Pitching to Features journalists - Notes

8/7/2019 Pitching to Features journalists - Notes

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Features Panel

Alex Needham

Acting Arts Editor at The Guardian

I fills the arts pages of G2

The paper is put together the day before, which means pieces can be turnedaround speedily if there is appetite for them

We look for a good mix of high and low culture – mindful that certain bigstories and exhibitions inevitably have to be covered.

We try very hard not to be London focused.

Currently, hot topics are Arts Cuts, Censorship, Spiderman the Musical…

Always looking for the story behind the obvious. Has to have some relevanceand wider hook – stories won’t be run just for the hell of it.

With people, there needs to be some element of zeitgeist with them. Whencoming in with suggestions be mindful of how people are relevant or connected.

Getting in touch.

For Films, 3 months in advance. Articles 4-6 weeks in advance. Good tohave flexibility on scheduling. But there is room for faster turnaround.

Best to email, followed by a phonecall.

Deadlines

Can go pretty close to the wire.

There’s competition between papers, which sometimes leads to PRs invitingjournalists in for shows before they’re ready. Try not to.

Editorial Decisions

Quite lo-fi about his. Even with the significant shows that need to be covered,we try to think about different ways of doing them.



Editors are generalists rather than specialists

They speak to the experts and rely on them to deliver knowledge

We check off the must-do lists to make sure these events are covered, but try

not to be too slavish about this.

Competition

There is both internal and external competition for stories. Meetings are heldto try and avoid the former, but editors can still be caught out.

I don’t mind embargoes. Is better to know where things stand – althoughembargoes should come with good reason.

Pressures

The pressures you’d expect with the fast turnaround of so much content. ButI love the adrenaline of pulling the paper together.



Harry MountFreelance Journalist

Lovely to see people who I’ve worked with on great stories before.

Am a freelance. Quite a few stories are given by editors, though about half are suggested.

The obvious thing to start with. Have a peg. Have a story. Getting in touchabout 3-4 weeks before is great for a daily, a bit longer for a magazine.

Anniversaries are good, but try and stick to the big numbers, otherwise it getsa bit tenuous,

Give me warning. If I can get in early I can get a post in the commissioner’sdiary.

Journalists aren’t the most industrious of people! Work out what they’vedone, written and what they appear to like. Journalists, like everyone else,love a bit of flattery. Study their interests and get in early.

Papers are fairly flexible (more than you think) if you can find a new angle, or a different way of doing things. Eg. exhibitions can be turned into travelpieces with the right hook.

A perfect pitch will be a couple of paragraphs with some juicy stuff in it. Willthen pitch one outlet at a time.

As many images as possible, both for pitching and as back ups for picturestaken by the papers and magazines themselves.

Separate to the pitch, once agreed send through an email with as informationas possible.

The perfect example is the PR who got in touch very rarely, but when they did

always had something extraordinary. This is the ideal arrangement. Targetedmissiles backed up with great material.



Simon StephensAssistant Editor – Museums Journal

Museums Journal is published by the Museums Association.

In many ways it’s a typical trade magazine, publishing 8,000 copies with25,000 readers.

News comes at the front, followed by comment, features and reviews.

Written by a mix of journalists and museum people. Features are mainly byjournalists – well researched and in depth they are still full of the knowledgeprovided by museum people.

Timings – we can decide features up to six months ahead, with holes in

between to slot in shorter lead content.

Example January 2011 issue:

1 meaty feature over 6 pages.‘Red Road’ used as a hook into people and artists working with socialhousing. Links also in to Serpentine show.

2nd feature over 4 pagesMuseum opening in Middle East

3rd feature over 2 pages

4th feature – profile piece.

ReviewsWritten by museum professionalsTend to steer away from the big shows as they’re so widely covered, and MJis uniquely able to look at smaller museums and events. Exclusivity not areally a problem, and MJ doesn’t look for it. Readership will attuned to thecontent and issues coming up.



Imogen Carter – Deputy Editor, Observer New Review

About Observer New Review

The intellectual heart of the Observer.Not just about arts – also covers politics and current affairsNewly expanded, so there are lots of possibilities for coverageThe important thing is getting the mix right within each issue.

Made up of six sections:AGENDA – fun and fluffier than other sections, features Q&A’s and DavidMitchell’s columnFEATURESDISCOVERY (science, with lots of potential for museums and cultural

organisations)CRITICSBOOKSTV LISTINGS

Critics and Features discuss their content to avoid duplication

Images are absolutely vital and have been since launch. A lack of imagesmakes it very hard to place a story (although not completely impossible)

New Review tries to cover topics and venues outside London, and makes areal effort to get out of the capital.

The weekly format, together with the size of the paper, mean that althoughsome shows have to be covered, there is often space for smaller or quirkier material. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and see.

Always be aware of online content. Look for extras that can appear on thewebsite (eg, unique behind the scenes access)

The editor of New Review is Jane FergusonThere are 4 senior editors, and 2 commissioning editors: all work across thesections, with some area of specialism.

Sarah Donaldson is Arts Editor Kasper Llewellyn Smith is Discovery Editor

Different slots require different levels of access and time.

Page 3 – really popular for interviews. Eg actors/actresses a week or two

before an opening. Short interview, not much time required.



On My Radar. Can be done in ten minutes over the phone. Doesn’t need tobe the biggest show – access is key

Q&A – a good slot – again can be done over the phone. Not always arts,although this is the norm.

The 10 Best – a great page to find link ins for.

Discover – can be hard to fill. There are lots of opportunities here for science/art tie ins.

Can be hard to find room to feature new talents, but there are creative waysaround this. Eg established artists nominating new.

Pieces are image led more and more. Often stories that would probably havebeen cast aside make it because of striking images.

Interesting articles usually find a new angle on the well known, whether subjects or people.

With enough notice the paper will do the research to flesh out comprehensivepieces.

Timings:

Go to press on Thursday/Friday

Best to call on Monday/Tuesday

Tuesday afternoon – ideas meeting held, discuss Agenda, interviews. Frontpages decided nearer to press day. Also a longer lead meeting for fuller features.

Editorial Decisions:

Hard to answer exactly how these are made. Decisions are very much madeas a team, looking at getting the mix right.

Lead times. Slots a filled up until April, but there are always holes to slotmaterial in.Always come with ideas.

I used to work in PR and am surprised, from the other side, how few peoplepick up the phone and send emails directly.



Exclusivity:

For big interviews we ask for the first. In truth we always want to come first,

but there is flexibility. Be honest about what you’ve set up, and we can seewhat can be arranged. An honest relationship on both sides is the best wayto work

Prioritise journalists. Answer their queries as swiftly as you can – always getback to them!



Questions

How do the panel feel about running features and stories on the sameday as other outlets?

I.C. As a rule of thumb we want to come first. It depends on the outlet. For example, something appearing in Sunday Times Culture will scupper afeature for Observer New Review. There are scales of competition. Indy onSunday is less of a threat.

H.M. It’s not impossible, if the angles are different or the subject strongenough. For example, I did an interview with Ronald Searle for the Spectator.Valerie Grove had run ahead with a piece in The Times, but the interview stillran.

Do these rules apply in the same way with broadcast competition, eg,

with the Today Programme?

I.C. We will want to be the first broadsheet. Broadcast isn’t necessarily anissue.

H.M. Often a broadcast feature will spark off further news in other outlets.

A.N. The thing to remember is that no-one wants to feel part of marketingcampaign, so if the same material is put out in a number of outlets it’s lessappealing.

Would you run features (and Agenda pieces) for one off events as wellas exhibitions?

I.C. We would.

How do the panel feel about exclusivity against the freesheets?

A.N. For us Metro is less of an issue. The Evening Standard are acompetitor.

I.C. All is negotiable. Honesty is the key.

A.N. Yes, please avoid surprises. Always better to know what is going on.

H.M. A story can be split to give two outlets very different accounts of samesubject,

Do media partnerships with other outlets affect your editorial decisions?

I.C . Not an issue if a show is partnered by another outlet. But if the mediapartnership is our, we’ll want first run.

How do you see the effect of funding cuts?



A.N. Mark Brown runs a cuts watch blog on the Guardian website, which isan interesting source and outlet for cuts stories and information.

S.S. There is a constant flow of ‘threat of closure’ stories at the moment, well

covered by Museums Journal. There are a lot of members of A.M. suddenly.There is a lot of interest understandably, and the website reflects this.

H.M. Sometimes silver linings can be found. There are many pieces writtenaround buildings under threat.

How do your features link up with website content?

A.N. We’re expanding our offer, so there will be more opportunities for onlinefeatures and link ins.

I.C. There’s good depth of engagement from people interested in the artsonline.

How soon should we get back in touch with you after getting a feature?

I.C. Get in touch!!

H.M. Quality of the story is everything. If it’s a good story, get in touch. Don’tworry when it comes.

I.C. We go back to PRs who make things happen.

SUMMARY

1. The conference has given a real sense of the different timings of different journalists and their different needs. Interesting to hear of conferences – Wednesday is the new Monday!

2. Top tip for contacting editors. Simple but sound – email then phone.

3. Images are more important than ever.4. Remember there is a command hierarchy. The key is to keep the

enthusiasm running along this chain.5. Think about what is topical. Anniversaries etc.6. News generates news!7. Honesty is everything. Let people know where they stand. Always

better in the long run.8. Flattery! Journalists are like everyone else, and like to made to feel

special. Be nice and be heard.

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Pitching to Features journalists - Notes