originally posted to www.carnsight.com

This guest article was kindly contributed by Hannah Newton, freelance journalist who’s work has been published in The Times, The Guardian and The Telegraph – to name but a few.

The days of press release spam from PR agencies seem to be, almost, behind us, over the last decade the media landscape has transformed at breakneck speed, evolving into a dynamic digital dystopia with the rapid consumption of content, the meagre spend on copy and advertising diversifying wretchedly across multiple platforms and in-house editorial teams rapidly shrinking.

PR’s and journalists are constantly evolving to keep up with these changes and continue to make their mark in a fluctuating creative industry. Understanding best practices in our mutual working relationship is central to getting the ultimate results, so read on to discover my top tips for working with a freelance:

• Relationships, it’s the drum that I keep on beating. But, like any successful business union getting to know each other, understanding how to mutually work together, what I am looking for and when, is the foundation of success. The price of a G&T or a flat white and an hour of your day, could be the difference between getting coverage and feedback, or not.

• I find it useful when a PR has tailored a story idea for me. That might be a lot to ask, but pitching a singular story focused on my industry really cuts through the email noise and helps to pin down how we can work on something juicy together.

• To connect through DMs or not? A controversial topic, personally as a freelancer with public social media accounts, I am happy to start a conversation through my DMs and take it to email. However, not everyone feels this way, personally I would say, go for it, politely obviously. But if you get no response, let it go.

• Editing, once I have filed my piece to the editor it is literally out of my hands. My allegiance is to my editor, not you, sorry! But this means changes, edits, removals happen and there is very little I can do about it. The buck stops with the editor and we both have to accept that.

• Read the publications, know the audience, one press release size does not fit all, unless it’s a straightforward product listicle. Do a content diagnostic and decipher what my editor is looking for, what the audience is actually reading and bear in mind as a freelance, I have multiple agendas, that’s the key to unlock the story.

• Listen, I get ghosted all the time by editors, you’re not alone, it’s a tough industry this one, but please know it is really not personal. Sometimes I forget, I’m too busy, or I literally think, this is not for me and don’t bother to reply. But do chase: once, fine, twice, hmmm maybe – if you really think it’s worth it, thrice, never.

• A feature journalist and a news journalist are very different. Make sure you know which type you are working with. Round ups are great for consumer journalists, news journalists want exactly that, and feature writers are looking for case studies, stats and quotes from a broad spectrum.

• There is the good, the bad and the downright ugly in every industry, for every brilliant journalist there is a brilliant PR and the same goes for the other side of the coin. I dislike the sweeping statement: hacks v flacks, we are all human and we are all trying to do our job well. Having a bit of respect for each other goes a long way, alongside diplomacy and journalistic integrity; the outcome we all want.

More from Hannah Newton: Five insider tips for building a stronger PR-journalist relationship

About Carnsight Communications

At Carnsight Communications we create strategies and campaigns to showcase our clients’ brilliant work through PR, content and social media. We help them get noticed by the right audience, at the right time. We specialise in creative agency PR.