In addition to regular press releases, feature management is another bread and butter area of media relations. Successful feature pitches mean companies can get the right coverage in the right target publications.
A feature article is an in-depth commentary or investigative piece written by a journalist. Many magazines and newspapers publish editorial calendars, which outline the articles they will be writing on in the coming months. Editorial and advertising departments work together to identify hot issues and product groups. From this they create a features programme combining editorial interest with advertising revenue opportunities – the lifeblood of many publications and the features schedule’s primary purpose.
Most publications publish their ‘forward features list’ around December, for the forthcoming year. These are accessible online or within ‘media packs’ – which publications will be happy to send to prospective advertisers or contributors.
PRs will track all upcoming features that are relevant for their different clients. After liaising with the publication to get a detailed synopsis, the PR puts together a feature pitch which outlines key hot topics that the client can chat about. The objective of a feature pitch is to secure an interview for their client. The pitch should also give a quick summary of the company, their areas of expertise and the availability of the spokesperson for comment.
In addition to collecting all editorial calendars from different industry magazines, agencies will also use industry databases, such as Features Exec and Response Source, which bats journalist queries out to the PR world. In-house PRs will usually rely on a manually created list.
Quick tips
Do:
· Know the title of the feature; the name of the features editor and how he or she prefers to work
· Keep an up-to-date features list – add and amend with new information - features change and shift throughout the year.
· Be relevant and clear. Journalists won’t automatically know who you are or what you mean
· Beware of both publication and journalists’ deadlines – late submissions will rarely be included
· Be relevant. If the writer has an angle in mind tailor your response specifically – but don’t be afraid to suggest new lines of discussion
· Consider readership. Make your pitch as appropriate as possible
· Have spokespeople available
· Have end-user spokespeople available wherever possible
· Have opinions and be prepared for them to be juxtaposed with those of organisations with the opposite view
Don’t:
· Push your own angle too aggressively – the journalist will be working to his agenda
· Send in irrelevant comment – journalists will quickly discount you as a time-waster
· Suggest spokespeople who will not deliver or will be nervous and make mistakes
· Badger journalists – they are unlikely to return your calls
· Give a sales pitch – that’s not what the readers want
· Be dismayed if you’re not the top commentator in every feature: journalists have to ensure variety and objectivity
· Be offended if journalists are grumpy: they are working under pressure, to tight deadlines