Online media has really taken off in the past few years, with the country’s biggest publishing houses realising the potential of this platform. Now, the likes of Bauer Media and Pacific Magazines are talking about cross-platform opportunities, and boasting teams dedicated to both print and online.
“I think we’re finally at a tipping point where digital media is getting respect. Not so long ago, there was a common perception that digital was second rate to print, but that’s changing. I love print and miss many parts of working in it, but the power of digital is undeniable. A couple of hundred thousand people reading a website every day is powerful. Digital is reactive, exciting and importantly, measurable. No less effort goes into producing a digital story and the same level of professionalism from the industry is appreciated,” says The Huffington Post Australia head of lifestyle Leigh Campbell.
While the power of digital is being recognised, its immediacy has caused some confusion in the market in terms of how best to work with media in this arena. To cut through any perplexities brands or PRs may have, BEAUTYDIRECTORY talks to some of Australia’s top beauty online media about lead times, press release inclusions, pitches, product send-outs, and requesting changes.
Lead times
Lead times for press release and product send-outs vary for weekly and monthly magazines, but the majority of online publications need information approximately one month ahead. “My team and I work about 1-2 weeks ahead for general content and about a month ahead for big events (like Christmas). Sometimes, we will still be sent content for an event that's three months away, such as Christmas pitches and products in August, but slowly more and more PRs are understanding the need for separation. Digital media work very differently to print media and pitches, send-outs and timelines should be adjusted to suit the publication they're going to,” says Campbell.
Both Beauty Crew and Byrdie prefer a one-month lead time. “As we’re purely digital, we have a bit more leeway in regards to how long before a product is released - but we still work to a schedule and avoid doing things last minute. For products to be editorially considered, a month out is great,” says Beauty Crew editor Carli Alman. Byrdie beauty editor Lisa Patulny adds: “I work on content both day-to-day as well as months in advance. Personally, I like to receive notification of product launches at a similar time to long-lead as it helps me to plan ahead, but 3-4 weeks of lead time is more than reasonable.”
Primped editor Melissa Mason and Honey senior beauty editor Kelly Baker both have a flexible approach to planning. “I have plans for the coming months, but loose plans only. I can always work in a story if it's worth it and I can do it instantly,” says Baker. Mason agrees: “I have a general plan of what type of content I'll be covering at the beginning of each month, but it's loose. I find I plan content about a week or two out, but there are always changes - additional stories or ones that roll over to the following week - because something trending will pop up or I'll think of an idea I'm excited about. That's what's great about online - the flexibility when it comes to content planning.”
Press release 101
Regardless of whether you are sending to print or online online, there are a few press release inclusions that are a MUST. “The most important information for us is product information, RRP, and the on-counter date for new products. When this information is missing from a press release, it can be quite time-consuming to chase it up with the PR,” says beautyheaven editor Rosemary Bracey. This is a situation Baker is familiar with: “The basics would be a great start. You'd be amazed at how many press releases do not contain the basic information.”
Expanding on this, Patulny advises: “The price, the product name and info, and the on-counter date - please, please include the on-counter date! I’ve been told PRs leave the counter date off on purpose to prompt an email, which then enables them to keep track of media coverage. Unfortunately, I usually don’t have time to double-check these details so more often than not in this situation, I will just not cover it.”
Pitch (im)perfect
Media are often pitched stories by brands and PRs, but most would just rather receive the relevant information. “We don’t need stories pitched to us; that's our job! I’ve never really understood that element. From this end, we just need to know what’s new, or what experts or study findings we have access to. We come up with the angle - that’s what we do!” explains Campbell.
Mason agrees: “I generally don't use story ideas just because I have a bank of ideas in mind, so unless it's quite a revolutionary one, I stick with what I already have. Story ideas that I do sit up and take notice of, though, are exclusives, like an exclusive interview or picture set from a new launch or campaign. Those are awesome for us because we know we're not going to be posting the same thing as other Australian websites.”
Byrdie will not publish a story pitch that is being shopped around to various media outlets, with Patulny revealing she will also “never copy and paste a story onto Byrdie.com.au (or anywhere), so sending pre-written story copy is a waste of time for everyone involved. That said, I love to be told things like ‘this derm is really great at speaking on acne’ or ‘this nutritionist is passionate about juicing’. Just don’t pitch me story titles. That’s my job, not yours.”
Product requirements
A common misconception with online is that media can use hi-res images and don’t need the actual product itself. “A lot of the time, we film videos for the site or social media and we require product to do this. Also, as beautyheaven is a reviews website, we do many staff reviews of products and if we have your brand's products on hand, they're more likely to be featured!” says Bracey.
It’s a similar story at Byrdie. “Just like any other beauty editor, I like to touch, smell and use a product before writing about it. We also shoot a lot of original content for Byrdie, both for the site and our Instagram (@byrdiebeauty.au), which means hi-res images often won’t do,” says Patulny.
Mason explains further why having the product itself is important: “I'm much more likely to feature a product I've been able to physically try out for myself than one that just comes as a press release and hi-res image. Primped is also a very 'tried and tested' type of beauty website; it's rare that I talk about a product I haven't already experienced myself.”
Article changes
In the online realm, it is easy to tweak things once a story has gone live, but requesting changes to an article should only be done if there is a factual error. “When a story is live, it’s as good as printed on paper. A change can only be made if something is factually incorrect or misspelled, and the process to request to make that change internally is lengthy. These processes are in place to protect the integrity of the title - anyone can't just go in and re-write as they please. Also, it’s editorial content, not an ad or native, so the content is ultimately at the editor’s discretion,” says Campbell.
On making tweaks to a story at the request of a PR or brand, Patulny says: “If a fact in the story has been misrepresented or a price is wrong, sure! If you don’t like the flow of the copy, no. A PR once asked me to change the holding image on a story that mentioned her brand (among others) as she personally didn’t like it. I politely declined.”
