these rookies. Where are they now? Jane Thier continues to excel in the Success section. Ruth Umoh now edits Next To Lead. Kylie Robison split for The Verge. Rachyl Jones is a fellow at Semafor. Alexandra Sternlicht this summer won a Knight-Bagehot fellowship at Columbia. Competition for this is brutal — congrats Alexandra!