Journalists your professional help please

[danielpr]

Hello Journalists,

I need your professional help and guidance on the following;

By way of some background I am presently working within the Pr/Marketing & Events field for a large Company, and have organised some World Record Breaking events, and are planning more.

As you have guessed the Company pay me very little for the effort that I put into the various projects.

Within the last eight months I have obtained my Employer over £12,000 of free PR, and I would now like to start my own Business, and have a few potential clients awaiting my services.

Example: A client asks for help to promote his Business, which is a Limousine Company, I come up with a publicity angle, I then contact a few local papers to explain the angle, if this is of interest then I prepare very basic press release, photos etc, explain the angle to the client, and if this is of interest then I charge for the work which is basically for the time involved.

I do explain to the client before I am paid that it is subject  to the editor and other factors if this goes to press.

QUESTIONS I WOULD LIKE TO ASK PLEASE

1.   As I can generate the idea’s for publicity  for my clients would a Journalist be able to guarantee insertion in the relevant publication,
           local paper, trade magazine, Radio, Tv etc. ?

2.   Journalist  fees for the work involved, would this be per       
      article, or by the hour ?

3.   If I use a photographer for my clients publicity angle, would you advise to       
      contact a independent Press Photographer, or use the services of a Press   
      Agency, and could you also advise of the costs involved.

Would a Journalist send to many publications for extra coverage, which would benefit my Client?

And finally…………………………….

Would any Journalist be prepared to do an exchange of Services, e.g., I need a Journalist to prepare a Press Release or do a Feature on my clients business, in return for my services, spending time to work on a publicity angle for an idea a Journalist has, for your kind reference I have extensive Business contacts in many areas, a recent comment from a friend was “This guy has more contacts than  Richard Branson”!!!!

Thanking you for taking time to read this, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards & Best wishes,

Daniel.
 

[Robinho]

Hmm sounds a bit dodgy that Daniel.
No journalist, as far as I'm aware, will allow themselves to be paid by a PR company to guarantee insertion of articles in the publication they work for.
That, as I understand it, is corruption.
A journalist will place a story based on its merits.
If it's not of interest, it won't go in - simple as that.

[Desda]

...Have to agree with Robinho's post. If you want editorial to go in a local paper, you just have to come up with a really good angle or picture opportunity, but you will never have a guaruntee it will go in or editorial control over it.

However, if you want guarunteed entry into a local paper, you can pay for an 'advertorial' which is text about a company written by you and approved by the client. This is dealt with by sales staff who would charge you slightly more rates than a normal ad in the paper. You should be aware though that the majority of these are clearly marked 'advertisement'. Or, at least, they should be...

As far as photographers go, many locals use freelance snappers these days so you could ask them for numbers...

Hope this helps!