A Publication's Editorial Insides

We'd like to discuss the world as seen through the eyes of journalists our PR programs target.

Variety pack.

First, there's nothing homogenous about this category, from any viewpoint. There are various levels of staff hierarchy, plus freelancers, plus columnists who are very much like permanent freelancers. There are some whizzes and some fizzes. Some just need a to confirm a few facts, some are fishing for scoops. Some work 15-hour days, some just a few odd hours on weekends or nights.

Divided camps.

The internal structure of the staff varies from publication to publication, but a few factors are fairly consistent. The news people rarely get involved with reviews. Features like roundups and focus-ons are usually done by feature staff writers or freelancers and managed by a features editor, who is involved neither with news nor with reviews. The most junior of news writers may be called an editorial assistant, or just a writer; this is the level that handles most new products coverage. Columnists , as we've said, are often not on staff; many work from home.

Understanding them.

Let's take a look at how these people think and work. We'll use weekly trade publications as an example, but think of the calendar as an accordion and you can see how this applies to publications on other schedules.

News.

Most news departments are divided into beats; some establish teams within those beats. The beat people (not in the Jack Kerouac tradition) feed the news editor with up-and-coming-story-in-development ideas, but it's generally the news editor who has the say-so on directing staff resources and coming up with the suggested story angle. If other twists develop, the writers have a lot of latitude, but essentially the story and the angle come out of Monday morning assignment meetings. News editors, beat editors and reporters then have just a little of Monday, most of Tuesday and Wednesday and a little of Thursday to track the story down, write it up and put it to bed. We note with pride that Newstips has become a primary source of story ideas, contacts and "spin" (another word for angle) on news stories. When a newser calls in the middle of the week, respond extremely promptly; if you have to get back with more information, don't let anything delay it. Remember, most reporters write the first part of a story first.

Reviewers.

When publications sponsoring their own review "laboratory" operations, more of their reviews happen on-staff - but generally, not all. Reviewers may or may not know your niche, but they will do their homework, and will judge you with true objectivity, for the most part. They are out to present both strengths and weaknesses for balanced coverage, and that can be a difficult job. On occasion, they may miss the point, but if they didn't have an overall good track record for saying things readers/buyers agree with, they wouldn't have any clout. Be good to reviewers. Provide every conceivable option, warn the gang in customer and technical support, notify them if you locate and decide to fix a boo-boo, but otherwise stay out of their hair. While they bend over backwards to be as objective as they can, it can't help but seep through if they come to regard you as a pest. Trust to the fates, it'll probably come out fine.

Columnists.

Contributing editors (the official name for columnists) determine what they want to cover, how and when, with almost total autonomy, so long as it fits within the franchise of the column's theme. Every columnist and every column is a little set of rules unto itself, but they all share the distinction of wielding a lot of power, directly translatable into potential sales for the products they cover. Their needs are simple, even if fulfilling them may not be: information, products, customer support, and so on. Few think of themselves as gods, but they all wield thunderbolts. And being in the field, without the support of staff, makes the work all that more of an exercise in resourcefulness. Help them all you can; it isn't just charity.

Features and roundups.

Feature and roundup writers on staff are a lot like freelancers, only more likely to have your information on hand. They - or editorial assistants - have to spend a lot of time confirming that products are still available, at what price, what the specifications are, and so on. You reach a lot of comparison shoppers through their work, so even though it's a pain, be painstaking.

Freelancers.

Freelancers get a lot of the middle-of-the-book, all-about-widgets-today feature assignments. Sometimes they get a package of background material on every known vendor in the category, sometimes just a list of vendors, sometimes just the assignment. Few writers are full-time freelancers, since it takes a strong reputation and a good flow of assignments to make a passable living at it. Our editorial alerts and releases both help put materials into the hands of freelancers, but nothing is 100% with them. When a freelancer calls, assume a dry sponge and send two kits - both the materials he or she asks for directly and a "just FYI" kit with everything else you've got - and putting them in the same envelope is fine. Capture address and phone information, and make sure to send every relevant business card. Freelancers also perform many reviews, so also make sure your support people know the freelancer's name for VIP treatment in case there's a call.

Skeletal fusion.

There's a lot of separation between activities here. For some publications, the only place it comes together is at the printer; for others, a tight cadre of senior or managing editors build the bones and joints into a workhorse. We wanted you to have a sense of the hierarchy, since that's the environment where these people have to work.