A Media-Savvy Edit Staff

You see editors speak at trade shows. They flog the latest wares on the Today Show. They’ll show up on NPR commenting on current events. If an industry can support your magazine as an information source, a TV station, radio station or conference will likely target it, too. And podcasts, Webcasts and online video are already common content offerings. So why not get some prime brand exposure by getting your editors—already industry experts—into some prime time media slots? A panel at last spring’s CRMA conference outlined some practical steps in developing a media-savvy edit staff—steps that scored Boston, for example, $1.2 million worth of free exposure for the first half of 2006 from media appearances.

• A foot in the door or that first appearance on a TV or radio spot could turn into an ongoing gig as the de facto expert. For the more esoteric or niche markets your editor could become a regular guest.

• Get your editors on panels and in speaker slots at association conferences. Be proactive in approaching conference committee chairs.

• As you hire or expand your edit staff, look for candidates that already have prior public speaking experience.

• Cherry pick your outgoing and gregarious editors as guinea pigs. Get a sense of who your best voices are.

• Set up a practice interview in front of a digital camera. Tape it and evaluate.

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