After becoming a VentureBeat freelancer last month, Tim Keary wrote 41 stories in 42 days. With rare exception, the articles focused either on a product announcement or a funding round. Dozens of companies saw their news covered thoroughly — in a context useful to buyers.
CNBC Make It reporter Jennifer Liu isn’t just a reporter covering the workplace, hiring trends and professional success. That may be her job, but she’s also proficient in WordPress, Drupal, Google Analytics, SEO and Adobe Creative Suite.
When “no one knows anything” and chaos reigns, journalists go broad, not deep. Slack discussions heat up. Coverage planning intensifies. Editors are told, literally, to fan out and bring back the context that readers require.
“The Future of Work” affects every industry and every company. Top edit brands swarm for insights and scramble for an edge. So where are all the tech PR victories — the big hits?
A while back — OK, a long while back — a subscriber asked us to look into sponsored content. What were the trends? What was more common, one-offs or comprehensive packages? Are agencies increasingly “owning” sponsored content for their clients?
Sponsored content can be a very daunting investment (at least it was to me when I first learned about its cost) but offering target audiences a controlled message with a massive credibility boost presents a significant opportunity.
Sponsored content is a tool in the toolbox. Considering the expense, it’s smart to know exactly what one hopes to accomplish with it, and that it’s the right tool for the job. To that end, our sponsored content deep-dive spotted five prominent themes/purposes in 2021.
[SWMS contributor Rachel Odenweller writes:] Historically, few of us have thought much about data privacy, either from a personal perspective or the perspective of clients. But in 2020 privacy came into focus with several data breaches, fears of government surveillance and the continuing saga of Big Tech regulation challenges.
[SWMS contributor Rachel Odenweller writes:] As logic would suggest, the more we rely on data, the more at risk we are for cyber attacks. In addition to the myriad struggles 2020 presented us with, it was also the most active year for cybercrime. Reports suggest that cybercrime rates during COVID-19 — from ransomware to phishing — have spiked at rates between 40 and 400 percent.
Podcasting is more than 15 years old now and tracking the good ones is darn near impossible but we’ll try anyway. Here’s a list of 26 media brands that offer at least one tech podcast, and another 18 indie tech podcasts worth listening to and pitching. We also point you, more broadly, to hundreds more.
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… and it has no problem disclosing how. Reporters still run the joint, but they are getting AI assistance.
The Atlantic’s Karen Hao, in conjunction with the Pulitzer Center, is designing a course in AI for journalists. Classes begin next month. Details here. Might be something to alert your friendlies about. Karen hopes to help train 1,000 journalists in AI over the next two years.
Joshua Topolsky‘s edit project for Robinhood is optimized for mobile but you can peruse it here. The design seems crazy. Context from Axios’s Sara Fischer here.
‘The Prompt” is not out yet, but you can sign up for it here.
That’s the strategy as expressed to NYT’s Katie Robertson by Axios CEO Jim VandeHei. First up: Eleanor Hawkins, Sara Fischer and Dan Primack.
Forbes’s reputation is taking a hit because of the ad scandal unearthed this month by the WSJ. Some advertisers have stopped spending with Forbes, at least temporarily. Here’s the latest from Digiday [subscription required].
