State of Journalism in France Survey Part 2

In my last blog, we covered how the French media landscape is evolving and what this means for a digital PR agency or a brand working to boost their online visibility in France.

A small but growing reliance on PR professionals for content and experts. 

Social media is taking centre stage in the French newsroom as a source of inspiration. 

An opportunity to cut through the noise of a less saturated market.

But how do we, as PR professionals, put this into practice? What does this mean for our digital PR strategies? How can we  best ensure that our approach to French journalists will land our clients their dream coverage? 

Part 2 of my State of Journalism in France Survey will look into: 

• The features of a dream pitch
• Journalists’ biggest pet peeves that will make them instantly reject an email
• How and when to contact journalists
• What journalists wish PRs did better

Pitching to a French journalist 101

There will always be differences in preferences from journalist to journalist when it comes to the types of pitches they want to receive from PRs. Different publications, beats, and editorial policies will guide journalists to either read into your pitch or pop it straight in the bin. 

Even though there is no one-size-fits-all approach, there are a few things that our respondents spotlighted as features of a dream pitch. 

To boost your chances of getting your pitch seen, opened and covered: 

• Make sure your pitch length is kept to a minimum and focus on the WHY (why this topic? Why this journalist?)
• Ensure your subject line tells the journalist what you NEED them to know without the extra fluff 
• The French media landscape is not as saturated with tabloid press – adding exclusivity to data-driven content will give it the extra credibility it needs 
• Although they are not often included by French journalists, visuals and graphics can make your results a bit more appealing 

TOP TIP: Whilst UK journalists may specify a certain day or time for contacting them, our survey revealed a lot more flexibility in the French newsroom. 

• 82% of respondents said they did not have a preferred day to receive pitches and 
• Whilst 11% did say they are more receptive to emails between 8-10am, the majority (79%) said they do not have a preference

How to mess up a pitch to a French journalist? 

Now we know what French journalists are looking for in their pitches from PRs and how to boost your chances of getting your story picked up.

But what do we have to avoid doing to ensure that we secure a top-tier article, instead of having the pitch we have worked tirelessly for ending up in the bin? 

The main finding from the survey is that relevancy is king when it comes to pitching to French journalists. Almost all of our respondent testimonials revealed that PR professionals need to be more aware and more interested in each journalist’s niche and expertise. 

Stories always need to be in line with the type of content they are producing – however interesting your pitch may be, sending it to the wrong journalist could be a big wasted opportunity.

Some other main pet peeves were: 

• Pitching a promotional topic – if that is your aim, make sure you can link it to something actually newsworthy
• Badly timed pitches – when you’re working on a reactive basis, having your finger on the pulse is everything. Once the story is no longer newsworthy, it becomes a lot harder to get it covered
• Not being aware of the publications guidelines or content – make sure you are aware of any specific features required for pitches to a publication and keep an eye on their ongoing content. There’s nothing worse than pitching a story to a journalist who has just covered the same topic! 
• Going for gold before building a relationship – our testimonials revealed that “PR professionals need to work with journalists on a long-term basis. This is the best way of getting their clients into the media”

For more tips on building a digital PR strategy in France, take a look at our blog post here