Editorial Integrity : Writing for the Reason not the Reward

I've been doing a lot of soul searching about editorial integrity lately. I came from a background in Broadcast Journalism, but I never quite "got it" until I became the person responsible for generating editorial for an entire magazine. Now, I get it.

Before my days of publishing, I handled all the marketing for a spa. Public Relations and any type of editorial coverage was numero uno on the list. It is free afterall. Strike that. I shouldn't say free. Because free means the subject matter in question was originally associated with a price and that's not the case when it comes to articles, tv spots, radio interviews, etc. You can't pay for PR people and you really shouldn't try. It's in bad form.

Public Relations is by definition the practice of managing communication between an organization and its public. Ways you can manage that communication is internally through emails, newsletters, and advertisements or externally through third-parties like the media.

Media coverage gives your business a whole new level of credibility because it's someone outside of your organization, who is NOT being paid, who says "ya know, they have a good thing going" or "we tried these products and love them too!" That's how pr/editorial is meant to work.

Journalist who live by the daily belief in editorial integrity cannot be bought. I once sent a gift certificate to the spa to a writer who we often worked with as a thank you and happy holidays gesture. That writer called to say thank you for the gift card but that she couldn't accept it, so if I didn't mind she was going to donate it to a charity auction. I was floored, but even more SO impressed with her restraint and desire to keep it clean. That's journalism.... writing for the reason not the reward.

PR becomes politics when there is an exchange of cash, goods or services.

I own a magazine and my advertisers make my world go 'round. So being fair and balanced editorially speaking and taking care of the people who make my magazine possible is always a struggle. I don't mind writing about my advertisers, but it's because I know each of them personally and when we do write about them, it's because I truly BELIEVE that they have a good story to tell. But advertising with any media, does not promise you coverage and assuming it's included will leave you disappointed and your reputation a bit tarnished in the eyes of that editor/producer/writer.

So how do you get editorial coverage without bullying an advertising account executive for an article in exchange for an article or harassing an Editor?

You follow @LaraCaseyReps on Twitter. ;-) Lara Casey is Editor-in-Chief of Southern Weddings Magazine and has been posting tips and advice in the last week on "getting published" that are brilliant.

Her advice is simple. It's not about bullying, sending bulk emails, buying ads or offering services in exchange. It's about relationship. Getting to know the media YOU want to be published in. Familiarizing yourself with their style, previous topics covered, sending them article ideas, photography samples, knowing and submitting in the format they prefer, and generally building relationships with the gatekeepers. It does NOT happen over night, but if you put real genuine effort into the relationship, you will get results.

If you're on Twitter follow the hash tag #GetPublished to keep up with Lara's updates. It's extremely valuable advice you can use to get the most out of your public relations efforts in your full circle marketing plan.

Go with the People You Know

I promise you. I will get better at this blogging thing! We're pretty regular in the AO offices with keeping the AtlantaOccasions.com blog up-to-date, but allotting the time to spend on my marketing rants and raves has been somewhat of a challenge! Heather 2.0 is coming along.. but it needs some upgrades for sure. ;-)

Anyways, I've been getting a lot of requests for advice from my advertisers and industry contacts recently regarding my take on new bridal shows or other advertising opportunities springing up out of no where for wedding vendors. So I'll just answer everyone as a group here. I hope that whether you're in Atlanta or in Arkansas, this advice will be helpful for anyone.

I'm in sales and I make A LOT of calls. I can guarantee you that I'm not the only magazines calling wedding vendors about advertising. I bet as a wedding vendor it can seem pretty overwhelming to weed out the good vs. the bad and finally settle on the best marketing avenue for you. After all there is no secret recipe or magic trick to finding more business, but if you're marketing budget is limited, as is most everyone's, that decision is going to be crucial.

My advice :: Go with who you know. People do business with people they know and when you do business with someone you don't know... well you just don't know. I'm not saying to not give people a chance, because I was once new and there are lot of people that gave me a chance. But ... they just didn't know. I worked my little tush off (and still do) to build the reputation of myself and my company and I'm quite dedicated to keeping it up.

When you are shopping options to advertise your business, go with who you know. Whether that's the local magazine who offers monthly networking luncheons (hint, hint... I'm sorry shameless self-promotion there.. it slipped), local bridal show producers, or even other wedding vendors or bloggers. Reaching out and partnering with the medias who are invested in your local wedding community is the first step to building your wedding business and connecting with your client. The Bride.

Buy Local :: Buy Atlanta. My advice is simple. In my opinion, there is no need to participate in a bridal event run by out-of-town companies when right here in your own town are THREE amazing bridal show companies (Elite Events, Bridal Extravaganza of Atlanta and Perfect Wedding Guide) that....

1. Know the market like the back of their hands
2. Have outstanding reputations of bringing all the brides you could ever want to their shows
   
3. Spend thousands of dollars in local advertising dollars to bring you those brides
4. And, are local Atlanta residents themselves.

Go green people! Support your local companies. There's no reason I can think of not to. I've participated in all of their shows (minus PWG, but I know they have an excellent reputation of bringing brides in) and they are swamped with brides. What else could you ask for?

Pay attention to who you know in your local wedding community and seek them out. They are the only people that hold the knowledge you need for your business. Local wedding-specific medias offer something FAR MORE VALUABLE than just an ad or booth that not many others can do. Things like a personal introduction to a venue where you've been trying to get on the preferred vendors list for months, or an opportunity for a speaking engagement in front of your peers, or insider knowledge about a new venue opening, or added opportunities to contribute promotional materials in swag bags at bride targeted events. I could go on!

Buy local, buy Atlanta... but buy from who you know. Sometimes I refer to myself of the Erin Brockovich of my company, because this business is just that personal to me.. just as her clients were that personal to her. Business is personal. I am Atlanta Occasions and Atlanta Occasions is Heather Vreeland. Whether you know me from our luncheons, a meeting, you're a client or we're just facebook friends.... I am without-a-doubt 100% percent invested in the Atlanta Wedding Community and my friends like Linda Surles of Atlanta Bride and Groom Planner, Tommy Vaugh of Elite Events, Donna Jakulski of Bridal Extravaganza of Atlanta, and Lei Lydle of AtlantaBridal.com (to name a few) are as well.

We're not here for a piece of the pie... we are an integral ingredient that make the pie possible. And we're here, doing what we do, for you. Period.