Or smoothing the path in less than a minute.
Why PR people assist travel writers
When PR people assist travel writers, they don’t do it out of the goodness of their own heart. They’re sorting out itineraries, organising complimentary hotels and arranging meals because they are expecting coverage.
Lack of coverage?
When they get that coverage, they have done their job. If they don’t get coverage, the clients (such as the hotel or tourist board) start questioning whether they’ve employed the right PR people. Unfortunately, these helpful PR people aren’t psychic and often they won’t know that your article has come out.
Notify the PR person
This is why it’s always good practice to notify the relevant PR people when any articles that they helped out with come out. I always try and send a weblink or notify the PR chap(ess) that the magazine is on the shelf. It doesn’t cost me anything to do so, and it helps maintain a good relationship.
Less than a minute
From their end, it’s incredibly helpful, and they’re far more likely to help you out again in future. For something that takes less than a minute, dropping a line to say “the article’s out” is an incredibly effective way of smoothing the path for future trips.
Showing posts with label Press trips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Press trips. Show all posts
Monday, 16 February 2009
Friday, 26 December 2008
#66 – The alternative to group press trips
Or going solo with tourist board support.
Unsatisfactory compromise
As I have said previously, I don’t tend to go on many group press trips. I find that these trips try too hard to keep everyone happy, and thus end up with a compromise that satisfies nobody. My preference is to go for individual trips, supported by the tourist board or hotel.
Not advertised
So what do I mean by this? Well, these trips are not ones that you’ll see advertised on bulletin boards or travel writer forums. Essentially, they are a case of deciding where you want to go, teeing up a commission or two and then contacting the tourist board.
Contact the tourist board first
Or, if you know the destination would ordinarily be out of your price range, contacting the tourist board first to see if they would be amenable to hosting you while there. If the tourist board indicates that they would be happy to assist with accommodation, guided tours etc, then you can start pitching potential ideas to editors.
Support and commissions
It’s rare that a tourist board will spend money hosting a journalist without a commission, but most will be prepared to offer support to a journalist that will definitely be getting an article about the destination published.
Personalised itineraries
The advantage of doing it this way is that the itineraries will usually be drawn up with only you in mind. They will not be catering to the needs of six other writers and every signed-up member of the local tourism body. You want to research glass-blowing and the micro-brewing scene? Then your trip will be tailored around these aspects, rather than having them inadequately shoe-horned in for a flying visit.
Level of support
The level of support will differ from destination to destination. Some tourist boards will put you up in lavish accommodation, give you public transport cards, a guide, a driver and free entry to anywhere you care to visit. Others will be a lot more stingy. It’s very rare that they will cover flights, however – bear this in mind.
Organisation and pro-activity
This method does take a bit more organisation and pro-activity on the writer’s part, but the pay-off is worth it. There are fewer of the inconveniences and problems associated with group press trips, and the individual experience usually makes for a more genuine article. There’s very little authenticity about being herded round in a bus with a group of other travel writers, after all.
Unsatisfactory compromise
As I have said previously, I don’t tend to go on many group press trips. I find that these trips try too hard to keep everyone happy, and thus end up with a compromise that satisfies nobody. My preference is to go for individual trips, supported by the tourist board or hotel.
Not advertised
So what do I mean by this? Well, these trips are not ones that you’ll see advertised on bulletin boards or travel writer forums. Essentially, they are a case of deciding where you want to go, teeing up a commission or two and then contacting the tourist board.
Contact the tourist board first
Or, if you know the destination would ordinarily be out of your price range, contacting the tourist board first to see if they would be amenable to hosting you while there. If the tourist board indicates that they would be happy to assist with accommodation, guided tours etc, then you can start pitching potential ideas to editors.
Support and commissions
It’s rare that a tourist board will spend money hosting a journalist without a commission, but most will be prepared to offer support to a journalist that will definitely be getting an article about the destination published.
Personalised itineraries
The advantage of doing it this way is that the itineraries will usually be drawn up with only you in mind. They will not be catering to the needs of six other writers and every signed-up member of the local tourism body. You want to research glass-blowing and the micro-brewing scene? Then your trip will be tailored around these aspects, rather than having them inadequately shoe-horned in for a flying visit.
Level of support
The level of support will differ from destination to destination. Some tourist boards will put you up in lavish accommodation, give you public transport cards, a guide, a driver and free entry to anywhere you care to visit. Others will be a lot more stingy. It’s very rare that they will cover flights, however – bear this in mind.
Organisation and pro-activity
This method does take a bit more organisation and pro-activity on the writer’s part, but the pay-off is worth it. There are fewer of the inconveniences and problems associated with group press trips, and the individual experience usually makes for a more genuine article. There’s very little authenticity about being herded round in a bus with a group of other travel writers, after all.
Saturday, 15 November 2008
#63 – Getting the commission that seals a press trip
Or looking for angles in the itineraries.
How to get on a press trip
In Tip #60 I explained that the way to get on a press trip (or junket, if we’re being honest) is to secure a commission in advance from a publication that the PR company or tourist board wants coverage in.
Getting the commission
This is a lot easier said than done, especially if you’re seeking the commission from a publication you haven’t worked for before. Most editors don’t like handing out commissions to people they don’t know, especially if they haven’t even been to the destination yet.
Vague press trip invitations
The other problem is that press trip invitations can be incredibly vague. They will often invite you to “explore the history of Snotsville” or “get active in Snotsland’s wonderful Snotty mountains”. If this is the case, the first step should be to e-mail the PR person back and ask what exactly this entails. Respectfully state that you would be interested in the trip, and could potentially secure a commission, but you need more information to pitch to the editor with.
Itinerary or waffle?
One of two things happens here – the good PR people send back an approximated itinerary, with details on each aspect of it. The bad PR people direct you to a website or send you back a whole lot more waffle on the wonders of the area. In other words, they don’t even know themselves what will happen on the trip.
Ones to avoid
Avoid the latter – chances are it’ll end up being a trudge around new hotel developments, and a series of half-arsed tasters of what the region has to offer. If the former, take that information, and hunt for an angle.
Example
If, for example, a whale watching tour is part of the trip, take a look at the company website and try and dig out something unique about the company or the whales in the area. Is the ship’s captain a former whaler who switched to tourism? Are whale numbers in the region rapidly increasing due to protection measures? That is the sort of thing that could be pitched out.
Selection of angles
It may take a little more research than just looking at the itinerary presented, but a good trip should present a selection of possible angles to pitch to editors. Find the angles, pitch them out, hope the editor bites, and then go back to the PR people saying that Publication X has commissioned you to write a story as a result of the trip. As long as the publication in question is one they want coverage in, your place should be secured.
How to get on a press trip
In Tip #60 I explained that the way to get on a press trip (or junket, if we’re being honest) is to secure a commission in advance from a publication that the PR company or tourist board wants coverage in.
Getting the commission
This is a lot easier said than done, especially if you’re seeking the commission from a publication you haven’t worked for before. Most editors don’t like handing out commissions to people they don’t know, especially if they haven’t even been to the destination yet.
Vague press trip invitations
The other problem is that press trip invitations can be incredibly vague. They will often invite you to “explore the history of Snotsville” or “get active in Snotsland’s wonderful Snotty mountains”. If this is the case, the first step should be to e-mail the PR person back and ask what exactly this entails. Respectfully state that you would be interested in the trip, and could potentially secure a commission, but you need more information to pitch to the editor with.
Itinerary or waffle?
One of two things happens here – the good PR people send back an approximated itinerary, with details on each aspect of it. The bad PR people direct you to a website or send you back a whole lot more waffle on the wonders of the area. In other words, they don’t even know themselves what will happen on the trip.
Ones to avoid
Avoid the latter – chances are it’ll end up being a trudge around new hotel developments, and a series of half-arsed tasters of what the region has to offer. If the former, take that information, and hunt for an angle.
Example
If, for example, a whale watching tour is part of the trip, take a look at the company website and try and dig out something unique about the company or the whales in the area. Is the ship’s captain a former whaler who switched to tourism? Are whale numbers in the region rapidly increasing due to protection measures? That is the sort of thing that could be pitched out.
Selection of angles
It may take a little more research than just looking at the itinerary presented, but a good trip should present a selection of possible angles to pitch to editors. Find the angles, pitch them out, hope the editor bites, and then go back to the PR people saying that Publication X has commissioned you to write a story as a result of the trip. As long as the publication in question is one they want coverage in, your place should be secured.
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