By Steven Roll
It seemed like only yesterday that we were adjusting the coverage of news pieces depending on whether it was for a daily, weekly, or monthly publication.
But as Meister Media Worldwide’s Jim Sulecki pointed out in an ASBPE webinar a few weeks ago — 10 Trends That Can Make (or Break) Our Editorial Careers — the time frame for adding perspective or context is now marked in hours.
As daunting as this sounds, the proliferation of social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn make reaching out to sources easier than ever. In fact, asking them to contribute in this manner has the added benefit of encouraging them to read the content and disseminate it.
This approach also helps to identify the issues and key sources for longer-term projects such as full-length magazine pieces.
Here is what Jim said the typical workday of a B2B journalist might look like in the near future:
8:00 a.m.: Check website metrics
8:15: Check e-mail
9:00: Come up with article lead
9:15: Tweet re: article lead formulated as question/trial balloon
9:30: First call on lead
10:15: Tweet summary
11:45: Short item for day’s e-news website
11:50: Short news item with link on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and blog
1:00 p.m.: Second look at website metrics
1:15: Second call on lead
2:15: Begin scripting 2-3 minute audio feed
4:00: Begin formulating full-length magazine feature.
Steven Roll is senior state tax law editor of the Weekly State Tax Report, Multistate Tax Report and the Multistate Tax Portfolio series published by Arlington, Va.-based BNA Tax & Accounting. He was president of ASBPE from August 2007 through July 2009. Previously, he served as chapter president for ASBPE’s Washington, D.C., chapter from 2003-2007. He coedited Journalism That Matters, a book of case studies about B2B journalists whose stories triggered important changes within government or industry. The Multistate Tax Report has won ASBPE awards for newsletter general excellence and original research. Roll has been named as a finalist in BNA’s Editorial Excellence Award competition several times. He lives in Kensington, Maryland.