GAYLE WHITTAKER
Gayle Whittaker is a freelance PR consultant specialising in the waste and recycling sector. Having originally trained as a journalist, Gayle made the move into PR 23 years ago and has experience in the not-for-profit, public and private sectors. She has specialised in waste and recycling for the past 15 years.
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Editorial versus advertising - which one’s for me?
THIS month I thought, as we dare to imagine life returning to some sort of normality in the hopefully not-too- distant future, I would talk a bit about the difference between editorial and advertising. It might be something you find useful in the coming months…
There is a common misconception that newspapers, magazines and websites will run stories and articles for businesses if they pay for advertising. This does happen in some cases with trade media but for the majority, editorial and advertising remain very much poles apart. Never the twain shall meet.
Journalists will not agree to a non- newsworthy press release being run just because a company buys a lot of advertising. And the reason is one which you will agree with as a consumer: you need to know and trust that what you read is true and balanced and interesting!
So, what is the difference between editorial (or stories) and advertisements?
Advertisements are paid for. Editorial isn’t.
In the days before the national media began asking tedious, pointless and quite frankly often unanswerable questions of our politicians every day, we used to have a theory that what we read from our trusted news sources had some authenticity to it. We believed the editorial because there was no link between what we read and what a company or individual had paid to have written.
When you see an advert, you see the messages that a company wants you to see, alongside some glossy photos and eye-catching headlines. When you read a story, written by a named journalist, you believe - in the main - what it says. You don’t read it and think you are being enticed to buy something. You read it to learn.
As a business, managing your marketing and PR, it is really important to understand that differentiation. Grasping that fact and the reasons behind it will help you to plan your promotional campaigns better.
For the majority of PR and marketing campaigns you will use a combination of paid for advertising - whether online or in print - and press releases.
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With the latter it is crucial you remember the five steps to what makes a good press release: what’s the story; tell it well; cover your ‘5 Ws’ (who, what, why, where and when); avoid technical detail and business jargon; and identify who the relevant media is for your pitch.
With an advert, you need to be very clear on what your sales points are, why people should buy your product and always make sure you have a Call to Action included. Ask them to call you, visit your website, buy two get one free, etc.
Can you cover the same promotion with an advert and a press release? Absolutely. Just look for the human side of the promotion to find your story and look for the customer benefits of your product for your advert. The two combined in a targeted, well- timed effective campaign can work wonders for your bottom line.
You need to
know and trust that what you read is true and balanced and interesting!"
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