I know it can sometimes feel difficult to get journalists to leave the office for a coffee… nevermind a site visit. I’ve already written the ultimate guide to getting a journalist to meet you for a brew, so I won’t repeat that here.
Instead, today I want to focus on what you can do to persuade reporters to leave their desks for a site visit, press trip, tour or in-person briefing. I’m a firm believer that one of the best parts of journalism is being out and about… and that means meeting weird and wonderful people, seeing weird and wonderful things and getting access to places most people never get to see.
And this job still offers plenty of those opportunities. Don’t get me wrong, newsrooms are shrinking and the demands on reporters are growing. There’s video to shoot, analysis to write, live blogs to man, news stories to file, podcasts to host… the list goes on. But that doesn’t mean the roving reporter is a thing of the past.
Come say hi! There are discounted tickets available for our second Off the Record live event.
We’ll be bringing together senior political journalists and Westminster insiders on 15 October in London to talk about pitching, building relationships, the Budget and how “the lobby” works… followed by drinks, nibbles and networking.
Grab your discounted ticket here. Right, back to business!
The bar is just higher than it once was to get a journalist to come to you. It still happens, though. And there are some things you can do to increase your chances of getting a reporter out of the office and to your site.
1. Give reporters a reason to do the visit now. I hate to say it but a site doesn’t suddenly become interesting because there’s a press day on. There still needs to be a news hook or a reason to run the story now. Is something new being announced? Has a site just hit a significant milestone – one that’s of interest to the public, not just the company and its shareholders? Is there a seasonal development? A political policy impact? New research? All of this helps build a decent package.
2. Spell out what the journalist will see and experience from the get-go. “Come and see our new facility” is rarely compelling. Instead, make clear what they will see that they can’t see elsewhere. Who will they get access to? What can they photograph or film? Why is this timely now? Give them a reason to make the visit.