The PR Net Digital Event Recap: An Editor-in-Chief’s Guide to Pitching and Hosting Press Trips

During this week’s webinar, we heard about how a considered, less-is-more approach to press trips can help PR partners co-create meaningful and memorable stories with Dossier magazine Editor-in-Chief, Skye Parrott. As previous Editor-in-Chief titles at Departures, Playgirl, and Dossier, which she co-founded, Skye and the Dossier team have had the privilege of telling stories from around the globe while being hosted on thoughtful press trips. We've heard her insights on how making group press trips feel personal, how she prepares for press trips, and her commitment to telling compelling stories. To follow Dossier Magazine, join their community on Instagram and subscribe to their newsletter.

The takeaways: 

  • Good, quality, and differentiated storytelling is rooted in data — understanding an audience and their media consumption habits leads to smart storytelling. 
  • If the PR is informed and passionate about the destination or place, it comes through in their press trip pitch. 
  • It’s key to understand the publication, the stories they’re telling, and the formats they’re using, and PR should consider that when pitching a press trip. 
  • Communication, on both sides, is key in mitigating challenges or unexpected events during press trips. It also builds trust. 
  • For group press trips, think about how to tailor elements and experiences for different journalists, publications, and audiences, as that will result in better storytelling.
  • For group press trips, try to build an itinerary for each attendee to ensure each has a differentiated, interesting story to tell.
  • Five guests or fewer are ideal for group press trips to ensure a personal and deep connection to the experience.
  • 10+ for group press trips is possible, with the right infrastructure and investment to ensure all journalists feel cared for and able to capture their stories.
  • On trips, we recommend working with each individual journalist to understand their downtime needs, whether for additional story capture or relaxation.
  • When PR is collaborative and we all understand that we’re working towards a common goal it makes for the best storytelling. 
  • Unstructured time always allows for journalists, specifically photographers, to capture special, organic, genuine moments (versus setting up scenes).
  • A dialogue about activity details allows a journalist to be well prepped and packed properly for the experience. 
  • For activity selection during the press trip itself, sending over a list of potential activities creates a more collaborative itinerary that has the journalist excited about their upcoming experience, and then results in better, deeper storytelling. 
  • Thoughtful itineraries that detail expected weather, what to pack, activities, and timing, sent a week before allows journalists to prepare and research well.
  • Cultural information and nuances from PR about a destination is helpful for setting everyone up for success and ensuring a positive experience.
  • Everything matters — the details are never too small. The care that press puts into the process has a direct and positive impact for the story that is eventually told.
  • Dossier moto: The way you do anything is the way you do everything.
  • As for planning and timing, as much notice as the press can give journalists for upcoming press trips the better. Even if dates aren’t set, just a time of the year is helpful when planning out trips for the year.
  • From a journalists’ perspective, how well thought out a press trip is planned and the relevance for the journalist and publication allows for an easy RSVP yes. 
  • Group press trips are really great for newer journalists who are looking to network. 
  • Ideally, individual press trips should be prioritized when possible and if budget allows.
  • +1’s can help provide a better output for the story, as travel is naturally a social activity. 
  • For pitching, PR should pitch who you have a press relationship with, if you don’t have a relationship with them, pitch to the editor who focuses on that topic, or do research for who passes press trips along to the internal editorial team – for Dossier it’s the editorial operations coordinator
  • Communication is key about output expectations i.e. if coverage is mandatory, when it’ll go live, etc. 
  • For group trips, curating the right group is important in a press trip to ensure a smooth and enjoyable trip. For selecting individuals consider experience, background, publication audience, etc. 
  • Economy ticket for long distances with a quick turnaround can be tricky as it doesn’t allow the journalist/ editor to be properly rested to do their job
  • Hosting a journalist for a multi-property press trip really depends on the properties, the distance between them, and the length of the press trip as this all can impact the quality of the story. 
  • Bringing your own photographer depends on the publication, how they operate, and the budget constraints. For Dossier, we like to feature original, high-quality imagery as it allows for personalization and care from the stories developed, which is what this luxury high-end audience is consuming.  
  • Length of press trips can impact the story and should be reflective of the journalist and their needs (i.e. family, working in an office, etc.).
  • Curated takeaways and welcome baskets can be an opportunity for the journalist to learn more about the location and their priorities by featuring items specific to the place, the space, or the culture
  • Anything you give to a journalist is a communication opportunity.
  • Communicating what will and can be covered at the upfront is important especially if you’re working with an independent journalist. 


How Generative AI is Influencing the Creator Economy

As the Billion Dollar Boy team writes,”generative AI is transforming the creator economy, supercharging creativity and driving exceptional ROI.” Their latest intelligence report explores just how generative AI is positively disrupting this space, the opportunities for brands and how marketers and creators are adopting this technology. Read a few takeaways below, and download the full report here

2023 was the year that AI hit the mainstream. So says Oxford, Cambridge and Merriam-Webster - trusted dictionaries which all named AI among its ‘word of the year’ lists. But in 2024 and beyond, the technology will cease to simply be a buzzword. Unlike previous technological innovations which have experienced boom and bust cycles, thought leaders in AI such as Andrew Ng, Sam Altman and Bill Gates have predicted the technology will deliver lasting global transformative change - proving to be as “revolutionary as mobile phones and the Internet”. One particularly revolutionary system of artificial intelligence is ‘generative AI’. It is already having a deep and wide ranging impact across a variety of sectors. The ‘creator economy’ is one such industry, with a high content output and powered by a predominantly young and digitally savvy workforce.

Our research found that the creator economy continues to be a leader in adopting new technological developments, revealing the widespread use of generative AI and the substantial impact it is already having on the sector: 

  • 1/4 consumers have used generative AI to create social media content
  • 92% of marketers have commissioned creator content that has been designed in part or fully using generative AI
  • 9/10 creators have used generative AI to create content

An overwhelming majority of creators are already using generative AI, often extremely regularly; with adoption evolving over time from functional tool to creative partner. This is translating into more partnerships for creators with brands and agencies, as almost every marketer (92%) our research surveyed had commissioned creator content designed using generative AI. Unsurprisingly, consumers are mirroring growing adoption rates in the sector. A quarter of consumers have already used it to create social media content of their own - from generative AI tools like Midjourney and ElevenLabs to in-app tools launched by social media platforms themselves. It suggests a rising familiarity with the technology among social media users and, by implication, an audience that is curious to consume more. With such high levels of adoption, the creator economy is a weather vane for generative AI. It can tell us a lot about its transformative potential for the advertising industry as a whole and beyond. 

So what is the reality behind the hype? 

“In the battle for attention on social feeds, traditional creator content that simply shows influencers holding products is no longer winning - no matter how compelling the talent. Creators who are using generative AI are elevating creativity in product-centric ads. They’re helping brands get products in front of audiences with fresh and unique content that cuts through.” —Thomas Walters, BDB Europe CEO

Generative AI creator content is already yielding positive results for creators, and proving popular with consumers. This has encouraged almost three in four (70%) marketers to increase marketing spend on creator content featuring generative AI in the past 12 months. Yet despite such strong momentum behind generative AI content in the creator economy, the research also reveals the challenges and considerations to balance sector optimism for the technology - suggesting that brands and creators would be wise to reflect and gather intelligence on how they use generative AI rather than simply adopting it just to be on trend. Like all new technology, generative AI doesn’t come with a blueprint. This research report is designed to unpick the reality from the hype, helping you to navigate a rapidly evolving advertising landscape, and explore how generative AI could impact the future of your advertising strategies.

“As an industry, we must commit resources to better understand generative AI’s impact on the creator economy and the community. Along with our research, we’ve launched Muse - a new innovation unit - which is helping brands to explore the technology’s capabilities. We’ve found that when applied conscientiously, it can supercharge creativity, empower creators and deliver impressive results for brands.” —Becky Owen, Billion Dollar Boy CMO

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