In this week’s focus, we speak to Geraldine Faulkner, editor of ProShop Europe. A European golf trade magazine, Faulkner is keen to hear from PRs who have proposals related to this specialised industry.

But what does she have to say about press days, PRs and press releases?

About the publication:

Who reads it and how many of them are there?
ProShop Europe is Europe’s leading golf trade magazine.

What subjects do you cover?
European golf, product news and company updates.

What makes you different from the other outlets in your sector?
In-depth coverage, up-to-date news.

Do you produce a features list? Why? Why not?
It is on our website under ‘advertise’.

Do you use freelance contributions, and if so, are they for any particular section/type of work?
As a rule we don’t use many freelance contributions as it is such a specialized industry.

About PRs:

Do you work closely with PRs (e.g. for supplements, round tables, events) or do you keep them at arm’s length?
I would be happy to be approached by PRs with proposals on events such as round table and supplements.

Do you have any advice for PRs?
Email press releases, keep ‘em short and if phoning with a pitch ask first if it’s press day rather than launching into your ‘spiel’.

What’s the best starting point for a PR who wants to tell you about their client?
Phone call.

What information/input from PRs is most useful to you?
Succinct details about clients minus the marketing plug.

Do you have a PR pet hate?
Where do I start????? Three page long press releases, a PR who promises news when there is nothing newsworthy to speak of, a PR who gets a 16-year-old called Jessica or St John to phone up to ask if you’ve received a press release sent three weeks earlier, and above all, a PR who doesn’t know the meaning of the word DEADLINE.

When is the best time for PRs to contact you & what is your deadline for contributions?
The best time to get information to me is by the end of the first week of each month.

About you

:
What interests you most about your job?
The colourful characters I get to meet.

What led to you becoming editor for ProShop Europe?
Being in the right place at the right time.

What was your first job?
Publishing assistant at the Teaching English as a Foreign Language journal.

In a dream world, if you could do any job, what would it be?
The one I’m doing now.

I’d like to have a go at…
Paragliding.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would you hope to have with you?
A radio that receives BBC Radio 4.

[lnk|http://www.featuresexec.com/publications/info_features.php?pubid=5626&hilight=Pro-Shop+Europe|_self|ProShop Europe]

[img|jpg|Geraldine Faulkner]