Sean McMahon

Worth reading from NiemanLab: Readers prefer to click on a clear, simple headline — like this one By David Markowitz, Hillary Shulman and Todd Rogers In an era when people trust news less than ever, how can journalists break through and attract the attention of average people to provide information about their communities, the nation and the world? By not complicating things. Our research, published in Science Advances, shows that simple headlines significantly increase article engagement and clicks compared with headlines that use complex language. In our research, typical news readers preferred simple headlines over complex ones. But importantly, we found that those who actually write headlines — journalists themselves — did not. We first used data from The Washington Post and Upworthy to see how language features, such as word length and how common a word is, changed how many people clicked on an article’s headline. These datasets included over 31,000 randomized experiments — also known as A/B tests — that compared two or more headline versions of the same underlying article to determine which one generated the most clicks. Headlines with more common words — simple words like “job” instead of “occupation” — shorter headlines, and those communicated in a narrative style, with more pronouns compared with prepositions, received more clicks. For example, The Washington Post headline, “Meghan and Harry are talking to Oprah. Here’s why they shouldn’t say too much” outperformed the alternative headline, “Are Meghan and Harry spilling royal tea to Oprah? Don’t bet on it.” This example illustrates how sometimes a more straightforward headline can generate more interest. In follow-up laboratory experiments, we found that typical news readers focused more on simple rather than complex headlines because the writing was easier to understand. When journalists participated in the same experiments, they didn’t show any preference for simple headlines over complex ones. Put differently: Those who write the news appear to be less responsive to simple writing than regular audiences. Generations of communication consultants have advised that communicators follow the rather crass acronym KISS: Keep it Simple, Stupid. We suggest a modified version applied for journalists. Since KISJ isn’t all that simple, we propose: Keep It Simple, Staffers. Simplicity increases the number of people who click on a news story headline and improves reader recall of the material in the article. Most importantly, simplicity boosts reader engagement, such as how much attention they pay to the information.

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🎤🎸🤘🏻🚨 Latest from The Repute: "Crisis Comms Under the Microscope: Dave Grohl’s Approach" 🎤🎸🚨 In this edition, we take a real-time look at how rock legend Dave Grohl is handling the media fallout from his recent infidelity scandal. Using data-driven insights, we break down the New York Times' coverage of Grohl’s crisis communications strategy and analyze what worked—and what didn’t. https://bit.ly/3MIZy76 The analysis explores: - The effectiveness of proactively addressing scandals before they spiral - Why timing didn’t minimize media coverage as others have suggested - The nuanced balance between controlling the narrative and avoiding sensationalism Whether you’re dealing with a major PR issue or simply curious about how the media operates during high-profile scandals, this edition offers valuable lessons for managing your brand’s reputation. Read the full analysis and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear your thoughts! Have a great weekend everyone! Will Valentine Publisher, The Repute Founder and Principal, Valentine Advisors

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This is important for #communications pros and our subject matter experts to remember. An interview is a conversation not a rote question asked, prepared answer given. Using talking points rather than scripted answers is more effective for a SME and makes for a better interview. Unfortunately that path isn’t taken as often as it should be.

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Good article on the value of original quality content and risks of GenAI’s generics & distortions today when AI volume is everywhere online. The image simulation is cool example!

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It can be a tricky conversation when you need to ask a journalist for a correction to an article, but here some of my thoughts on how to go about it for PRmoment 👇

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Do journalists really want to hear from you? As has been the trend for years now, the number of working journalists continues to dwindle, primarily due to layoffs, outlet closures and consolidation, leaving those still in the field with longer hours and much tighter work schedules. In fact, most journalists today work between 41-50 hours, including at least one or two days after hours or on weekends, according to the recent 2024 State of Journalism survey*. While their work schedules may not be of prime importance to you, it should be…if you’re trying to get their attention with a story idea.  And do you know if these journalists even want to hear from you? As long as you’re a PR pro, maybe. Some 70 percent of journalists surveyed ranked PR pros as either important or very important to the success of their jobs, while 29 percent said they are either slightly or not at all important. And frankly, don’t get too puffed up about that 70 percent…because nearly half said they seldom or never respond to PR pitches, while just 18 percent usually respond and 8 percent always do. One possible reason for the relatively low response rate could be that the majority of those surveyed said they get up to 25 pitches per week, while another 23 percent said they get up to 50 per week. There’s simply not enough time in even an extended workweek to reply. Or, perhaps they don’t feel the need. After all, the journalists tell us that nearly 75 percent of the pitches they receive are not pertinent to their coverage area.  So, do you know the reporter(s) who cover your industry or subject matter? And what exactly should your pitch consist of? And is your “news” even pitch-worthy? If so, when and through what means are the best to reach these journalists? A lot more questions than answers here. If you’re unsure of the answers to any of these questions, or more, it’s likely time to call in a PR pro. After all, 70 percent of journalists said they do want to hear from us. Before you venture into the unknown, or worse, turn off one of the few journalists covering your industry, get an expert involved. Rountree Group has an experienced PR team who can develop and implement a successful plan of action that will drive results. Connect with us here for info. *Of the 1,106 journalists surveyed for this year’s State of Journalism, the majority work primarily in the United States, with the remainder worldwide. The majority work full time in the journalism industry, half serving as freelancers. Some 33 percent work locally or regionally, with 30 percent nationally and 29 percent internationally. And 40 percent work with digital publications, 31 percent with newspapers and the remainder work with magazines, broadcast television, trade publications, radio, non-profits, podcasts, etc. An experienced group, nearly 30 percent surveyed said they’ve been a journalist for more than 21 years and another 24 percent for 10 to 20 years. Some 58 percent are reporters or editors.

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For this podcast, the Confident Retirement, there's a twist: I was the one interviewed, not the one asking the questions. (I like it better the other way - but that was fun - thanks for inviting me on, Kristopher Flammang CRPC®AIF®BFA®) Oh - and I'm not retiring :) Some of the things we talked about: * My early journalism career change to being a juvenile probation office for three years; • Why and how the Business Observer has made a transtions to #digitalfirst — and why we keep the focus on that; and • The lessons I've learned from interviewing hundreds of entrepreneurs ands business owners Take a listen!

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Today's #MetricMonday is all about my LEAST favorite metric: impressions. Don't get me wrong, impressions are foundational to most #communications work, because what is a message worth if it's not seen or heard? But we've asked impressions to do far too much in measuring success. In truth, impressions simply indicate how many eyes were exposed to a message. A nice volume indicator, however, impressions don't tell us: 👉 If the audience paid attention to the message. 👉 How the audience received the message. 👉 If the message drove the intended call-to-action among the audience. Other data can answer those questions, which is why I always pair impression totals with other metrics in my analysis. Impressions are a great baseline metric, but you'll always need a qualifier to make it matter. SIDENOTE: Way back in my traditional PR days we'd use a multiplier to indicate how impressions in print would scale to real-world exposure. Because apparently if someone read a newspaper, they'd inevitably pass it to two other people to read the EXACT same clip. It was around that time that my distrust for impression totals began. Is that still a thing? I hope not.

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Key tips for pitching care home stories to journalists: ✅ Put your headline in the email subject line ✅ Follow up “to the death” - until you get a yes, no or maybe? ✅ Be polite, humorous and quirky with your follow ups. Start to cultivate a 👍positive👍 relationship with your local journalists!

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I've never read an entertaining press release. Which is fine because that was never the point. Press releases aren't meant for enjoyment. They're meant to inform. And the good ones do it CLEARLY. I have written a lot of releases and this is my go-to structure: Title: Main message with the least number of words. Subtitle: One to three key points. First paragraph: What happened. Second paragraph: Why what happened matters. Third paragraph (the most important!): CEO quote. - Connect the news to the company's overall strategy. - Offer a forward-looking perspective. - Avoid minutiae & numbers. You may need additional paragraphs to convey all necessary information but the first page receives the most attention. Ensure it contains all critical details. What's your approach to crafting strong press releases? Share your tips below ⬇

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I’m very worried about the future of journalism. 😩 Poor pay 😲 Media outlets shutting down 🫣 Growing skepticism in audiences 😱 PR pros outnumber journalists by 6-to-1 🫨 A relentless news cycle that is causing journalists to burn out 😖 Questions about whether AI will help or hurt them 😬 … and much more Even though journalism is in the most precarious position I’ve seen it in during my 20+ year career, it’s not all bad news. In fact, here are two reasons to be optimistic: ⭐️ Journalism always finds a way to keep going - Despite all of the difficulties that come with the job, journalists always find a way to do their best work and get their stories out there. The media outlets and audiences may change over time, but the stories never stop coming. ⭐️ Journalists are finding success on their own - Many journalists have dabbled in starting their own media brands or newsletters and found that the money they’re making doing their own thing is more than what they made working for a media outlet. Not only that, but they also have full creative control over what they cover and how they cover it. Journalism will continue to change with the times as it always has. No matter what happens next, we know there will be journalists covering it.

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Long-form journalism is great. It's important. It's fun to write. We also really, really need more news. Well written, short pieces of 300 words. Or 80 words. Most people don't read journalism (check the RISJ research to be depressed on that). And of those that do, most of us don't read even medium length pieces. If we want to inform, educate, challenge and entertain then we've got to write for that reality. At The Continent News we do focused journalism. High quality, well edited and short. That then creates a habit and trust, so people read the longer piece when you publish it.

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One of the many things PR and Comms pros share on this site is what we can't control when working with reporters. Here's another one for the list: Headlines We don't have any impact what the reporters or their editors decide to run here. Or do we? Recently set up an interview with a source to talk about a pressing economic issue with a national outlet. The journalist pulled one of his quotes and used it in his headline. Good sources will deliver solid content in a press interview. Great sources will give the reporter irresistable points that make solid headlines because they pull people in and encourage them to read the story. Be a great source in your next interview. #pr #communications #leadership #publicrelations

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This article from Columbia Journalism Review is fascinating, and an argument for the importance of a reputation management communication plan. There are volumes authored by PR pros advising against ignoring reporters inquiries, yet this article documents how frequently it happens. Throughout my career, I can count on one hand the number of times I have made a calculated decision not to respond to a media request, and 99.9% of the time it was after multiple engagements with a reporter who repeatedly misrepresented or distorted information (even if not intentionally). I suspect, more often than not, reporters get ghosted because the brand is caught off guard. They haven't planned how they will respond in a reputation crisis. Or haven't socialized the planned response with stakeholders. If the PR team is haggling with executives and lawyers on what to say or how to say it when the reporters' questions start rolling in, the opportunity to frame the narrative is quickly lost. Thanks for sharing the article Jennifer Johnson Avril! https://lnkd.in/gYmTA9CW

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Yes, Communications Professionals (AKA the "Itty Bitty 'Make It Pretty' Committee) should have a support group. Depending on the size of the team, Comms professionals often take on the following: - Visuals (infographics, photos) - Presentations - Stakeholder relations - Speeches, videos ...and so much more. Hug your Communications Professional today!

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