Valley PR Blog

Pitch Me: Jessica Parsons

By Charlotte Shaff on October 9th, 2008 In ValleySource

Jessica Parsons
Editor
Phoenix Woman magazine
480-443-7750
Email

1. What are your main daily duties?
My focus each day is on editorial content, attending and reporting on events, public relations and in many ways sales. It’s important for me to have a schedule to keep order and balance because the day can get pretty hectic with many demands. At the same time, I need to stay flexible to react and make decisions quickly as changes happen daily. In terms of editorial content, I try to keep up with what’s current, timely, newsworthy and topical by reading the newspaper, Internet and of course a myriad of magazines.

I spend a lot of time coming up with timely story ideas, assigning them to be written, editing the stories as they come in and figuring out what pictures could accompany the story. Since we are such a visual medium—pictures are key. They must be captivating and must draw the reader in. I also spend a lot of time with my managing editor, executive editor and creative art director brainstorming over the perfect cover shot, fun and interesting headlines, sidebars and captions. The attention to these details is what makes our magazine so special and unique. I couldn’t do it without them.

Since most of our stories are written by freelance writers and contributing writers who many times have other commitments, some stories can fall through at the last minute. This is where being flexible and having back-up stories is really helpful. I have already experienced a wonderful local public relations office called HMA Public Relations that got me out of a jam and did it with ease and grace. Time is of the essence, and it’s always wonderful to have a secret weapon you can rely on in a pinch and make deadline. The same holds true for Charlotte Risch from The Media Push. I had sent out several requests for a story to be contributed about how going to the dentist has changed. Nowadays a dental experience can be reminiscent of going to the spa with all the new spa-like décor and less invasive treatment options available. Risch came to the rescue rather quickly and responded first before anyone else. This not only benefits the magazine and our readers but also benefits her client who is gaining exposure as the foremost expert in “less invasive spa-like dentistry.”

In terms of sales, this can be a fine line, and one in which I walk precariously. I am proud of my journalism background and take journalistic integrity seriously. And as much as I know our readers are our clients, our advertisers are our clients as well. We have many loyal advertisers and without them, Phoenix Woman magazine would not exist.

When I am at events and/or in a public forum, this is the time I use wisely to scour for either story ideas or ways I can help attract businesses, local and national, to see the value in our magazine. We reach an incredible audience of over 200,000 women with buying power. We are the platform to champion and celebrate notable Valley women and their successes. These women are also the perfect source to attract to your local business or venue. Why not advertise and market directly to them? It’s a win-win situation.

2. What kinds of stories are you looking for?
Since we have added many wonderful features to our magazine, we are now open and looking for stories in a number of different genres. Our new look and content debuted in our fabulous pink fall issue. We were so excited to reveal it to all of you. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth a look! And please notice the service and the kind of stories we are providing Valley women and businesses.

We will always look for stories and have a focus on career, business, fortune and philanthropy. But, we also have fun features on health, beauty, fitness, fashion, dining and entertainment. We also have an emphasis, in a section called “Discovery”, on the arts, sciences and heritage. We are multi-dimensional and beautiful from the inside out hopefully reflecting our many beautiful and inspiring Valley women. I can’t wait to hear all of your ideas.

3. What is the best way to approach you with a pitch?
I would say speak to me with pictures. That is the best way to approach me. After all of these years in television news and in the media, pictures above all else, is what will captivate my undivided attention. If you send me a press release with a small jpg low-res picture attached that is compelling, I will spend more time on that press release than other press releases—especially if you add, “high-res photos are available upon request.”

A captivating picture is so important, that I might even be swayed to get it in the magazine based on the photo alone. For instance, I was approached by Capital Grille to promote their $1,000 martini. I had no place in the magazine for this story, but I loved this beautiful photo so much, I had to have it in the magazine. It became my mission.

After days of contemplating how it could work, and how I could slip it passed my executive editor, I decided to put it on our “events” page. Since the martini was only going to be available between certain dates and the proceeds were going to charity, I made it work by referring to it as an “event.” Then when I showed the editorial staff the photo, they all agreed, it was a “must-have”.

Leaving a detailed message or a detailed email is also helpful when an editor’s life is run by the clock. If I don’t get back to you right away, please don’t be offended. If I don’t get back to you for two months, please don’t think I’m a flake. There is rhyme to the madness. We are bombarded by information, events, news, media press releases, letters and packages every day. Organizing all of this information can be difficult, yet it is extremely important.

I have a filing system on my computer and four filing stations I attempt to compartmentalize and organize my life in. If I see a press release on an upcoming event, I will organize it by date. This helps me to keep track of it one week prior to the event. If I see a great story idea, but if my editorial calendar is booked, I will file it by month based on the next available opportunity to run the story in an upcoming issue—especially a story that is timeless.

For these reasons, silence doesn’t mean the story is forgotten. It just means we haven’t gotten to that point on the calendar yet. A follow-up call or email however, can be very helpful and is welcomed. A gentle reminder of an event, story or cause does help to keep it top of mind.

4. What recommendations do you have for PR professionals?
Public relations professionals I have encountered have been terrific. They know and understand their trade and they know how the media works. I find the most helpful public relations specialists are those who understand time is of the essence and that we are constantly meeting deadline issues.

I also have been very pleased to receive calls from pr specialists who are pitching story ideas having read Phoenix Woman and understanding who our target audience is and how the story would relate to the readers and/or benefit them.

My only recommendation would be to be patient and hang in there with us. If you have a great story and feel you are not being heard or understood just try a different approach or angle. It could be the delivery, the message or the timing.

I have to pass on a lot of interesting and newsworthy stories for timing reasons and page count. Also, if you accidentally bury the lead three or four paragraphs down in the press release, most media outlets will miss it. Lead with your best stuff first, and if that doesn’t work, change your angle. Also keep in mind, some television stories may not work well for print and vice-a-versa. That means, you may have to customize your press releases depending on your audience.

5. What is the strangest/weirdest pitch you’ve ever received?
I’ve been lucky, I can’t think of any pitch that has made me laugh or think “are they crazy?” I have received story ideas that wouldn’t quite fit into the scope of the magazine, but it is rare. Sometimes I get pitches from national companies with no local connection that I have to pass on, but would make for a great advertisement. Since we are “fiercely local” and all about women, we try to keep that our main focus.

When I do receive pitches however where the angle isn’t exactly clear or the scope of the story doesn’t seem to fit the magazine, I don’t just write it off. From being in television news for over 10 years, I’ve gotten pretty good at finding the true sellable angle.

I will sometimes mull over story ideas for days before that “ah ha” moment occurs. Sometimes a small tweak of the angle is all you need to get your story the “air-time” it deserves.

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