PR Interview: How to Pitch ClickZ’s Editors

Contact information
Rebecca Lieb
Vice President & Editor-in-Chief
The ClickZ Network
Incisive Media Plc.
270 Lafayette Street, Ste. 700
New York, NY 10012
http://clickz.com/showPage.html?page=contact

Background
Before joining ClickZ, Lieb held executive positions at consultancies like Siegel & Gale, and she worked for entertainment and media companies, including Universal Television & Networks Group. She has written on media for publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and spent five years as Variety's European bureau chief.

Lieb has degrees from Vassar College and The New York University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

Circulation & Readership
- 350,000+ confirmed double opt-in newsletter subscribers, 73,000+ subscribers to The ClickZ Network’s 11 RSS feeds and 150,000+ readers of Search Engine Watch newsletters.

- 58% of site visitors are from the US, 7% are from England, 6% are from Canada.

- Readers are small and medium-size business marketers, entrepreneurs and business consultants worldwide.

Current Editorial Coverage
ClickZ offers news, blog posts, statistics, research, features, expert guidance and buyer’s guide information.

The website’s categories:
o ClickZ News: industry reports and analysis
o ClickZ Experts: leaders’ commentary and advice
o ClickZ News Blog: editors’ notes on news and trends: http://blog.clickz.com/
o ClickZ Stats: interactive and internet research
o ClickZ Features: profiles, interviews, case studies, and features on latest products, companies, and trends
o Search Engine Watch: news, information and analysis of online search
o ClickZ Resources: check listings
o E-Mail Reference: archive of email marketing articles organized by topic
o SEM Archives: search by topic
o ClickZ Marketing Excellence Awards: annual competition; readers select best interactive technologies, companies, and campaigns.

Search Engine Watch
The ClickZ Network includes Search Engine Watch, which is written by practitioners who share their personal opinions. They are not professional journalists -- call them field experts passionately defending their strategies.

While everything on ClickZ is free, SEW has a paid membership section called Search Engine Marketing 101. The following newsletters are complimentary:
* SearchDay: daily newsletter about search-related topics and global search engine news.
* The Search Engine Report: monthly newsletter recapping major industry stories.
* SEW Experts: weekly advice and opinion pieces by search marketing experts; 16 newsletters to choose from.

Readers can also subscribe to event updates on Search Engine Strategies happenings. Event categories include email marketing, social media, online video and Web metrics.

Readers interested in discussions on search engines can participate here: http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/. Recent topics included organizing information, avoiding page loss and navigating social media.

If you simply want to read industry-relevant information, check out this blog: http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/

6 Tips on How to Pitch ClickZ’s Editors
Tip #1. Work with editors, not against them
ClickZ editors look for brand names with substantial influence on interactive marketing. If you’re a little-known agency, it’s a good idea to include the name of your hot-shot client in the subject line of your pitch to increase your chances of grabbing the editor’s attention. One warning: Please check client’s availability and willingness to speak first. It helps if you could set up the interview yourself.

Tip #2. Reveal your relevance
Again, if you’re a little fish, don’t assume you have no chance of being hooked. What can you do to help your chances? Connect your query to a topic that’s on everyone’s mind. One caveat though — the issue cannot be one that has been recently covered. Remember, ClickZ is not interested in “me-too” stories.

Tip #3. Show off your knowledge
To have your message stand out in the in-box, craft a spectacular subject line that hypes your familiarity with ClickZ. The more you think like an editor, the more they are likely to include you. So, explain why your story would make a great read. Use a memorable tone that not only makes it exciting, but also expertly defends your point of view.

Tip #4. Don’t target individual columnists or call the editorial department
“We’re on deadline and immersed in something else right now.” However, Lieb says that they are quite good about getting back to you right away if they are interested.

The best way to get in touch with them? Fill out the special forms on their website, which work like email. The forms are there to serve you better. For instance, if the member of the editorial team you are trying to contact is sick or on vacation, the forms ensure that someone else sees your information. Or, if the person is not the right contact, they will make sure the intended eyes see it. “We can forward it to a colleague or a more appropriate editor.”

Send your feedback here: http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=clickz_contact&id=talktous
Contact editorial using this form:
http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=clickz_contact&id=editorial
Contact SEW staff here:
http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3411931

Tip #5. Stick to relevant material
Please don’t assume that they cover all news and random topics, such as BBQ contests and trends in the cosmetic industry. They don’t. In fact, unless your query has to do with interactive marketing, advertising or search, don’t even bother pitching.

Tip #6. Pitch stories with “real news value”
ClickZ editors particularly like advances; they also honor embargoes. If you’re looking to establish a trustworthy relationship, send them exclusives; those will be definitely better received. Lieb reiterates the most important point: “The pitch had better be relevant to the topics we cover.”

How to Become a ClickZ Columnist
ClickZ sometimes looks for columnists to contribute on a weekly or biweekly schedule. Submit a sample column so editors will have your name in reserve. Here is how to write it: They want your unique view on a specific issue you personally resolved; they want to hear what you accomplished and how.

They are also interested in your failures; so, send your tales of woe in addition to those of your successes. You don’t need to mention specific names, but do include your own essential contact information, a bio and a URL.

Meet Lieb and Other Editors
Lieb is open to in-office briefings (your place or hers). Editors will do lunch or meet for a drink. They attend plenty of conferences. “We’re not too hard to meet!”