The Think Room

The lines between media and marketing have never been blurrier, and few people can attest to that with the perspective of Michigan Avenue editor Susanna Negovan. The former Chicago Sun-Times contributor has spent the periods between her journalism stints doing PR for advertising agencies and consumer packaged goods. She applied the lessons from those disparate stops at the helm of Niche Media’s glossy Chicago title, which she’s led since its 2008 launch. She recently stopped by the Think Room for a wide-ranging chat.  

THE THINK ROOM: You’ve been in the media, you’ve been in PR, and now you’re back in the media. How does that experience help you run a magazine that, at times, works closely with brands?

SUSANNA NEGOVAN I would say that my background in PR makes me more empathetic to what publicists go through. I also know that no one is ever going to give the other side exactly what they want. The publicist’s client has to realize they’re not going to get a brochure. They’re never going to be 100 percent happy with the story that runs because they didn’t write it themselves. On the flip side, the journalist has to understand that the publicist is not really our advocate. They’re pretending to be, but they’re the client’s advocate. Everybody tries to play it safe in the world of PR, so we’re not getting the fun, juicy tidbit that we want.

TTR: What do you find to be the most rewarding and most challenging about both industries?

SN: I think (the most challenging thing) for both is the stress level, because our businesses are so deadline oriented. The most rewarding thing on both sides is the same and it’s when the actual story comes out. I remember when I was doing PR—if I pitched a story, the day that it ran was a very proud day. And similarly, when we put out an issue, the day it comes out is a very proud day because you have a tangible product of your work.

TTR: As a member of the media, what do you wish more PR professionals knew and would do differently?

SN: That’s easy! I wish PR people knew the constant flow of emails that we get so they didn’t junk up my inbox. I know their clients force them to, but I literally get hundreds of emails a day that don’t apply to me, useless stuff about a menu change at a restaurant in another city. At least five times a day, my inbox gets so full and I can’t send emails. I also hate, hate, hate when publicists send me mass emails. If it’s a story I want to do and I know all my competitors got it the same day, then I feel like, “What’s the point?” And the last one I would say is being reachable. I feel like all publicists should follow this rule I learned from a women’s club: If someone reaches out to you, you’re supposed to respond within the hour.

TTR: What have you learned as an editor that applies to the marketing industry?

SN: The importance of visuals. Images really tell a story, and a lot of people don’t think about the visuals when they’re crafting a product or story. In our world, it could be the greatest story on earth, but if the visuals are bad it doesn’t work. And conversely, it could be the worst story on earth, but if the visuals are good, it works. Growing up in print journalism and newspapers, that was a real eye-opener.

TTR: You spent a couple years handling PR for a large independent ad agency (Cramer-Krasselt), so what do you think most agencies get wrong when it comes to telling their stories?

SN: I think part of it is that they all start to sound the same after a while. You need to develop a vibe and personality for who you are. Because everybody is trying to be so hot and “click here” and everyone is trying to portray themselves in a very similar way, it’s hard to stand out. I think when agencies do stand out, they stand out for sometimes the wrong reasons. They pick the weirdest thing they’ve ever done and that’s what they become famous for. It doesn’t necessarily reflect their bread-and-butter skill set. There is a lot of sameness. They need to develop a personality.