I recently wrote about Daylight Saving Time and how it doesn’t really save people money. Mike Sugerman, a reporter at KCBS radio in San Francisco, found it last week and came over to the house to interview me for the story. We talked for about five minutes, and I expected to be on his segment today about Daylight Saving Time.
I was on one of the segments, at about 10:30 a.m., but his segment on the KCBS Web site cut me out as a source. I heard the live version and was happy for my seven seconds of fame and being described as a financial reporter.
To be cut out of the online version is a reminder of the many sources I’ve had to cut from many news stories over the years because they didn’t fit the final draft for some reason. It was interesting to be on the other side.
Like many journalists, I get a lot of pitches from public relations people. Most are good, but some are bad. I edit and write about these topics at WalletPop, a personal finance Web site run by Aol: recession, career, technology, sports & money.
I get plenty of story pitches each week, and I’m glad to get them. Many are filled with good ideas.
For those PR people interested in what makes a good pitch, here are a few things I look for:
1. Succinct pitch. Keep it short and to the point.
2. Enough information, but not too much, to give me the gist of what your story idea is and how it relates to your product. Attach a press release and give me a link to your Web site for more info. Photos or video links also welcomed.
3. Relate it to my beats and my audience. WalletPop is a personal finance Web site, so it must have a personal finance angle, hopefully one to help readers save money. Also keep it to my beats: recession, career, technology, sports & money. Those are broad beats, so you should be able to fit in somewhere.
4. Timely. Embargoes, such as in the video above, are fine, and it’s best to give me your pitch in a timely fashion if it has a news peg. If your company is doing something on the earthquake in Chile that relates to my beats and audience, then pitch it now and not three weeks from now.
5. Sources. Other than a company representative to talk with, provide sources who use your product to talk about it, along with their photos. I use Tungle to schedule interviews, so feel free to take a look at it and think of some times that are compatible if I accept the pitch and want to go forward.
6. Responses. I only respond to e-mails on weekdays, so if I get your e-mail and want to move forward, I’ll respond within 24 hours on a weekday. If you don’t hear back from me within that time, it means I won’t be doing the story. So no need to send me another request, unless you want clarification why or want to rework the pitch. When will the story run, you ask? Usually within a week of the interview, usually much sooner. I always send links to the stories to anyone who has made a successful pitch to me, and any sources who request it.
If you’re looking for what I’m looking to cover on a day-to-day basis, follow me on Twitter: @aaroncrowe
I’ve thought this for a long time, but it really struck me today in two separate events: Every business should hire a journalist if it wants to be successful.
What would a journalist do for a company? Many things, which I’ll get to in a bit, but up high on that list is checking for errors that would upset customers.
Again, two things brought this to mind today. The first was a call I got at 8 this morning from a PR person telling me that their company had changed its mind on charging poor or low-income people double what it does other users of its product.
The second was reading a PoynterOnline column by Jill Geisler on 10 reasons to hire a journalist. I’ll get to Geisler’s column soon, and will expand on it a bit, but first to the issue of a company calling me minutes after waking up to change a program that I had questioned a week earlier in a story I did for WalletPop.
Just what America needs, another excuse to dress like a slob and wear pajamas outside of the house.
As someone who works out of his home as a freelance writer/editor and works most of the day in sweatpants, I realize I don’t have much room to talk here. But come on, pajamas disguised as jeans? Why?
I’m writing about this for WalletPop. It’s a rant worth reading.
A year and seven months ago, I was laid off. I worked 40 hours a week at a job I enjoyed.
Starting Feb. 1, my work week will expand from 25 hours to 30 hours at another job I enjoy — WalletPop, where I’m a section editor and write about various personal finance topics. It’s an Aol blog.
Working 30 hours a week may not sound like much to brag about, but for someone who has been looking for work daily since losing a job in this recession, it’s a great thing.
I started freelancing for WalletPop in October 2008, and slowly moved into editing and working more hours. First it was 15 hours a week, then 20, then 25 and on Feb. 1 it will be 30. That’s six hours a day, an hour more per day, and I’m glad to do it.
Still no benefits, but the pay is great and it’s one of the best part-time jobs I could hope to find. It’s an extremely popular Web site that keeps me interested in writing and editing every day I turn on my computer.
My next goal is 35 hours per week, but first I’d like to get used to 30 hours while Kristen continues working fulltime and our daughter is in my care after she gets out of school.
Filed under: Home, Saving Money, EconomizerDaylight Saving Time begins Sunday, when for eight months people will be fooled into thinking that the extra hour of light will save them money -- or at least not much money. Last year at this time I wrote about how moving the clock forward an hour will get you more light during the day, but won't save you mon […]
Filed under: Travel, RecessionA homeless man in Orange County, California is living a hotel version of the movie "Up in the Air," using frequent flier miles and hotel reward points to live in hotels while he looks for a job. Jim Kennedy, 46, turned 7,000 points from United Airlines and $100 in cash into a four-night stay this week at the Holiday In […]
I recently wrote about Daylight Saving Time and how it doesn’t really save people money. Mike Sugerman, a reporter at KCBS radio in San Francisco, found it last week and came over to the house to interview me for the story. We talked for about five minutes, and I expected to be on his segment today about Daylight Saving Time.
