New year, new beginnings!
As the year 2012 comes to an
end, I had been tasked to get new media kits and editorial calendars for 2013
from scratch. Media kits are important as they contain useful information such
as circulation numbers and advertising rates, which are essential for media
clippings. These advertising rates serve as a gauge of the amount of advertising
value equivalent (AVE) generated for our clients as a result of our pitching
efforts.
An editorial calendar or
editorial line-up is a calendar of the topics/themes that would be published in
the publication’s upcoming issues. This information is often confidential and
serves to help PR practitioners craft relevant pitches for their clients
according to the topic/theme that the publication is focusing on for that
issue. In a way, it is a win-win situation as PR practitioners can now tailor
their pitches to suit the needs of the media and not send irrelevant pitches
that the media is not interested in; the media would also benefit from this as
they could get relevant stories running.
I’m also currently involved
in the updating of our media databases as many journalists have left their
positions and got replaced with new ones, as well as to expand our existing
database to include a few new publications. My GM wants me to be in charge of
any database updates such that I am in the know above the rest, to advise them
of any media updates or about new publications. Recently, I have just linked up
some of my colleagues with a new publication that they were interested in and I
felt quite happy that I helped to build bridges in some way or another.
It is not an easy task to get
media kits and editorial calendars as I have to personally email the
marketing/sales team of each publication, and they may not necessary get back
to me or provide me with the materials I require.
Keeping my fingers crossed as
I continue in my quest for the media kits!
Joanna Wang Li Mei
15257040
Curtin Singapore
