The Nuts and Bolts of Working with the Associated Press
Michael Liedtke, one of two Bay Area technology beat reporters for the Associated Press, shared the key details of how to (and how not to) best get your local business story covered at a sold-out meeting Tues., February 24. The 30-year veteran reporter said the AP’s mission is to “Break it first but get it right,” as credibility and accuracy are equally key. Here are some of his tips on pitching your stories:
- Your news needs to be oriented to a mainstream audience; things that appeal to consumers, not CIOs
- He’s interested in emerging trends
- Send your news on start-up companies; even if he can’t use the story now, this could be part of a trend story later
- Contact him by email at mliedtke@ap.org, via Twitter @liedtkesfc, or call if you have breaking news at 415-495-0725. “Try to keep your follow-ups minimal,” he requested, and don’t push it if you call and he tells you he’s on deadline.
Liedtke also answered numerous audience questions, including:
- What are the AP’s San Francisco beats? Law enforcement, the environment, education, transgender issues
- What does the future hold? Briefer items; the “mobile phenomenon;” more consumer news: advice, how this affects you, “news you can use”
- What does he think about the change in AP style? AP gives such changes a “great deal of care and thought” seeking to honor the traditions of proper language while striving to keep up with the times.
- How much lead time is needed for an exclusive story? More than a week, and he will need access to the key people to interview
- What tech trends are on his radar? Robotics, wearables, virtual reality, smart homes and “mobile, mobile, mobile”
- What was a recent favorite story? The LinkedIn “Take your parents to work day” piece
- Is he OK with “double pitching” if a PR person is representing more than one client? “The more the merrier” if multiple companies can all be tied together into a trend story.
- Has he ever had a company get angry over his coverage? The former CEO of Wells Fargo ambushed him in person to complain because his article “drove the company’s stock down.” A local tech company that shall remain nameless but that is known for “original thinking” also contacted him because they said that one of his stories “adversely affected their earnings.” The caller told Liedtke he was “an outlier” in his opinion, which Liedtke found ironic from a company that tells people to “Think Different.”