Magazines

Pick any subject, find any viewpoint and there's sure to be magazine coverage somewhere. Having so many publications means not only that every conceivable topic is covered, but also that promoters have a vast number of forums in which to seek exposure.

To earn magazine coverage one must first identify publications of interest. If you have something new for CB radios, for instance, you'll want to target CB, electronic and automotive publications. But these publications, of which there are dozens, represent only a starting point. In addition, there are trade and technical journals, wholesaler and retailer publications, industry magazines and a huge number of secondary targets, such as Popular Science in this case, that may give coverage but are not primarily concerned with CBs. If the product is sufficiently unique, it might even be possible to realistically view the major newsweeklies -- Newsweek , Time and U.S. News & World Report -- as promotional targets as well.

Magazines do not offer the immediacy of radio, TV or daily newspapers and that is their strength. Magazines typically have longer deadlines (publication in two months rather than tomorrow) which means they're are able to take a different approach to news gathering. (It should be said that with computerized typesetting plus satellite transmissions, some magazines can be written almost overnight. This is not the usual case, however.)

The attraction of long lead times is that many magazines (but not all) can be approached months before you're ready to "go" public. You can get feedback from reporters, test promotional ideas, and if your marketing approach doesn't get results with magazines, perhaps adjustments can be made before going to newspapers or the electronic media.

As a promoter you may want your magazine story in print by a particular time, say early December. That may require promotional efforts one, two or three months in advance, but since there are no guarantees, what happens if December rolls around and none of the 42 magazines you contacted print anything?

Or what if they print your story in the January edition? Unless you're hot, you may be "bumped" for a more important story or, if ad sales are poor, because the "book's" size is limited.

Although promoters often want coverage by a certain date, one can argue that the long deadlines and variable schedules offered by magazines are ultimately beneficial.

Imagine a situation where every publication and media outlet publishes or airs your story in a single week. This may seem like a terrific accomplishment but ask yourself a question:

What were the three top news stories two weeks ago? Five weeks ago? Do you remember? What happens if the week your story was publicized the country was absorbed with a plane disaster or international crisis? Sure, you've got clippings and videos, but have you maximized promotional opportunities?

Unless you have a one-time event (Circus comes to town Friday. Be there!), promotional efforts are most effective over a period of weeks, months and possibly years -an evolutionary process in which magazines fit perfectly. Coverage may be stretched over time, but a mix of stories in various media is itself an index of credibility . The promoter who scores big in a single week may have a fad, while the publicist who gets coverage week after week will certainly enjoy greater credibility and more opportunities for success than the seven-day wonder.

Look at almost any magazine and you can quickly see how coverage is typically divided into current events, feature stories, interviews, pictorials, columns of analysis and opinion, plus brief updates on a variety of topics, each covered in a single paragraph. Such formula production suggests that promoters should not only direct their attention to certain magazines, but also to specific sections and forms of coverage within each publication.

Few general magazines offer current events coverage in the sense of breaking news because production deadlines allow radio, TV and news papers to reach the public more quickly. Specialized journals, however, are themselves often sources of hard news because they thoroughly cover given areas. The New England Journal of Medicine is constantly in the news because of its front-running health coverage.

Feature stories, in-depth articles that may run for thousands of words, are a magazine staple. These are the long articles in the middle of the "book" and usually featured on the front cover, the stories that most reflect a publication's ideas, attitudes and interests. Feature stories are hard to develop and therefore magazines are always looking for new ideas, particularly publications that cover specialized fields.

New feature material can often be made from updated past stories. Most magazines seem to work on a two or three year cycle, so a story that ran several years ago may be updated and used again, only this time with new sources and the latest information.

Magazines often feature regular interview sections and coverage here can establish promoters as authority figures. (If you're quoted in a national magazine you must know something, right?) It's not easy for most of us to suggest ourselves as interview subjects, but such gracious offers are unnecessary. Instead what usually happens is that an interview arises as an alternative to feature coverage because it's sometimes easier to cover a topic with a question and answer format. In addition, if a subject is sufficiently famous, an interview format creates exclusivity and bragging rights for the publication (Elvis Back from the Dead, Read His Fascinating Interview Exclusively in the Crystal Ball Weekly).

Interview pieces are typically tape recorded, transcribed and edited, at which point the subject is sent a transcript to review. Reviewing makes great sense since substance and continuity can be lost when a wide-ranging, two hour interview is boiled down to 800 words.

Magazines have a unique capacity to publish photos and some publications dazzle the eye with their graphic work. If you want your picture used, make sure it's either an 8 x 10 inch black and white glossy or else a 35mm color slide. Whether you provide pictures or the publication sends over a photographer, the same standards apply: Find interesting locations and backgrounds, look for unique angles and avoid mundane "head" shots best saved for obituary columns. If you supply the photo be certain to have a credit line such as "Source: T.W. Baker Company."

Magazines often receive information they want to cover, but not with a full-scale story. One approach to such stories is to reduce them to a paragraph or less for a capsule column. Such features are well read because they're short, easy to absorb, and to the point. Getting capsule coverage often takes no more than an interesting news release, but a well-written letter to the writer is probably a better bet. If the writer is unknown and the column is called "Capsule Comments" or whatever, just write to "Capsule Editor." It'll get to the right hands.

Magazine columnists, like commentators every where, can write about everything and everyone. Other than the limits of libel, there are no guidelines for columnists and it's a mistake to believe that columnists must be fair or impartial. Their job is to present an opinion, a bias, often saying things which cannot or should not be said in news columns or feature articles.

Coverage by columnists is best obtained by the simple expedient of sitting down and writing a letter. Rather than writing about yourself ("Gee, please write about me in your column because I've been in this business for six years . . . .") it's best to comment on a subject:

I was interested in your September column which discussed educational efforts in our industry. We don't know if its the best solution for everyone, but we have a somewhat different training approach: When a new agent joins our firm we pair that individual with one of our veterans. They share office space, have the same hours and work jointly on projects. We find that both benefit because. . ."

A columnist not interested in pursuing the topic is likely use the letter elsewhere or send it over to another writer.

Peter G. Miller is an image, marketing, and public relations consultant whose clients include selected national corporations, associations, and web sites. Mr. Miller can be reached at peter@boardroomarts.com