Hidden in Plain View

It's always interesting when a journalist finds out what it's like to be on the other side.

Editor & Publisher's online edition has a story posted called "Hidden Cost of Newsroom Cuts," in which Dave Astor, a senior editor of E&P writes about his discovery that it's harder than ever to reach editors, even when you are calling from their industry trade pub.

Welcome to our world, Dave.

It's never been easy for PR pros to reach journalists, and in many cases, we have only ourselves to blame, because we don't really have anything to say to the journalist that isn't waste of their time.

But even when we do have something to tell them, it's hard to get their attention. And as traditional newsrooms continue to shrink, even as editors and owners press those who remain to do more (blogs, podcasts, take photos, and so on), it's becoming more difficult.

There's only one solution to this for PR pros: do a better job providing journalists with media-friendly information. Usable quotes, facts and figures, anecdotes and colorful stories, pictures and graphics -- these are the building blocks of media coverage. Leverage the precious time you have with journalists by providing them with what they need, so you don't waste their increasingly limited time.