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Charles Arthur prefers his aggregator to press releases (shock)

So, remember I was saying yesterday that PR people would need to start thinking about creating content that would win out on blog aggregators (see One day we will all want to get Digged)?

Better think faster.

Charles Arthur, editor of the Guardian’s Technology supplement, after relating a woeful pitch by email, says that his days of looking at press releases are over:

So I’m not going to read things that are obviously press releases
because the possibility of it just being annoying or irrelevant is too
great; I’m going to go to my aggregator instead, because I’ve chosen
every feed there for its potential interest.

Mr Arthur is an early adopter, even for tech journalists, when it comes to blogs and social media. I wouldn’t be shocked if others followed suit, or are even now drawing the same conclusion.

It’s a big deal. To get attention for your story/content from this journalist you have to find a way for your story to be picked up by his trusted network, or be a part of that trusted network already.

You may be on speaking terms with him, but is he reading your blog?

Antony Mayfield

2 responses to “Charles Arthur prefers his aggregator to press releases (shock)”

  1. SpunUK Avatar
    SpunUK

    I’d think it would be fair to say that Mr Arthur is turning the tables. First ‘no more NDAs’ shocker and now this. Ha, still, those who have ever had the pleasure of pitching a press release to Mr Arthur might just recall him not being the biggest advocate. Or was that just me?

    Interesting development, but does that mean that if you have a MAJOR news story (rare I know, but it does happen) you’re going to ignore the Graun? Hmmm.

  2. Charles Arthur Avatar
    Charles Arthur

    True – I’ve never been a big advocate of press releases. Though I’ve always advocated that PR people enable journalists to talk to clients. I’ve waded through press releases for 20 years, and their quality hasn’t materially improved.

    If you have a MAJOR news story, you’re likely still to call me. And I’ll listen, and tell you whether it sounds that way to me.

    And I’d certainly say my best journalism has come when I’ve been doing things that the PR side of whichever business has been actively opposed to what I’ve been doing. What does *that* say? It’s often the case, after all, and not only at the national level; writers on trade papers and sites have the same ambitions too. It’s why they’re in journalism.

    No more NDAs.. well, they’re just not a good idea, are they?

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