We have been reaching out to journalists and media professionals to chat with them about their experiences in the industry working with PR professionals and what’s going on ‘Around the Press’ office. For our latest edition, we had the opportunity to interview Darren Krause, former editor of Metro Calgary. An experienced writer and editor, Krause has 18 years of experience in the journalism industry in Alberta.
Darren Krause
LinkedIn
Twitter: @Journo_DK
- What’s the most memorable pitch you’ve ever received?
“Any of the most memorable pitches come from people who I’ve built a relationship with over time. They’ll actually pitch me the way that they know they’ll get my attention. In specific, I remember Alex Kingcott was pitching something for the Calgary Comic Expo, and she just basically pitched it knowing that I wanted exclusive content and she just pitched it that way. That personal relationship where she knew exactly what I was going for and exactly what I wanted, that is just one way to do it. But those types of pitches always seem to get my attention.” - If you could write about one thing for the rest of your career, what it would it be?
“I’m going to sound really, really nerdy but I love community issues — not your government and politics stuff but things that matter to people on the ground level, in their own neighbourhoods. Now if it was a total dream thing, maybe I’d be a professional golf writer but, whatever.” - What advice would you give PR professionals working with journalists?
“PR agencies go by the book, the one they were taught in school and in media relations, but it couldn’t be further from what journalists actually want. First of all, go back to that personal relationship I was talking about — that always does it for me. But what’s more important is PR professionals need to know their market. I used to get so many press releases that were not even, in any way, related to anything that the Metro would write about. And that’s a waste of my time and their time. Know your market and do the professional due diligence. Know who you’re pitching.” - Is it too early to ask what your plans are for what comes next in your career?
“Oh boy, wouldn’t you love to know! I’m working on some things — it goes back to what I want to write about. I’m looking at an opportunity where I can really put the community back into news, and I think it’s a really great opportunity. We’ll be able to build that community, and we’re talking about and reporting on issues that matter to everyday Calgarians. There are 1.3 million Calgarians, and I will bet you all of them have some interesting story to tell or something that piques their interest — I’m going to try find those stories and deliver them to the people in Calgary.”
Thanks for talking with us, Darren! Have a story you would like to share? Let us know on Twitter at @PRTheAgency or in the comment section below!
