The Stack is a weekly podcast where we share and discuss the latest trends, news, and content from the world of marketing, sales, and tech. In each episode, Sean, Tim, and Ryan sit down to chat about the hard-hitting questions related to sales, marketing, and tech. You can subscribe on iTunes and Soundcloud.
In this episode, we share news about social media, how to pitch to the New York Times, and how a thermometer tells firms where to advertise.
We would love to hear your thoughts so make sure to comment or tweet us at @Sylvestrer1, @SeanHenri, and @Tendrecroppes or @PepperlandMKTG.
How to successfully pitch The New York Times (or, well, anyone else)
By Tim Herrera for Nieman Journalism Lab
You may be wondering why we’re talking about freelance writing. Well, the same tactics and principles apply to guest posting, link building, and other marketing strategies as well.
Before we go on, it’s worth remembering: A bad pitch is not the same thing as a bad story idea. Pitches get turned down for countless reasons — you pitched the wrong outlet, the wrong editor, your idea wasn’t fully fleshed out, the timing wasn’t right, etc. And especially as news outlets are evolving in their approaches to digital storytelling, publications are increasingly open to nontraditional storytelling structures.
Key Takeaways:
- Always have a solid reason for reaching out to someone
- Make your outreach genuine even though it might be a “pitch” make it sound human.
Social media is a symptom, not a tactic
Seth Godin
Seth Godin presents an interesting point of view on the influence of social media and where you should start developing your social presence.
“When your ideas are spreading, when your work is remarkable, when your organization has built a social ratchet that works, one of the side effects will be a significant social media presence. People will talk about you in ways that they like to talk… online. On the other hand, if you spend all your time beginning at the end, grooming your social network, tweezing your Insta posts, hyping your tweets–nothing much is going to happen. The simple proof of this is that brands with ten or twenty times the social media impact almost never have ten or twenty times as many people working as “social media specialists.”
Key Takeaways:
- When you create amazing content, it will get shared on its own
This Thermometer Tells Your Temperature, Then Tells Firms Where to Advertise
By Sapna Maheshwari for The New York Times
The headline is surely an interesting one, but also one that makes us question our privacy. With big-name companies like Facebook constantly letting us down with private security, this story will certainly make everyone feel uneasy.
“This flu season, Clorox paid to license information from Kinsa, a tech start-up that sells internet-connected thermometers that are a far cry from the kind once made with mercury and glass. The thermometers sync up with a smartphone app that allows consumers to track their fevers and symptoms, making it especially attractive to parents of young children. The data showed Clorox which ZIP codes around the country had increases in fevers. The company then directed more ads to those areas, assuming that households there may be in the market for products like its disinfecting wipes.”
Key Takeaways:
- We are living in a world of constant surveillance and companies find value in any information.
- In order to really understand your customer, you have to get out and talk to them; walk in their shoes for a day.
Making it easier to control your data, directly in Google products
Eric Miraglia for Google’s Blog The Keyword
With the recent breach in security, Google is rolling out easy controls for users to review and delete the data Google receives. Before this new user-specific rollout, it was harder to review this information. Google wasn’t trying to hide it, but it wasn’t necessarily easy to make changes to it either. Let’s face it, Google makes money but learning and understanding more about us. Google has to walk a fine line like every other company to stay on customers good side.
“Without ever leaving Search, you can now review and delete your recent Search activity, get quick access to the most relevant privacy controls in your Google Account, and learn more about how Search works with your data. We’re also providing quick access to the privacy controls in your Google Account that are most relevant as you use Search. For example, to control the ads you see when you search, we give you access to your Ad Settings. Additionally, you can access your Activity Controls to decide what information Google saves to your account and uses to make Search and other Google services faster, smarter and more useful.”
Key Takeaway:
- Google is taking the initiative to be more transparent and allowing you to access all of the data it has collected about you.
- New quick controls will allow you to control what privacy you have when searching the web.
Ad Archive Report
Facebook Team
Facebook released a report that shows the ad spend for political figures and issues of national importance. The information in this article shows the unbelievable amount of money spent every month on political or national issues. Most companies on this list are spending upwards of $100k a week.
“Facebook’s Ad Archive is a searchable database. It includes ads related to politics and issues of national importance that have run on Facebook or Instagram.
This report is a weekly summary of the archive and includes data for ads that have been viewed by people in the US for the time period selected above.
Making this report available to the public is part of Facebook’s efforts to increase transparency in advertising.”
Key Takeaways:
- This report gives insight into how influential political parties are and the shocking amount of money they spend on advertising each year.
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