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Editorial Meetings: Is your Company / Client Ready?
By Ann D. Getman, APR
Editors are the key decision-makers on a newspaper, and are not to be approached lightly. The main purpose of an editorial
meeting is to deepen the paper's understanding of the relevance, importance and complexity of a topic with real consequences, so
that the paper will support more coverage of the issue through news articles, columns, or editorials.
Generally, unless you are offering to bring a major opinion leader or elected official, most editors prefer not to have
meetings; they're time-consuming and frequently off base for the public affairs function of an editorial board. Any hint
or appearance of self-serving intent will not only prevent the meeting, it may prejudice the editor against future
approaches.
There are two absolute caveats to avoid when requesting editorial meetings:
Never ask an editor to market your company for you!
Never ask for editorial meetings with competing newspapers in the same market: it's bad form and will rebound on your
reputation. Offer an exclusive meeting only.
Meeting with editors is different from meeting with reporters: it's a big step up from news and feature coverage to editorial
policy. Three good approaches that are appropriate reasons to request a meeting with an editor or editorial board are:
To make a case for an editorial on a specific news or public affairs topic, providing enough information to make a compelling
case for the paper to take a position.
To offer a unique, empirically-based perspective on current news, positioning your company/client as an expert resource to the
media with a broad range of knowledge on the news topic.
To provide deep background to educate the paper (so it can educate its readers) on the complexities of the topic. The objective
is to set up a dialogue with one or more editors from various departments, including editorial editors and beat reporters, to
provide deep background on either a current, hot topic or one of important community interest.
Before reaching out to editors, review the benefits to the paper from its point of view. These are the general criteria for a
good use of the paper's time and energy before asking to meet with the gatekeepers
Is your spokesperson very clear on the difference in messages and positioning between marketing and public affairs?
Do you have a compelling public affairs reason to ask for and secure a meeting with an editor?
Are you providing important background or new information on a timely subject?
Are you offering the editor the opportunity for dialogue with an informed source?
Are you bringing a new perspective to a topical issue that hasn't been presented before?
Do you have specific facts, case studies, or other empirical evidence that is of interest to the editor's local audience?
Are you planning a meeting enough in advance of desired coverage to allow an editor or reporter time to develop an editorial or
story?
Are you available to offer continued help to develop and support this request and the resulting relationship?
If you can't honestly answer YES to ALL of these questions, and present the information in a way that helps the paper maintain a
competitive edge, don't put your reputation on the line by asking for an editorial meeting. Approach the news assignment editor
or a key reporter instead.
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©Ann D. Getman, APR, 2001
Ann Getman is principal of Getman Strategic Communications in Cambridge, MA, specializing in public relations research, strategy
and program development. Learn more at www.GetmanStrategicCommunications.com
or, for the hard of
typing, www.GetmanPR.com
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