Media Layoffs: 10 Tips for Maintaining PR Success in Today's Volatile Publishing Industry
Competition is fiercer than ever, so don't let your pitches get lost in the shuffle.
It’s Thursday, TTC subscribers! You’ve almost made it through the week, and we know it’s been a doozy between the election, tropical storms and … well, life.
There’s an elephant in the room that we’d like to discuss today: the state of the publishing industry right now. If you’ve been paying attention, you know that things are looking a little grim. And part of our responsibility with this newsletter is to share the good, bad and ugly about our industry so that you’re informed and can pivot appropriately.
Note: If you subscribe to Jill’s Substack, the first part of this post mirrors what she sent out earlier this week. We’d never normally repurpose a post, but her post has been viewed over 10,000 times (!!!), which is why we decided to share it to a wider audience here as well. However, we’re taking it a step further and doing a deeper dive into even more actionable advice, so stick with us beyond the paywall for 10 key takeaways.
Surely you’ve heard the news by now of Bustle, Nylon and Romper laying off staffers and freelancers last week. Another major publisher did a round of layoffs earlier this week, too (not sure it’s public knowledge yet). And several of our editors at various publications have sent cryptic emails to their regular freelancers explaining that there are no new assignments at this time because, “budgets are wonky for the rest of the year.”
What does all this mean for you?
It means that some of the editors/freelancers you’ve been working with no longer have a job. We see a lot of chatter in the PR Facebook groups about a lack of response to pitches lately, so that may be why you’re not hearing back. It may also be why a story died in the middle of the process.
It means that there will be less content being published (at least for the near future) because there are fewer people to create it … there’s only so much workload the remaining staffers can pick up. If a publication was pushing out 20 stories a day, now they may only be doing half that volume.
And when editors say budgets are “wonky,” that means they are holding budget to see what happens with the economy and doing their best to maintain profit margins. They are minimizing spending. With less budget comes fewer assignments for freelancers, which again impacts the volume of content being created.
That, in turn, means you’ll have even fewer editorial coverage opportunities for your clients, as content goals and production schedules shift.
The end result? Competition for coverage is getting even more fierce because now you’re all vying for the same remaining opportunities (which may be half what they were just a few weeks ago).
Honestly, we won’t be surprised if we hear about more media layoffs before the end of the year.
So what can you do?
We’ve compiled a list of 10 things you can do right now to help weather this storm, maintain your relationships with reporters, and keep your clients happy! This isn’t the time to sit back idly and watch …. it’s a time to be proactive and take action! We’ll also be discussing this topic in next week’s Top Tier Talk (RSVP here), answering your questions and brainstorming more actionable steps publicists can take. It’ll be a great opportunity for you to engage with your colleagues, collaborate on ideas, and feel a sense of community in these weird times.
Blocked by the paywall below? Now’s your chance to upgrade your subscription at a discounted rate, in the name of Friendsgiving! That’s right, we’re currently offering 30% off an annual subscription!
Aside from being able to join our monthly Top Tier Talks (there’s one next week!), you’ll also get full access to our weekly emails. Want to read our industry insights? And all future ones? And all the ones in our archives? Just click the button below to sign up with savings:
And while we’re sharing our November specials, we’re also offering 25% off a consulting session! Want to workshop a few pitches with two top-tier writers? Try our Pitch Perfecting Session. Or how about booking an agency-wide Q&A for your entire team? We also offer customized sessions on perfecting a press trip itinerary, learning how to connect with new writers and build solid media relationships, nailing the fine art of press mailers and throwing an event that will translate into lots of coverage. We’re excited to offer you 25% off for any consulting session booked during November (note: we can schedule the session for November or December).
Please share this post with all your colleagues so that they’re up to speed on the media world, too!
Ok, without further ado, let’s dive into our 10 tips for finding PR success right now: