What to Do When an Editor/Writer You Are Actively Working On a Story With Gets Laid Off
Learn how to save your story AND a relationship by following our step-by-step guide
Hello, Top Tier Community.
There were a slew of editorial layoffs earlier this year, and still some more trickling in over the past few weeks. The media industry continues to struggle, making simple PR tasks harder than ever.
One question we recently received was, “What do you do when an editor or writer you are in the middle of working on a story with gets laid off?” This question is a sure sign of the times … after all, you certainly don’t want that story to die without ever seeing the light of day, but now you’re facing an extra challenge to bring it to fruition. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you navigate it properly.
Before we dive in, a few reminders:
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Become a Journalist’s BFF: Networking and Relationship Management Session
Some publicists seem to have a transactional “wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am” approach to their work, but highly successful publicists know that building long-term relationships with journalists is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Learn how to meet new journalists, and discover best practices for staying in touch, following up, and creating meaningful relationships. You’ll also discover how to become a writer’s go-to source, how to stand out when answering a writer’s call for sources (whether that’s on HARO, a FB group, Twitter, or Substack), how to avoid common writer pet peeves and more.
Press Package 101 Session
Looking to mail out samples of your clients’ products in hopes of landing coverage? Great, but there’s a list of things you should know before dropping them off at the post office — things like planning, packaging, and communications will make all the difference in your ROI. We’ll help you make your packages more enticing, while actually saving your clients money in the process. And we’ll discuss how to target the right audiences, how to handle post-delivery follow-ups, and more.
Press Trips Invites and Itineraries Session
The two most important aspects of pulling off a successful press trip are nailing your invites and itineraries. First, we’ll dive into journalist targeting and invitation etiquette do’s and don’ts. Then, you’ll learn how to build a press trip itinerary that will actually land you coverage. We’ll focus on striking the perfect blend between offering media the chance to experience a destination, while zeroing in on quality and unique experiences that can lead to coverage — and help you find that elusive balance between keeping writers entertained vs. not overbooking them.
Hosting the Perfect Virtual and/or In-Person Media Event Session
Events are efficient ways to connect with a lot of media in one setting. During these sessions, you’ll learn the ins and outs of how to create a media event that journalists will A) Want to attend B) Will stay engaged at C) Will work into coverage. We’ll teach you how to target the ideal attendees who are there for article ideas and not just the free swag. We’ll talk venues, guest lists, and what to say in your presentation, plus how to coach your clients to interact with media at events in the most beneficial way.
Your Custom Session
The above options are just a sample of topics, based on questions we get asked about most frequently. But if you have something you’d love to discuss that you don’t see on the list, we’re happy to create a custom session around it. Let’s dive deeper!
Interested in hearing more? Email us at info@toptierconsulting.NET.
Recording Available: Become a Journalist's BFF Workshop (All Our Best Tricks and Tips!)
Did you miss our Become a Journalist's BFF: Networking and Relationship Management" workshop last month?
We went through our entire 50-minute presentation on best practices when it comes to meeting new journalists, networking with journalists, and becoming a writer’s go-to source.
Then we had a robust Q&A and discussion that was SO GOOD that we ended up going way past the initial hour.
It’s not too late to get caught up!
Ok, back to this week’s topic: What to Do When an On-Staff Editor/Writer You Are Actively Working On a Story With Gets Laid Off
So you’re in the middle of working on a story with staff writer/editor … things are going swimmingly. Perhaps they’ve already tried your product, loved it and are in the middle of writing an “I Tried it” style review. Or perhaps they are folding it into a round up. Or maybe your client is an expert and they’ve already completed the interview and are now busy writing the story.
And then you stop hearing from them, even though they were responsive before.
You send an email or two … and nothing. No response.
Have you been ghosted?! (It works both ways … read this Substack called, “Are You Guilty of Dropping the Momentum When Working With a Writer?”)
Perhaps, but let’s not jump to any conclusions here … there’s a very good chance they’ve gotten laid off.
We’re going to walk you through a step by step guide on how to determine if this is the case, and the what steps you can take to save your story!
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