As passionate public relations practitioners, some of us former journalists, we know that delivering results for our clients requires balancing not only a wide range of skills, but also a real-time understanding of the fast-changing media landscape. Because of shrinking outlets and editorial staff, and pressures to compete for attention with social media’s relentless content churn, our core media stakeholders are themselves challenged by the shifting marketing universe. Sucheta Rawal is one of our favorite travel journalists and award-winning travel writer, three-time TEDx speaker and founder of her own successful Substack. She recently talked to Paradise about the trials of being a freelance journalist (and “passionate juggler”) and offered insightful advice to marketers on how to best approach meaningful stories, including sponsored content.
What should marketers know about the current media landscape and the challenges journalists and freelancers face?
Sucheta: I have been in this business for almost 15 years and I am finding that the current media landscape is more competitive than it has ever been. The publications are leaner than ever, even staff writers and editors have no job security and are hustling on the side. Meanwhile, it is getting more difficult for freelancers to commission stories, and even when they do, they are paid so little while having to do much more work.
On the other side, PR folks are demanding confirmed coverage for their clients, and stories of a certain length in a certain publication. That is not earned media, that’s an advertorial, and the only way you can guarantee where and when your story will air is to purchase marketing space.
Marketers also need to understand that freelancer writing is a long cycle. We invest our time to go on a press trip, which are often construed as paid holidays but are long days away from our desks, filled with research, interviews, photography and information overload. When we get back, we funnel what we feel is a unique story and pitch it to the editors when there is a good match, of say, the need and timing. This process can take months, even years. And when that story is assigned, we go back to our notes, sources, photos to create the narrative. By the time the final edits are made and revised, we may be earning as little as $1/ hour! So freelancers are basically passionate jugglers. Honestly, we do it because we really do love what we do and care about what words are associated with our names.
How do you anticipate the landscape will change? Do you foresee an end to “earned” media and more emphasis on sponsored content?
Sucheta: Yes, I feel we are headed more towards sponsored content as publications are struggling to make money and the lean editorial teams simply cannot process through so much new content continuously being pitched to them. We will continue to see meaningful stories, no doubt, but I feel having the sponsorship from a destination or partner will help give a clearer picture and more budget towards a theme for each issue. I also feel that publicists could have more control of who tells their story if they approach their sponsorships strategically. For example, they can identify the journalists they have hosted in the past or ones whose voice resonates with them the most. Many publications are also establishing their repertoire of freelance writers for sponsored content and I personally love these opportunities as they have clearly defined criteria and pay.
What’s the most compelling food-driven travel story you’ve covered, and what made it special?
Sucheta: Some of the most unique food-driven travel stories I have told tend to be around human interest and sustainability. I often contribute to HuffPost’s “Voices in Food” section where I feature chefs, founders and bartenders who have personally overcome obstacles and are changing how society operates in the culinary spaces. Recently, I did a story about an illegal immigrant from Mexico who grew up to become a successful chef/entrepreneur in Alabama and is now helping others get legal assistance. I also wrote about a chef in Vienna and how challenging it was to balance her life as a single mother and a career in a Michelin kitchen. One of my favorite stories is about three different entrepreneurs who started new food and tourism businesses inside Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico during the COVID lockdown. I love telling these kinds of stories because it helps us look beyond our plates and the good food to see who is behind it. (Click here to read some of Sucheta’s latest stories.)
How do you see the future of culinary travel journalism evolving, and how can marketers adapt?
Sucheta: Since the pandemic, many publications are stressing these kinds of human interest stories because it grips the reader’s attention and they are not duplicated. You won’t find the same story in the top 10 lists across click-bait sites.
What marketers need to do more of is understand their clients more deeply. Even if they represent a hotel, an airline or a destination, they need to move away from the headline stories that make for good press releases, but not personal stories. They need to know who is in their community, talk to those characters and thread together what interesting moments of their lives made them who they are today. This requires a bit more time and effort on the publicist part, but those who know their communities well and take interest in getting to know the people around them are able to successfully pitch these stories.
But please don’t reach out to a freelancer offering an interview unless you have first identified the angle and prepared the interviewee.
If a destination wants to be known for its culinary scene, given that food is often a big part of the travel story, what are some essential elements they should focus on?
Sucheta: I find that every destination has a culinary story to tell, sometimes they just don’t know how to tell it. We can slice and dice it many different ways — no pun intended. You can look into deep dives into an ingredient, dish or recipe. For example, did you know pimento cheese was invented in Columbia, SC? Then you can investigate the historical background, the first creator, restaurants that are serving it, chefs who have put their own twist on it or married it with their backgrounds. Perhaps you can start a festival or event around it.
Quirky and fun food stories do well too! Find out what’s trending on social media and how you can connect it to a food story from your destination. Did a celebrity order a specific dish when visiting the destination?
The other essential element that everyone already has in their destination are humans. They are in every kitchen! And everyone has an interesting story to share, you just need to find it. So definitely focus on the characters in the culinary space.
The only thing that annoys me is when publicists send pitches of chefs who are “elevating their native cuisine, or serving their grandma’s authentic recipes, or award-winning.” We don’t want to hear those cliches anymore. Those are lovely ideas, but the story has to have more meat in it (lol)!
