As is the case with most (all) of my columns, topics stem from an issue we deal with in the newsroom — and for some reason, these issues seem to come in groups.
In June, we were sent a lot of press releases for events, with the expectation that we would be able to send a reporter to cover them.
The problem? The events were scheduled over the weekend, and the requests for coverage came in on Friday afternoon.
Friends, we are a writing staff of five and a half. We cover five counties. Our calendars fill up fast. Which means we must break a lot of hearts when it comes to these last-minute requests. Ninety-five percent of the time, we cannot send anyone because we’re all already booked.
I mean, the worst that happens is we say as much, and ask our inquirer (inquiree?) to take photos and send in a writeup. Most of the time, they understand.
Sometimes, however, they do not.
Look, it’s nothing personal. We care deeply about the news, and we’d love to cover everything. But there is a limit to human capacity.
To maximize the chance that one of us will be able to attend — or to help spread the word ahead of time — here’s what you can do:
• We need a full two weeks’ notice before your event. At least. This gives us an idea of what it is and how we can help you thoroughly promote it. And because we can’t guarantee a run date (everything depends on available print space), having the option of a couple of editions for insertion is helpful on our end for planning purposes. This also gives you time to ask any questions you may have.
• Have an idea of what coverage you’re going for. Press release and calendar listing before, coverage during, thank you ad afterwards? Just coverage? Just the press release? Ad and press release? Just an ad? Only need the calendar listing? You’ve got options is what I’m saying, and we are happy to walk you through all of them.
• Make sure that your press release package is complete. Have that story written. Include photos (1 MB or larger) and name everyone pictured. Be sure there’s contact information so we can give you a call if we have any questions.
• Remember that we are a Wednesday paper with a press deadline of Monday afternoon — meaning that’s when we send our paper off to the press in Salem. Do not send us notices on Mondays or Tuesdays with the expectation that it will go into that week’s edition — by then, it’s too late for inclusion.
P.S. Some press releases are actually ads because of the cost to attend and/or the type of event. Ad deadlines are different than print deadlines, and ads take time to create (not to mention time to send them back to you for any changes and approval). The earlier we get this going, the better able we are to schedule it for the issue of your choice.
P.P.S. Buying an ad does not guarantee we’ll cover your event. There’s still a limit to human capacity. And we cover events regardless of who pays for what.
P.P.P.S. (And yes, I agree, these P.S.s are getting out of hand.) Some people balk at running an ad because they don’t think they should have to spend money to advertise their event. They’re giving us content! What they don’t think about is the costs we incur, both with our print and online editions, and without advertiser support, there wouldn’t be a place to put that content. So give yourself an advertising budget. If you expect your eventgoers to pay for a ticket, why wouldn’t you expect to pay to advertise that event?
Here’s an example of how this all comes together:
Let’s say Trisha’s Awesome Cat Society (what, it could be a thing) is hosting a block party on Friday, July 22 that celebrates — wait for it — how awesome cats are. A large, record-breaking crowd is expected. There will be guest speakers, live music, and a variety of vendors selling cat-related products. (I’m sad I just made this up and it’s not a real thing. I’d totally go!)
A full two weeks before that TACS event — the week of July 4, oops, that’s a holiday, let’s say Tuesday, July 5 then — organizers reach out to Columbia Gorge News via email: We have an event planned and are sending a press release and photo from last year’s block party; in that photo is Goose Walker (he’s a good boy) enjoying his new catnip mouse toy. We’d like our event to go onto the What’s Happening master list as well.
We write back: We can get this onto the event calendar ASAP; we will do our best to get the press release and photo into the July 20 print edition, but should space be an issue, we will get it online on our website and push it out over our social media channels. Also, what would be the best time for a reporter to come and take a photo, if we have one available? Are you interested in a display ad?
They write back: A display ad would be great! Please send us information on ad rates and deadlines; here’s our budget. And the big event of the day is an appearance by Goose at noon, so your reporter should come then.
And we all live happily ever after. The event is a smashing success, thanks to advertising, calendar listing and press release coverage. A reporter comes out for a photo and a follow-up is included in a subsequent issue. And Goose finds fame and fortune as a supermodel, making all his dreams come true. (Just kidding. His dreams mostly just involve extra servings of soft cat food.)
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