22 Mar Writing the story myself
More proof the media is totally changing. Last week I pitched a story to an online pub that’s really popular in its niche. I guess my hook was pretty good since the editor called me in about five minutes. (Another thing I love about online media – you usually hear back fast if you’re gonna hear back at all)
The editor did like my pitch. In fact he liked it so much he asked me to write the article. For free. I’m used to providing custom content from my clients as industry experts. But this is the first time an editor has asked me, the publicist, to actually write the article. To be fair the guy knew I had written for Gannett in the past but when I asked if it was okay to use my clients as sources he said “sure!” So not only do I get a fabulous hit for two clients I also get to craft the entire placement in their favor. This bothers me a little. At the same time I wondered if I should be offering to write free articles every time I pitch. There have been white papers and article writing services around for years. But this is different.
Maybe I’m making too much of it – maybe it’s a one time thing. I’ve been writing segment outlines for TV talent for a couple years now as they’ve lost their producers in the field to budget cuts. This is just the next step I guess, and after all it’s not the Wall Street Journal.
One print reporter said he was headed straight for the painkillers after I told him this. Like I said – the media is changing.