Berkshire Life - PR Tips from Berkshire Life Editor

Tessa Harris, editor of Berkshire Life magazine, gave attendees of Business in Berkshire’s ‘Apprentice’ event some valuable advice about generating their own PR. Speaking at the St George’s Day event, she offered tips on how to seek out publications that may offer free editorial space for your business.

Editorial space is generally regarded as more effective than straight advertising. It can help position your company as a key player in your particular field, and carries with it a taste of ‘recommendation’ rather than the ‘sales pitch’ approach of most advertisements. So how can you find those publications that might be willing to offer you some free editorial space?

Tessa Harris offered some advice for business owners keen to have their material published. “It’s important to seek out publications your target audience are likely to read” she explained, “then ask the Editor about typical reader profile: their income level for example. This will help determine whether the readership is a good fit for your brand, product or service”.

There are some golden rules that should be borne in mind when approaching any publication. Regular contact with journalists and editors helps keep you in the frame, but don’t be over-persistent - contacting a magazine 2 or 3 times a year is acceptable.

Aim for a news angle in your editorial material: the story of how you came up with the idea for your business, your latest new product for example. Alternatively, tips and advice also work well at grabbing the readers’ attention.

Typically, your editorial piece should be one side of A4 (300-400 words) and you should have several images available in print-ready format (300dpi). Be prepared – have your words and images all ready to send by email for that moment when your editorial idea is accepted. Editors offering free editorial space won’t want the inconvenience of chasing you for your material.

www.businessinberkshire.co.uk/berkshirelife/

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