Episode #17: The PR FYI with Gene Balk
“
The first thing I think about when I see a survey is, ‘Where’s the headline?’”
-Gene Balk, data columnist at Seattle Times
It's easy to put out a regional ranking (ie. 'best cities for X'), write a cookie-cutter pitch, and mass distribute it to newsrooms around the country. That is NOT what this episode is about. Instead, we're exploring the art of pitching unique, data-driven stories that local reporters want to see in their inboxes. Our guest today, Gene Balk, columnist at the Seattle Times, gives us the insider scoop on what it takes to stick out from those sea of mediocre pitches and produce local stories that actually matter.
In this episode, you’ll...
Get a behind-the-scene glimpse of how a local newspaper column is produced
Understand the kinds of data local reporters want to cover
Learn the unique way a company collaborated with a reporter on survey creation
Our guest is:
Gene Balk, aka the FYI Guy. He’s a columnist for the Seattle Times who focuses on demographics and other data.
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Show Notes:
:03 -- Britt Introduces our guest.
1:02 -- Gene Balk talks about his column as well as how he got to where he is today. (Spoiler: this is a sweet, unexpected story, which we love!)
4:56 -- Jackie asks the difference between a “blog” and “column.” (Spoiler: the column is much more ambitious!) He goes into detail about visuals and graphics.
6:53 -- Britt introduces a survey that was pitched to Gene. Gene summarizes it and goes into detail about his column and what he’s looking for.
9:45 -- Britt talked about pitching data with visuals, and journalists usually not using the visuals included in the study. This turns into a larger conversation around how Gene perceives graphics sent to him from PR’s and content marketing firms.
12:55 -- Gene gives a summary of the story he wanted to share with us. What’s unique about this piece, is that Gene actually got to help with the survey creation. He talks about what this polling firm is.
19:25 -- Britt asks what Gene looks for methodology when considering covering data.
21:45 -- Jackie asks Gene what else he’s looking for in a story and how he gauges success with his column.
24:50 -- Britt asks Gene how he comes up with his story ideas.
29:00 -- Britt asks Gene if he receives a lot of pitches. This turns into a conversation on how many emails he opens and what makes him open an email.
32:30 -- Britt asks Gene to give a shoutout to a PR person. He shouts out Ginger Li at Berlin Rosen.
Stuff We Talked About
Connect with Gene
Connect with Jackie & Britt
