SWMS tends not to cover the business initiatives of its subscribers, but the Marker Collective has embarked on something revealing. The parent org of Archetype,
Ever use AI to test pitches before sending them to reporters? Try it sometime. It’s a fun way to improve them. For the proper horsepower, you’ll need a paid subscription to a Gen AI service such as GPT-4 or Claude 3.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that when you’re pitching Tier 1 reporters, you are pitching their bosses at the same time. That’s why it’s helpful to understand the entire editorial process in the publications you’re pitching — not just the persuasion part.
SWMS contributor Bob Scheier writes: A company’s Wikipedia entry is often one of the first to come up in response to a Web search, and might get more exposure than its Twitter, Facebook or other social media account.
I’m finding that a surprising number of vendors have removed or hidden the “media contact” links on their sites. They’ve been replaced by lead-snagging “bots” asking if I’d like a demo or what “digital transformation” challenges I’m facing, and generic “Contact Us” pages that may or may not lead to someone who can respond to a media request.
If you know of female CMOs seeking professional development with a twist, point them toward the Empowered CMO Network. Founded in 2017, the Empowered CMO Network has 950 members and counting — almost exclusively based in the US.
Tired of writing pitches and press releases? AI writes copy these days. This month we used Copy.ai to promote the fictitious Wazoolie Pro, “a hypnotizer that convinces prospects to buy products and services they don’t need.”
Over the past few years, conference calls via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other tools have replaced the traditional phone line for conducting interviews. As it turns out, the benefits extend beyond saving on the phone bill.
Relationships are the key to PR success. How many times have you heard that? In our experience, they are “a” factor but two others stand just as important. Let’s explore them.
YOUR ACCOUNT
FRIDGE NOTES
New EIC Jamie Heller has asked her reporters to start going on camera — for the BI TikTok channel — to explain the big, deep-divey story they just published. Other publications do this — especially archival Fortune. BI is now on that too. Game on.
At this time last year, Eric Newcomer and his two podcast co-hosts — Max Child and James Wilsterman — each formed an “AI startup fantasy team” and picked five AI startups to seed their rosters. We’re now in year 2 and it’s time to draft again. The podcasters wonder… which startups do they dump? Which do they add? The player whose startups accumulate the most total value by Nov. 1, 2028 is the winner, so there’s plenty of time to make adjustments. Here’s a link to the AI fantasy team podcast — you may need a password. Not sure.
This timeless explainer — a powerful blend of visuals and text — will explain the psychology of how we read, as in, how does the mind actually work? Hats off to Message Labs, the producer.
Ars Technica recently filed this revealing piece on how the NYT uses gen AI to analyze gargantuan transcripts, ones that would overwhelm mere mortals. The results still need to be reviewed by humans, but the grunt analysis is done by the LLM. Investigative reporting becomes easier. Journalism is served.
It was announced long ago, but on Nov, 26 we learn whether TechTarget stockholders want to join forces with Informa and its legion of IT media brands, not least of which is Industry Dive. It will be hard to imagine a rival of equal power, with IDG/Foundry now a shadow of its former self. IDG/Foundry’s lack of investment and focus on cost-cutting will look unwise if TechTarget and Informa do merge.
404 Media may not be on your radar, but it currently ranks 8th of 50 leading publications recognized by Techmeme. The edit startup took a step forward this week, announcing a deal with Wired, which will run two 404 Media stories a month — and the pair might collaborate on stories beginning in 2025.
