John Capouya, deputy editor of SmartMoney, was brought in two years ago to ramp up the monthly's consumer lifestyle coverage. Capouya (ex-Newsweek, The New York Times) edits
the "Smart Spending," "Agenda" and "Tech File" sections. He also oversees stories that run in the feature well of the magazine, a joint venture between Hearst Magazines and Dow
Jones & Co. (800,000-circ.). "We're all about personal finance, which includes making choices for your personal balance sheet," Capouya says.
Capouya's Bugaboos
- Little to no familiarity with the publication. Capouya says he still gets calls from PR pros who ask that he do a profile of the latest Master of the Universe but fail to
realize that the magazine writes about mere mortals. "I get a lot of calls like, 'How about that Jack Welch?' and I say, 'How about it?' It doesn't mean anything to us. We don't
do business stories, per se. We're all about the personal." Rarely does the magazine run C-suite profiles or celebrity pieces. But if you can have a story on how Britney Spears
picks her stocks, Capouya is willing to listen. - No means no. Capouya makes an effort to return every telephone call from PR executives. "If I've said it's not right for us, it's probably best to leave it at that," he says.
- Taking the time. PR people are in the habit of sending material regarding, say, a press conference or event, without any consideration of the edit cycle. "PR people will call
saying there's a press conference and act as if I can get up and go that minute," Capouya says. "They need to understand our lead time." Attending press conferences, for example,
doesn't really help SmartMoney reporters; in most cases, they'll see how the story is initially covered by the dailies and then determine whether it makes sense to try and advance
the story with a SmartMoney spin.
What works: Give a little, get a little. "Saying, 'I want you to promote my client' doesn't suit my needs," Capouya says. "But if you appear willing to do something that
doesn't serve the immediate needs of the client but helps editors, you'll probably get the most favored nation status the next time you call." Simply establishing a relationship
from the get-go - sans pitches - should help PR pros down the road. Says Capouya: "It's good psychologically because then they're not viewed as someone who is just pestering us."
Contact: John Capouya, 212.830.9200