On embargoes and exclusives in the current media/PR game

Scott Kirsner posted some interesting thoughts on how the game has changed regarding the timing of offering news to the media.  His major point is that he wants it first, especially if it is about big developments or happenings that fit into his Innovation Economy section and column -- often he wants the news before the executives and PR team may feel fully ready to talk about it, but that's when he views it as most relevant for his readers.  He doesn't want warmed-over news that's been covered by other outlets and now is being "placed" with the Boston Globe.  

He may use his Twitter feed to point to it, but he's not going to cover it until there is some new juicy angle he finds newsworthy.  

Last, he is not interested in embargoed announcements, as his time is better spent developing unique coverage than getting the jump on something everyone else will cover.  Interestingly, he's pitching the value of coming to him first with the most relevant news for his coverage angle, pointing to the reach of Boston.com and its propensity for getting picked up in other outlets.

Kirsner asks for comments and I'm going to submit one, linking to this blog post.  He wants to know from us PR types whether we're seeing the way of the world changing as well.  He wants to hear from the entrepreneurs he writes for whether they agree with his strategy. 

Many of my PR brethren already have weighed in on his blog.  I have to say I agree with his concern about embargoes, as it is difficult to ask a journalist paid to uncover news to wait, as if at the starting line of a foot race, to cover the news.  We use these rarely and usually recommend against them.  

I also get that he wants fresh news and doesn't want sloppy seconds.  That makes sense.  I am liking the fact that he's pushing the value of coverage on Boston.com, as I like to believe there is a healthy push-pull between companies trying to get Kirsner and other Globe reporters' attention and the latter vying to get their news first.

The change we see

The biggest change we've seen over the past few years regarding timing of announcements is that news is so immediate due to Twitter, Facebook, blogs and other social media channels, that it's harder and harder to stage an important announcement for maximum impact and to protect public companies from selective disclosure.  A great deal of planning and forethought -- suggested by Kirsner and certainly implemented already by any strategy communications person worth his or her salt -- goes into the biggest announcements we are helping our clients and companies execute.  

I think the key decision regarding who to go to first, however, often comes down to relationship, trust and perceived value.  Our executive spokespeople want to feel comfortable and confident in the journalists or bloggers they talk with first about something that is critical to their companies.  It helps tremendously if they have met the writer before at a conference or a one-on-one meeting not intended to generate coverage. 

A big problem is that, as Kirsner notes, many journalists will not take those meetings with executives unless there is news attached, so that essential relationship building with the actual company executives is tough to achieve.  The PR contacts lean on their own relationships and knowledge of the reporters to reassure their clients that this will be a productive meeting and an appropriate bet to take with their news, but it isn't the same.  And then it's certainly the PR team's job to analyze the value of giving news to one vehicle versus another, using the types of data Kirsner provided about Boston.com.  At the end of the day, it's all about creating value for the company and using the spokesperson's time well for maximum ROI.

My primary comment on this Scott's latest viewpoint, which I've also posted there,"I hear you, Scott, and I agree that times have changed and your needs have changed.  But at the same time, journalists need to consider taking a few more meetings with good potential spokespeople if they truly want to be first in line when news breaks."