Last week I made my way to the British Museum bright and early for a media briefing with Time Out, to see what tips Gail Tolley, features editor, and Mark O’Donnell, digital content editor, could give me about what to do in London.
As you are probably aware, Time Out is mostly about fun things to do in the capital, so these guys are experts in London life. And after living up north for three years, I’ve got a bit of catching up to do, so this was a great way to be reminded of what binds Londoners together, and what cool things there are to do in the city.
There seem to be certain trends that wash well with us: mainly, cheese, gin, and tales of the tube. With so much yummy cheese available at places like Berwick Street market, Chapel market in Islington and, of course, the infamous Borough market (which happens to be 10 minutes from our London office), this trend is definitely something worth getting on board with.
And after filling up on fromage, the capital’s coolest kids wash it down with gin. If you’re based in London, it’s difficult to miss the increase in bars like the Gin Palace and the London Gin Club, as well as exciting twists on the normal bar layout like the Gin Journey. There are also lots of pop up gin locations across London, so be sure to look out for them. It’s official: gin is in.
Another expert tip I am willing to let you in on: rum is apparently ‘so 2012’. Good to bear in mind next time you’re ordering a drink in trendy Shoreditch bars with your co-workers.
Back to PR…
Although we focus on B2B tech, it’s always interesting to go to these events to hear from varying journalists about what they like to see from PRs. So, as well as sharing my new-found knowledge about how to be cool in London, I also thought I’d flag up a few insider tips.
Time Out’s first pet peeve was waffling subject lines. As we all know, in-boxes fill up at lightning speed, so making sure that subject lines get right to the point means you have a better chance of cutting through the noise.
They also highlighted the importance of high resolution images. PR is increasingly visually-led these days, which means that providing quality images is crucial if you want to increase the chances of a story being used.
With more publications focusing on social media strategy, it’s also important for PRs to look at using video as a key platform in the industry. Time Out have just hired a new UK Video Editor, so this is obviously something that is working well for them.
If there’s any other London or PR trend you think I’ve missed, tweet us at @FourthDayPR!
Share this:
