SWMS Deep-Dive, Part 1: TikTok Not Vital For Tech PR
February 13, 2024
4:12 am
Is TikTok worth the attention of tech PR pros? Based on fresh SWMS research, the answer is no, not really.
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SWMS Deep-Dive, Part 2: TikTok Targets in Tier 1
February 13, 2024
4:09 am
What exactly is Tier 1 publishing on TikTok, and is it pitchable? So few PR pros know because when they do find themselves on TikTok, they are probably not visiting, say, The Economist.
SWMS Deep-Dive, Part 3: The Toxicity of Retention Editing
February 13, 2024
3:48 am
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Analysis: What’s Coming In AI Coverage, Feb.-Apr.
February 7, 2024
8:50 am
What can tech PR expect in terms of AI coverage in February, March and April? As part of a valet consulting request, a subscriber asked us to do some thinking on that. Below is what we came up with.
More Narrative Formula Examples
January 25, 2024
5:42 am
Perhaps you saw our Nov. 30 analysis of narrative story formulas that continually appear in Tier 1. The idea would be for PR pros to contour their story pitches to fit one of these formulas, since publications are writing these kinds of stories anyway.
Cheat Sheet: App Reporters
January 23, 2024
4:06 am
Nothing is more frustrating than landing coverage for a new app — or worse, the new version of an old app. Apps themselves are old technology — Apple introduced the iPhone almost 17 years ago.
SWMS Dossier: Belle Lin, WSJ CIO Journal
January 17, 2024
8:04 am
If tech journalism had its own 30 Under 30 list, Belle Keni Lin certainly would be on it. The 28-year-old WSJ reporter started her career as a marcom intern, first at Dropbox and later at Fleetsmith, an IT software company later acquired by Apple.
Cheat Sheet: Forbes Staff Reporters & Editors
January 15, 2024
4:24 am
We’re told by Alex Konrad that the Forbes masthead can be found in each print issue. If you don’t have one handy, here’s a cheat sheet with the names, beats and contact info for 45 Forbes staff reporters and editors.
SWMS Diagram: The Tier 1 Edit Process
January 12, 2024
4:35 am
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that when you’re pitching Tier 1 reporters, you are pitching their bosses at the same time. That’s why it’s helpful to understand the entire editorial process in the publications you’re pitching — not just the persuasion part.
Three Challenges for Fortune In 2024
December 27, 2023
8:26 am
We’ve probably overcovered Fortune this year relative to other publications, but only because the 94-year-old publication outperformed everyone else in the industry. That was then. Fortune may struggle in ’24 to replicate 2023’s success. Here’s why.
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FRIDGE NOTES
Cornell Researchers: AI Writes Much of Tier 1’s Thought Leadership…
January 3, 2026
… and rarely reveals it. Roughly 45K opinion recent pieces from Washington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal, are 6.4 times more likely to contain AI-generated content than news articles from the same publications, with many AI-flagged op-eds authored by prominent public figures. Despite this prevalence, Cornell says, “we find that AI use is rarely disclosed: a manual audit of 100 AI-flagged articles found only five disclosures of AI use.”
Tekpon Buys The Next Web from The FT
January 3, 2026
From WebPro News: Romanian software marketplace Tekpon acquired The Next Web (TNW) from the Financial Times, rescuing the tech media brand from closure.
Right-Wing Podcasts: Dare You Pitch Them?
November 24, 2025
The day is coming that you will not be able to avoid framing the targets in terms of red or blue. So far you’ve been able to do that. Those days are coming to a close: large swaths of “the audience” are headed in this direction. If you don’t believe it, read this from Bloomberg. You will never see better reporting than this.
GEO and AEO: Be Careful of What You Promise the Clients
November 19, 2025
Superb reporting from Business Insider on what comes after Google Search. All the experts quizzed. The gist: these technologies and techniques are borderline mythical at this point.
AI-Driven Security Threats: A Threat to Edit ‘Shelf Space’ Too?
November 18, 2025
In the latest installment of Sound Thinking...David Strom, a well-known IT reporter and security expert, discusses the threat of AI tricking security systems and luring them to catastrophe. What will that mean to editors? When will it happen? It’s not an if, it’s a when.
Nieman Labs 2026 Predictions for B2B Media
November 11, 2025
Good vision here from Jay Lauf. Interestingly, Jay suggests that B2B publishing will become a service business to B2B pros, providing value directly to individuals and organizations. Static content is dying very quickly. This is the point of the analysis from this great media organization.