PR Newswire Holds Special Event in Conjunction with BuzzFeed UK

An evening with Ailbhe Malone and Ryan Broderick

LONDON, Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Global news distributor, PR Newswire, held its latest Meet the Media event with special guests from social news and entertainment giant BuzzFeed.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7890151-pr-newswire-meet-the-media-buzzfeed-uk/

Ailbhe Malone, Head of Life and Ryan Broderick, Deputy Global News Director, gave the audience an insight into how BuzzFeed UK selects content, the best way to pitch stories and how to build better relationships with journalists. Alongside their tips for PR and communications professionals, they also gave examples of the features that they have worked on and the types of story that catch their attention.

Held at Two Temple Place, a neo-Gothic mansion set in the heart of London, attendees were also invited to ask Ailbhe and Ryan questions in a lively Q&A session, followed by food, drinks and networking with other guests.

Talking about how they find stories and features, Ailbhe and Ryan advised that around 5-10% of their content is currently sourced from PR and that they are hoping this can be improved. Both gave examples of what they like to receive, from simple, well researched raw information that can be moulded into a full feature, to amusing and innovative content that stands out from the crowd.

Other highlights of their presentations included the following:

Ailbhe speaking about BuzzFeed's mission statement: "We are passionate about providing our readers with realistic, helpful and funny lifestyle content, whether it is the best make up at pound-land or the cheapest way to get out of London at the weekend. We never talk down to our readers or make assumptions about their budget. We take their suggestion on board and we aim to delight and engage them at all times."

Ailbhe speaking about multiple voices: "We will never publish a piece without expert opinion. It's really key to us that we don't have just one voice, but that we have several and it must be fleshed out. It must offer a well-rounded view. We feel a great responsibility to our readers to present them with the best possible information."

Ailbhe speaking about sourcing products: "While we accept press samples we tend to only feature things that are a combination of user recommendations and personal favourites. Very seldom will we feature a press sample we have not tried at least three times, and even then we may not choose to feature it."

Ryan speaking about video content: "BuzzFeed is trying to get further into video with the massive success of BuzzFeed Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. In the UK, the David Cameron interview and EU debates were extremely successful so there are plans for more. All of their video production is done in New York but thanks to 'the magic of the iPhone' they can shoot videos all over the world."

Ryan speaking about their demographic: "Young women – that's our main focus. Young women use social media more than men and I think that taking young people seriously and letting them tell their own stories is what makes BuzzFeed's stuff do so well."

Ryan speaking about what BuzzFeed looks for: "Probably the most important thing to know about what BuzzFeed reporters are really looking for is our number one question – 'What's the shareable element of this?' And it doesn't mean that it will eclipse the news value, but we want to focus on what people are saying and how they react to it."

As Head of Life, Ailbhe oversees all UK Lifestyle content. She was a founding member of BuzzFeed UK and has been with the company since it launched in 2013. Prior to this, she worked as a culture writer and columnist for NYLON, The Irish Times, WIRED, the Guardian and NME. She also worked as a visiting lecturer in digital media at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) and as a consultant digital strategist for numerous digital agencies.

As Deputy Global News Director, Ryan works in the chaotic world of breaking news, specialising in some of the more bizarre and eccentric stories. Ryan joined BuzzFeed in 2012 and transferred from the New York office to BuzzFeed UK last year. Prior to this, he worked at Vice magazine, Hofstra Chronicle and Gawker Media.

BuzzFeed.com has more than 200 million monthly unique visitors, more than 7 billion monthly global content views and 11 international editions including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, India, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia and Japan. BuzzFeed UK launched in 2013 and currently has a readership that is 60% female/40% male, with around 80% of sharing done by its female audience. BuzzFeed places high importance on the number of shares its articles get and uses this to evaluate their success.

The goal of Meet the Media is to enable communications professionals to hear from leading media organisations on how their respective companies work, providing insight into their specialist areas, giving advice on achieving coverage, informing them on effective targeting of journalists within their sector and how to build mutually beneficial relationships.

The next Meet the Media will be held in London, details to be announced soon.

To register and receive more information on future events, email marketinguk@prnewswire.co.uk.

To receive updates via twitter follow www.twitter.com/meetthemedia.

Imogen Powell-Shaw
Marketing Manager
PR Newswire
Phone: +44(0)20 7454 5335
marketinguk@prnewswire.co.uk