BrightonSEO 2022- Surena Chande .pptx

Everything you need to know about the importance of including expert commentary in pitches and a step-by-step guide showing you how to implement it.

1. The value of expert comment for pitches and how to implement it effectively Slideshare.Net/ SurenaChande @ Su renaChande Surena Chande Freelance Journalist & Copywriter

2. I’m a freelance Journalist and Copywriter with over 10 years of experience

3. As a journalist, I’ve received my fair share of pitches…

4. …and have also sent out thousands of my own pitches during my time working in Digital PR

5. While we’re giving your clients coverage, you’re providing balance to our stories

6. As well as providing our readers with valuable insights and advice

7. However, I’ve seen some excellent and genuinely useful tips and knowledge shared as expert commentary…

8. …b ut have also received quotes and advice so generic, that I could have come up with it myself

9. Journalists are under a lot of pressure. We don’t have long to write stories and secure expert comment

10. Why?

11. Requests from senior Editors Story count targets Three news meetings each day PLUS prep Forward-planning meetings Ad-hoc chats and mentoring young writers

12. …and, some need to pencil in time for a Twitter rant about the cheek of polite PRs daring to ask if they’re well!

13. So, from outlining exactly why expert commentary is important

14. To revealing a step-by-step, no-holds-barred guide surrounding exactly how to implement it

15. I’ll be sharing every secret and tip I know about utilising expert commentary in outreach

16. Why is expert comment important in pitches to journalists?

17. In my opinion, expert comment is VERY important in pitches

18. I’ve missed out on links because a client couldn’t provide expert comment fast enough…

19. … but have also secured links simply from providing a quote or two

20. Sharing insightful expert quotes or tips in your pitches allows the journalist to form a better story

21. Most journalists who write news stories and features include quotes from experts that they have sourced

22. However, as I mentioned, we’re extremely time poor and appreciate any help we can get

23. While we present the news to our readers, we aren’t experts on every single topic

24. Google Helpful Content Update and the 2018 E-A-T update = Trustworthy and expert-guided content is more important than ever before

25. Churning out articles with minimal expertise and authoritative input just won’t cut it anymore

26. Particularly when it comes to health- or finance-related stories…

27. Expert insights and tips, rather than opinion or a single source, can help to combat this

28. Not only is it essential for SEO purposes, but our readers also benefit vastly from it

29. As journalists, we are measured on: Pageviews Bounce rates Comments Social media shares

30. When re levant and newsworthy stories feature tips and expert insights, it can lead pageviews to skyrocket

31. This is due to readers: Having the opportunity to learn Receiving insights that they would not have had otherwise Hearing from experts they do not have daily access to

32. When this is done effectively, it can lead to…

33. Higher pageviews More loyal readers Google viewing our content and publication as more trustworthy

34. How to implement expert commentary from start to finish

35. There are two routes you can take with expert comment

36. Depending on your targets and the client’s flexibility, these can be utilised in tandem or separately

37. I’ll be talking you through…

38. What makes the best quotes, and how to secure them

39. How to package up the quotes

40. How to have your client selected over everyone else – sometimes, repeatedly

41. But before you can live your happily ever after, with link targets smashed…

42. …it all needs to ideally begin with a conversation with your client

43. Step 1: Getting your client on-side

44. Book in 30 minutes to an hour with your client next week to talk them through the value and benefits of expert commentary

45. When I put out a #JournoRequest on Twitter, this is what happens within minutes

46. I’ll usually have an expert secured within 5 to 10 minutes, so you need to be fast!

47. When s peaking to your client, try to follow this system

48. And, go a step further by asking them to prepare (or sign off) quotes about stories that are regularly in the news cycle

49. Popular topics include: Budget announcements Energy bill price hikes Sustainability Seasonal trends e.g. spring cleaning or tips on heating your home for less in the winter Days/events e.g. Dry January, Stoptober etc.

50. If you haven’t already, set up relevant alerts for #JournoRequest

51. As an outreacher, I previously used IFTTT (If This Then That)

52. I set it up to notify me when keywords such as ‘doctor’ or ‘medical expert’ were mentioned alongside ‘#journorequest’

53. Emails would then come through and I’d quickly reply to the journalist’s tweet to let them know I could help

54. I’d ask for their questions, deadline and email, and get to work

55. The next step would be contacting the relevant stakeholder within our client’s company, and informing them of the request, along with the deadline

56. I’d ask them to respond within 30 to 40 minutes to allow time for clarification or tightening up the quotes

57. This is also a great option for if you’re working with smaller clients

58. Speed isn’t the only factor that journalists will consider…

59. It’s also t he quality and relevancy of the expert, and whether the PR is reliable or if we’ve worked with them before

60. It’s handy for you to communicate with us throughout the sign-off stage

61. Step 2: Securing the best quotes

62. Your client’s first instinct, when providing expert comment, is to sell and promote

63. It’s your responsibility to educate them and assist them with producing quotes that are helpful and usable

64. Here’s the golden formula

65. Amy Packham, Chief Editor at Smiley News and former Life Editor at HuffPost UK revealed exactly what she looks for…

66. “Expert comment is everything – it is a service to our readers, to give updated, reliable, and honest information . “It gives our stories weight and validity , and ensures we become a trusted source on that topic .

67. “ For me, I love when expert comment gives you information you don’t expect . For example, we all know that “walking, nature, and eating healthily” is proven to be good for our mental health – but what about the more specific, unknown, unexpected expert tips ?

68. “ We don’t want to give readers information they’ve read already – we want to give readers tips and information they haven’t heard before . We want them to see our publication as something that serves them up something new! ”

69. While coverage and backlinks are important, remember you’re contributing to a conversation and sharing knowledge

70. Don’t Google something, rewrite the featured snippet and send it to me dressed up as expert comment

71. Journalists know how to use Google!

72. Share these points with your client, and always keep them in mind if you’re preparing a quote on their behalf

73. When you read your client’s quotes and tips back, do you feel as though you’ve learnt anything?

74. Have you come away from it feeling as though you’ve understood the topic better?

75. If you have, send that email!

76. If not, don’t be afraid to go back to the client and tell them, politely, to up their game

77. Here are some great examples of expert commentary I’ve received for my articles

78. She explains: “You may have no problems at all, while others may have a few days of feeling a bit achy. However, that usually subsides within about 24- to 48-hours.

79. “ Some people may feel a bit worse for the next week, but there's nothing you can do to avoid the side effects other than avoiding doing anything too strenuous for a couple of days if you are feeling unwell.”

80. Giulia tells Metro.co.uk: “I’d recommend taking magnesium throughout the year, not just as we approach the winter months. “ Magnesium deficiency is fairly common and considering that it’s the second most prevalent electrolyte in the human body, we need to make sure to always top it up.”

81. Step 3: How to pitch your quotes

82. You should finally have some fabulous quotes that are ready to fire out to a journalist or a media list

83. However, I frequently get asked HOW these should be slotted into a pitch

84. I, personally, believe these should be within the email body copy, alongside your story and/or data and other assets

85. Outreachers, I promise you this… The fewer the attachments, the better!

86. We have 30 seconds to scour through your pitch – if not less – and need to suss out if you’ve given us everything we need

87. To-the-point intro The ‘why’ and ‘how’ Key data/findings Tables – we love these!

88. Where to access additional assets Expert input Where to link to Written by Jennifer Jordan at Evolved Search

89. Alternatively, I would add a line in my pitches reading:

90. “Please find further data and expert comment, from psychologist and author XXXX, below.”

91. I’m also asked about how long quotes need to be…

92. The honest answer? It doesn’t matter as long as it has the crucial elements

93. Remember, some journalists have a general story length to meet – whether it’s 12 lines, a minimum of 450 words etc.

94. It’s better to include a lengthier quote with a tad more information, than stripping it back and leaving us with too little

95. As well as adding value to our stories, quotes help us to pad our articles out, so sometimes we’ll have the ability to pop in more expert comment

96. If the expert comment is extra-long, use the line I previously mentioned and…

97. Add a subhead towards the end of the pitch reading: Further expert quotes

98. Finally, to save us time, tell us: Where to link to Along with your expert’s: Full name Position Anything else that may be relevant or worth highlighting

99. Bad example: “Surena Chande, Marketing Manager at X” Good example : “Surena Chande, Sleep expert and author of ‘How to sleep better’ at Beds ‘R’ Us”

100. Do not be afraid to ask for links to credit your client

101. As I mentioned, the relationship is a two-way street

102. While we have pageview targets, you have link and coverage targets

103. The way I typically did this when outreaching, was writing: “Please credit our client with a link to XXXX”

104. Or: “If you use any information or data from this pitch, please credit with a link to XXXX”

105. Summary

106. Journalists are under a lot of pressure and are extremely time poor

107. Providing us with expert comment in your pitches is invaluable – try to include it in every pitch possible

108. Make your life – and our lives – easier by educating your clients and building an efficient expert comment process

109. Set up IFTTT alerts , so that you can acquire non-campaign links for your clients

110. Though, please don’t pitch us generic tips and quotes

111. Do include quotes within the body copy of the email and signpost this in the intro

112. Do not be afraid to ask for links, it’s a two-way street

113. Thank you!

114. For any further questions get in touch @SurenaChande on Twitter

115. Additional resources: An article dedicated solely to utilising expert comment from my time at Re:signal All of my Digital PR tips, tricks and advice from the BuzzStream blog