How do you get in there when there's no “there”?

That was in the days of plenty. Now we're in the days of newspapers getting skinnier every issue, major glossy magazines cutting page-count, and niche titles being shut down.

For public relations people, good media relations and a strong story are no longer good enough. Even if a journalist likes the story, and wants to run it, they often simply have no space. Section editors that used to fill a page or two on their particular beat now have to cram it all into a column of news briefs.

Shrinking act

Business Day (at a hefty R9.50 cover price) did its normal shrinking act over the festive season, but instead of returning to its usual thickness in early January 2009, it stayed down to 20 pages (main section plus business, excluding supplements and specials) until the end of February. Recent issues have climbed back to 30-40 pages, and The Star and Cape Times (a bargain at R5.70) are also hanging in at about the same page count.

But cost-cutting is everywhere. Editorial staff is being reduced, newsrooms are being rationalised and merged. Regular industry sections such as technology or transport have been dropped or severely curtailed.

You can almost smell the gritted teeth.

Major magazines such as GQ, FHM and Men's Health have cut forms - most of the glossies are hovering around the 120-page mark, and few monthlies manage more than 80 or so pages each issue. And then there's the casualties. Y Mag is ex. Computing SA does not compute. Blunt is not 'round. TopBike is off the road. Men's Health Living is dead.

It's only a matter of time before magazines' pretty perfect binding becomes trade-press-esque saddle stitch. And then the inevitable last-ditch attempt to stay alive by going purely online. Hi, Netdotwork.co.za!

Print media will survive

Of course print media will survive. It will. There're already absurd amounts of debate on this topic, so we'll just move right along. But clearly for the next year it's going to be lean pickings.

For PR people, keeping clients happy is going to be tough. Getting coverage is going the be harder, and let's not kid ourselves - no matter the stratosphere of strategic excellence you may dream you're working in, a fat file full of well-positioned clippings is the main reason clients hire us.

PR people will need to do two things, right now.

The first, is get clients used to the idea that their clippings files are going to get drastically lighter. Secondly, they must explain to clients how they can to get more value from the work that is done.

If your case study won't get picked up by media, then make sure it's also packaged as a piece of collateral that can be downloaded or used by sales people. If you do an opinion piece, then expose it on the web using content dissemination services such as Newswire or Realwire.

Rationalise copywriting

PR agencies will need to move (or be pushed) closer to the ad agencies or web design agencies to rationalise copywriting - for websites and corporate collateral. Clients will start to cut fat (or what they think is non-critical muscle); avoid appearing like a duplication at all costs.

It may be time for PR people to rethink who they're talking to. The PR agency needs to make sure it's seen as business-critical - which means moving closer to the core of the business. And we all know what that means: do you know the sales director personally? They're the ones who bring in the cash that the business needs right now. Perhaps it's time to have a meeting, because that which drives sales, stays in business.