What Should A Journalist Pay For?

And what should be covered for them? So goes two age-old questions in PR/travel media circles.

There are factors for both sides to consider. Clients, obviously, have limited coffers. Understandably, hotels and the like aren’t always seduced by the idea of offering free stays in return for possible coverage. Airlines could give Richard Mellor a freebie to secure a two-line italicised mention that no-one reads, OR sell the same seat to Peter Punter for £800. Hmm, tricky one.

From the media side, we are paid peanuts. Staff wages are often crap and freelance rates paltry compared to a decade ago.

As such, if we have to shell out, it can mean— at least in the short term, before we might quasi-recoup the losses as a tax relief — barely making a profit. Or worse: I had to bin off a commissioned, brilliant-sounding trip to Greece this summer as I’d have ended up at about £300 down, for instance. That’s fine for a holiday, but this is my livelihood; this is what pays for my Cinnamon Grahams.

I tend to think that any restaurant meal, attraction visit or activity with a strong chance of making the article should be covered — and ditto any reasonable cost, such as transport and meals. Unless it’s specifically being advertised as a USP, alcohol shouldn’t be. Same goes for souvenirs or room service.

My best advice is to find as many ways as possible to take on journalists’ costs. Connect with tourist boards and get them to help out or do the asking; get chummy with accommodations, transport providers or tour operators whom you might realistically be able to score free mentions for in future, and moot some sort of preferential partnership — they help out financially, you always plug them to the media.

This is obviously self-serving on my part. But it will hopefully also help you to get more journalists away on press trips, which is always a win.

Any specific quandaries or issues about which you’d value my tuppence, please do email me.