USA Today

Geri Tucker runs the tech edit show at USAToday. She's got her hands full, with big reader expectations and a shrinking staff and budget. Geri will explain USAT's new priorities and where tech PR can make a difference. USAT wants access to the decision-makers. It wants data to chart. It wants easy-to-understand story pitches that demystify technology.

Audio and webinar files now available.

Pitching infographics is a great new way to get edit attention.

But there's an art to it. The data must be newsworthy. PR must understand edit workflow. But the payoff can be sweet.

We've studied this topic for a year or more. Here's the state of the art.

As we reach the midway point of 2010, we thought we'd do something new: replay for you the most important takeaways from the 2010 SWMS editorial teleconferences so far. Hear the audio selections in which leading reporters, editors and bloggers dispense wisdom beyond the usual cliché “Don’t call… email.” We found four consistent themes throughout the first six months of the year: data, SEO, context, and content. 

Data:

Julia Angwin, The Wall Street Journal
"Deeper than interactive graphics"

Sebastian Rupley, Gigaom
"We respond to good rich data"

David Sleight, Graphics Designer
Data: "The new wire service"

Robin Wauters, TechCrunch
Statictics: "Always interesting"

SEO:

Greg Jarboe, SEO-PR
"Keyword research is market research"  and "Tag, tag, tag"

Stephen Wellman, Ziff Davis Enterprise
Coaches reporters on search performance

Context:

Charles Babcock, InformationWeek
"Cues and clues"

John Dix, Network World
"Diagram it!"

Content:

Omar Gallaga, NPR / Austin Statesman
"Sound livens it up"

Nick Wingfield, The Wall Street Journal
"Video footage is super helpful"

Nick Kolakowski, eWeek
Think "Spy photos"

From our subscriber only feed @SWMSTweet:

Getting coverage in USA Today isn't easy -- even for the biggest tech vendors. There are some side doors, however. We explore the publications tech coverage in print and online, its rising presence in social media, and how you can crack the code. Featured: audio clips from a fresh interview with senior editor Jon Swartz and insight from online tech editor Michelle Kessler. 

It's easy to follow an influencer on Twitter. But don't stop there. Who provides the biggest audience when others reply to that influencer or re-Tweet their material? Even better is to know who a given influencer replies to. That could lead you to entirely new influencers.

From @SWMSTweet - Insight into the way some top journalists tweet:

Former USA Today and Conde Nast Portfolio reporter Kevin Maney is set to announce a new editorially-driven web site staffed by a small group of independent, experienced journalists.