Episode #1: Noah Manskar, NY Post

“Patience can be mutually beneficial to both PR folks and journalists.”

- Noah Manskar

In this episode, we chat with Noah Manskar, a business reporter for New York Post. To kick-off the conversation, we asked Noah to share a story with us that originated from a pitch sent by an earned media professional. The story he shares is a heartwarming human-interest piece that he wrote while he was reporting for Patch NYC: NYC Dad Gives Daughter New Life with Liver Donation.

It was pitched to him by Mahlori Isaacs, a Senior Media Relations Associate at New York Presbytarian Hospital and is a perfect example of how a PR pro can build a collaborative and productive working relationship with a journalist.

In the episode, Noah also discusses his current role as a business reporter at NY Post and the types of stories he is covering on a day-to-day basis. 

The most valuable takeaway, however, is Noah’s reminder for both PR folks and journalists to have empathy for each other. In a media environment where quantity is really important and journalists are being asked to do a lot on a daily basis, patience goes a long way. Remember, you’re working with a human being and you’re both under pressure.

Love the episode? Subscribe on Apple Podcast and please leave us a review on iTunes!

Timestamps

00:20 — How the We Earned Media podcast came to be

2:07 — Noah’s role at NY Post as a business reporter and how it compares to his previous positions covering local news at Patch NYC and Blank Slate Media 

5:23 — A summary of a story he wrote for Patch NYC that was pitched to him by Mahlori Isaacs, a Senior Media Relations Associate at New York Presbytarian Hospital

7:00 — What made the pitch standout to Noah (spoiler: it was actually on the longer side!)

8:20 — The qualities that made Mahlori a pleasure to work with

9:20 — Noah dissect’s Mahlori’s pitching style and why her pitches were always so compelling

10:00 — Why it’s so important to make the story concept clear in your pitch and how to do it

10:35 — Supplementary material that Noah finds useful

11:45 — Would it have made a difference if NY Presbyteranian already published the story on their blog or elsewhere?

13:14 — Why the story was multi-faced how that contributed to its appeal

15:10 — What kinds of stories pique Noah’s interest as a business reporter for NY Post

16:45 — Tips for pitching expert sources to a Breaking News reporter in general

18:25 — Pitching exclusive stories and what this term/label means to the NY Post and his role particularly

21:10 — Why there are 2 definitions for the term “exclusive” at NY Post

23:00 — Timelines for responding to exclusives and how often to you should follow up for all kinds of pitches

25:18 — Jackie asks if Noah has ever “ghosted” any PR people

26:15 — Does Noah check his spam folder for PR pitches?

27:00 — We go back to Noah’s working relationship with Mahlori and why she was great to work with in general (he wrote a lot of stories that were pitched by Mahlori)

28:00 — The importance of meeting face-to-face

30:02 — Pro-tip: build a relationship with a journalist via email before inviting them to coffee

31:23 — Is there an ideal time of day that’s best for sending a pitch to Noah?

34:10 — The last tip Noah shares with PR folks

Connect with Noah

Twitter

Connect with Jackie & Britt

Twitter

Instagram

podcast@weearnmedia.com