I’ve written previously about the contraction of the technology press in the past few years. All media companies have been hit hard by the Internet, but tech trades in particular are either gone or mere shadows of what they once were. In an effort to reduce costs, many publications today look to outsource content production to freelancers. These writers might have other objectives for doing the work besides creating a quality, well researched story.
This was reinforced to me vividly this week. I received an email from someone’s assistant, touting recent articles published by her boss in Forbes and the Huffington Post. I didn’t mind the email at all, and I sent a note back mentioning some of the clients I work with in case he’d like to speak with them. For a background interview, or as an expert source for his next piece.
Here’s what I got back in a matter of minutes:
Hi Chris,
Awesome clients. Would they want to partner with XXX in some capacity? XXXX? Are they doing any SMTs, salon dinners, twitter town halls, webinars, events in the next 6-12 months?
XXX has worked with many PR firms on campaigns for clients including Ogilvy PR, Ketchum, Access Communications.
Let me know your thoughts!
Thanks!
OK — not even a veiled quid pro quo, just a straight pitch. I was simply suggesting a conversation, and this guy wants me to recommend hiring him to my clients. Clearly his freelancing is a big piece of his business development activities. At one level there’s nothing wrong with that — everyone has a mortgage to pay as the saying goes.
Of course it’s possible to be a talented and diligent reporter no matter what your day job. And writing articles can increase your visibility in a market niche, which can lead to more business. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s smart business. But the reliance on stringers (often very poorly compensated) is another factor in the declining quality of technology business coverage.
This is a topic I’ve written about before, driven by staff layoffs, the increased use of stringers and also by remaining writers covering too many beats. If many writers are looking for a paid gig, do you think they will always do a deep dive into the research, or risk making a company angry which might be a future employer? Prominent bloggers have filled in to some extent, but it’s nothing like it used to be.
Media relations is no longer a big part of what I do. This is because I’m usually counseling clients on their own content marketing strategies, promoting that content via social media channels and achieving their marketing communications goals that way. Simply as a consumer of tech news, I miss the days when there were a lot more tech reporters who really knew their beats and covered them full-time.