23 Aug Networx: What ‘New’ Media Want
Our Networx ‘What ‘New’ Media Want’ event (August 21, The Unicorn Hotel) looked at the best ways to secure coverage for your brand with ‘new’ media, compared to their traditional counterparts.
The panel included: Daily Life Editor, Sarah Oakes; Elle Magazine Deputy Editor, Damien Woolnough; NewsLifeMedia Group Publisher, Nick Smith and Jen Bishop, founder and blogger of Interiors Addict.
The speakers discussed the impact new media has had on their publications, varying from online becoming an extension of print publications to websites being the key medium for readers. Our speakers also revealed to our guests the best ways to get products and brands featured.
Sarah Oakes informed our guests that Daily Life runs 5 lead features every day so it’s not essential to have a long lead to run something – you just need to ensure the content is right for the audience. Most importantly, Sarah said nothing was more important than authentic content for Daily Life.
Damien Woolnough talked us through what it takes to get your pitch heard and your brand in ELLE Magazine, due out on September 23. Bulk emails that aren’t personalised are the quickest way to get deleted from Damien’s inbox. Damien’s favourite word: exclusive! If you can provide original and exclusive content then you’ll get Damien’s attention. And if you want him to attend a media event or launch, make sure you have something important that he can learn about the brand.
Nick Smith walked us through brand events and pitching from an editor’s perspective, saying that 9.30am and 1.30pm are the absolute worst times of day to host an event. On pitching, Nick explained the most important first step is really back to basics. Know who you are contacting, what they write about and what the publication as a whole is about.
Jen Bishop explained how her blog, Interiors Addict grew to 60,000 unique visitors per month, 12,000 Facebook fans and more than 8,000 Instagram followers and her brand partnership with Freedom Furniture. Jen said that for blogs it’s extremely important that PRs and marketers send hi res images with their content and reiterated that anything pitched should fit into the theme of her blog.
This event, at the newly renovated Unicorn Hotel in Paddington, provided our PR and marketing guests with invaluable insight into how to approach new media when pitching brands and products. Thanks to our speakers for their time and wise words, and to our guests, we hope to see you at our September Networx event, ‘Creating Memorable Experiences.’