The case for trade pubs – and how to get placement

When formulating your earned media strategy, don’t sleep on trade publications.

Maggie Murphy, editor-in-chief of Construction Executive, said niche media outlets provide a space for more detailed analysis of the topics and trends that matter most to targeted readership.

Construction Executive, which is both a trade publication and an association publication, covers everything from workforce development and technological advancements to project management and legislative action.

“As a mainstream news organization, you can only get so deep into a particular area,” Murphy said. “These industry pubs really kind of do that deep dive and produce the type of content that’s super relevant to folks who are in the office, on a job site every day and putting these things to work in real life.”

Adapting to a changing media landscape

 DPR Construction’s Jay Weisberger believes trade publications are more important than ever.

 “Let’s just be honest: Your average consumer business outlet probably doesn’t want to dive into the minutia and construction delivery methods,” said Weisberger, a member of Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council. “But you get the right trade reporter who understands the very specific nuances and pressures on its readers, and you’re bringing a very technical discussion that really addresses (it).”

The traditional news hole is getting “smaller and smaller,” Weisberger said, “making trade an even more valuable asset.” But trade publications face many of the same challenges as other newsrooms.

Construction Executive, for example, has a three-person editorial team, only two of whom are writers. It also uses a stable of freelancers. Starting in 2025, the publication will move from nine issues a year to six, in addition to regular website posts.

“Sometimes there’s a tendency for folks… to think, ‘Oh, this is a trade publication, not the New York Times,’ so they might assume it’s easier to get a placement. But they don’t realize that trades are getting a lot of pitches and working with small staffs as well,” Weisberger said.

Industry executives value trade pubs

Weisberger, who leads external communications for DPR, said looking at circulation figures and “whatever multiplier for impressions” remains valuable for determining the impact of a placement. But when it comes to trades, his focus is engagement. He noted that DPR’s trade placements and mentions often generate just as much social media interaction as those in major consumer publications.

Perhaps just as important, leadership and customers “expect” to see them in the leading trades, Weisberger said.

“These are big industries that we operate in and there’s a lot of news to cover,” he added. “Having the ability to work with trade publications, within the construction industry, like the Engineering News-Record, is big for us.”

Recent data from the Broadsheet State of Media Report provides evidence that communicators should make trade a key to their media strategy. A survey of 150 C-level executives, managing directors and senior vice presidents in various fields found that almost 70% regard trade publications and newsletters as their main source of industry news.

Other key takeaways from the report:

• 82% said trade media directly influences enterprise purchase decisions.
• 67% think having a presence in trade media directly influences sales and revenue growth, with one-in-three stating it substantially impacts sales figures.
• 59% said having a presence in trade media directly influences their brand’s overall market position and identity.

Ben Billingsley, founder and CEO of Broadsheet Communications, which fielded the survey, said his team has clients who say they wanted to concentrate on landing in top-tier consumer or business press. But while those outlets can deliver enormous brand value, the trade publications are the “workhorse” for helping to build a sustainable company, he said.

Tips for landing placements, mentions in top trades

Weisberger said that pitching trade can be intimidating at times because those reporters have a depth of industry knowledge that can expose “vulnerabilities.” While the reporter likely isn’t going to be antagonistic, that doesn’t mean they don’t ask tough questions, Weisberger said.

It’s the job of the PR professional to anticipate those questions and be ready to address them if they come up.

“When you’re able to answer that tough question, you’re going to strengthen that relationship,” Weisberger said. “Your future interactions are probably going to be like, ‘Oh, I worked with this person and they’re a straight shooter.’”

Pitches also still matter a great deal.

Construction Executive’s editorial team receives a ton of emails every day, Murphy said. She and her team “do read them all” – and many are done “very poorly.”

Murphy said that her team receives generic media releases that don’t really speak to why the content is relevant to Construction Executive or its readers.

The most effective pitches, Murphy said, are those where communicators have taken the time to craft something that shows awareness of the publication, its mission and its audience.

Adding a few lines to the top of a press release that say, “Here’s what’s going on with our company and here’s why it’s relevant to you and why you should share it with your readers” can be as effective as a tailored pitch.

“I will tell you the ones that are not tailored are likely getting ignored,” Murphy said.

Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.