Exclusives

Why does a PR choose to go with one title over another when it comes to exclusives? I spend a fair amount of time pondering this – recently when pitching for a hotly anticipated book for which there were big money bids and when talking to a celebrity’s agent about an interview.

It’s just as relevant when it’s a first look inside a new restaurant or an interview with a chef; even tasting a doughnut before it goes on sale!

On both occasions I mentioned at the start, another title was chosen but there are lots of times when the Telegraph does secure exclusives – it’s usually when successful that we find out who we were up against and why we got it. But what helps in any instance, and is really useful to know, is what was behind a decision.

As journalists we can give you all the data we have on who our audience is, how many of them, what they earn etc etc, but maybe that’s not all that it’s about. And sometimes PRs have special relationships with editors or writers so there’s no getting around that…

So please help us to help you by sharing as much intel as you can: sometimes it can be as simple as a previous editor on a title falling out with a client, or being holiday buddies, but things change fast and nobody wants a decision based on connections or, worse, grudges!