Daisy Chan, associate editor of SmartMoney and editor of the monthly's "Smart Spending" section, is constantly on the lookout for juicy travel and shopping-related stories. She
also edits the magazine's "Working" section, with stories ranging from on-the-job stresses to how to get your career back on track after losing a job. The key for SmartMoney
readers, Chan says, is to pitch stories that are singularly focused on personal finance. It sounds simple, but as Chan's Bugaboos indicate, it seldom works out that way.
Chan's Bugaboos:
- Sending mammoth e-mail files. Chan has gotten her share of e-mails that include heavy attachments that screw up her whole system. "It happens often enough," Chan says. "I
then have to get underneath my computer and reboot and, if that doesn't work, call IT." Chan now zaps any e-mail with an attachment that she isn't expecting. - Giving pests a bad name. Chan makes sure to respond to all initial pitches that pique her interest. After talking with a PR rep, however, she sometimes has to politely decline
to pursue the story. This doesn't stop some PR folks from calling her back. "I guess I'd call it pestering," she says. "One PR person has called me back four times after I
declined to do the story, so it's gotten to the point where I have to simply ignore this person's calls." - Pitching stale stories. Chan is constantly contacted by PR pros who are either A) clueless about the magazine's mission B) unfamiliar with the lead-time for pitches or C)
both. "Even if I'm told the event is next week it's still too late," she says. With a monthly frequency you need to provide at least a month's notice in order for a story to be
considered for publishing. Barring that strategy, Chan suggests finding a creative way on how she may be able to advance an existing story and still make it timely for her
readers. "People need to be as sensitive to our frequency as they can." - What Works: Chan appreciates it when any PR pitch includes some bona fide statistics that can back up the story, particularly one that can qualify as a trend piece. Any pitch
with numbers and "I'm instantly interested," she says. "Numbers are always helpful."
Contact: Daisy Chan, [email protected].