
#: 70995 S20/Marketing OS/2 Apps
    11-Jan-96  20:11:25
Sb: #70025-Getting apps reviewed
Fm: Esther Schindler [EXEC] 72241,1417
To: Felix Cruz 72274,3102 (X)

Felix,

This is sent to you as a convenient place to hang the message in the thread,
but it's really meant for everyone in the study group.

A recent magazine article covered several packages in a particular category,
but didn't mention any OS/2 software available for that market. I knew both of
the writers involved with the story, so I started a conversation with them
about the issue. Among other reasons, *none* of the OS/2 vendors in that
category had ever sent either of them a copy of the software... or so much as
an email, letting them know that they had such a package. These two writers
are the most prominent in their particular category, so there was no excuse
for this on the part of the software developers.

One of these writers did a particularly good job of expressing a viewpoint
I've tried to communicate. With permission (and by request, no attribution), I
reprint it here:

"If I were someone trying to sell a new product, or one that's low-profile for
whatever reason, I think that one of the things I'd do would be to try to
identify the writers that covered that particular type of product and offer to
send them a copy. And stay in touch with them over the years.  Anyone who
covers any kind of software beat wants to see all of the products available,
and we're not always made aware of everything. Certainly we have some
responsibility to do research on our own (if information is available), but it
seems like it should be simple for the vendors to identify and contact the key
writers in their area. I've had a few phone calls and e-mail messages like
that, and I'm always glad to get them. Those people have gotten coverage they
wouldn't otherwise have gotten because of a little initiative."

--Esther



#: 71001 S20/Marketing OS/2 Apps
    11-Jan-96  22:44:03
Sb: #70995-#Getting apps reviewed
Fm: Felix Cruz 72274,3102
To: Esther Schindler [EXEC] 72241,1417 (X)

Esther,

Like just about everything else in business, it's not what you know, it's who
you know. I make a conscious effort to contact a potential reviewer and
establish a pleasant business relationship. This means being instantly
available at their beck and call, supplying them with product details or
access to the product author, or supplying references when requested. The hard
part is discerning the difference between legitimate writers and those trying
to bag a free copy of the product.

This is a particularly difficult industry to get a grip on all the legitimate
writers since there are so many publications. The most difficult situations
typically involve free lance writers claiming to represent one industry rag or
another. For instance, would one expect to immediately supply complimentary
copies to someone from -- The Groovy Company? <VBG>


Felix Cruz
 SofTouch Systems, Inc


There is 1 Reply.



#: 71046 S20/Marketing OS/2 Apps
    12-Jan-96  10:21:35
Sb: #71001-Getting apps reviewed
Fm: Esther Schindler [EXEC] 72241,1417
To: Felix Cruz 72274,3102

You're quite right about establishing relationships with the media. When it's
done right, the relationship can be symbiotic, since the writer lives on
information and the vendor lives on recognition.

This is especially important with the freelancers who cover your topic area;
while magazine staffers get a salary... well, as Alan described the manner in
which he encourages me to get articles written, "If you don't write, you don't
eat." If you establish a relationship with the freelancers, you're giving
*them* an opportunity to write and make money... which is a pretty powerful
encouragement, I can tell you. <grin>

Determining which journalists are actually bozos isn't an easy job, I agree.
I'm not sure if I have worthwhile advice to share about how to do so. In the
case of user groups, if someone asks for a copy of the software for review,
all you have to do is ask them to send a copy of the user group newsletter,
preferably a recent one that has their byline. Their sending the newsletter is
less a sign of their journalistic qualififications than it is of the actual
intent to review the software (rather than take off with it into the great
blue yonder). If they don't want it enough to go *that* far out of their way,
then they are unlikely to make any especial effort to "get around to"
reviewing it, either.

On the other hand, there are always exceptions. I acquire every OS/2
application that I can get my hands on, because I literally never know when
I'll get an assignment for which it'll be appropriate. In one recent case, I
was writing an article about a class of software (no not yours, Felix!) in
which there are a handful of OS/2 solutions. When it came time to describe one
of them in detail, I had a brochure from Company A, and an actual package
(sent unsolicited) from Company B. Company B got the focus, though Company A
(not to mention C, D, and E) is mentioned in passing. (For the purposes of
what I was writing about, any one of them could illustrate my point.)

So always err on the side of sending out the software.

If you're *really* wary that someone is bona-fide, you can always check him
out. It's not cheap, but GO COMPDB and search through the Computer Magazine
Database to find a mention of his name. (Search through "Words in article
text" for "Schindler," for instance.) That doesn't cover everything, though;
most Miller Freeman magazines, including OS/2 Magazine, aren't included. GO
BUSDB lets you check out the business databases, GO MAGDB covers general
magazines, from Women's Day to Time. (Your product is unlikely to be mentioned
in the latter, but that wouldn't apply to some of the people lurking here.)

Since we're on the topic of getting your applications reviewed... would
anybody care to share an experience of a Review Gone Wrong? What happened?
What could have been done to fix it? Tell me about your experiences with the
media.

--Esther



#: 71149 S20/Marketing OS/2 Apps
    13-Jan-96  06:15:00
Sb: #71046-Getting apps reviewed
Fm: Samuel G. Little 70544,10
To: Esther Schindler [EXEC] 72241,1417 (X)

 > That doesn't cover everything, though; most Miller Freeman
 > magazines, including OS/2 Magazine, aren't included.

I'm still bugging them about it. <g>

There really is no excuse (IMO). We do or did cover 36 Miller Freeman titles,
most with rights to provide text. OS/2 Mag is not one of them, and neither was
OS/2 Developer. We do OS/2 Professional, though.

It must be time to talk to a few people again....

  -- Sam <Information Access Company>

  --Sam. (Warped & using GCP 2.22)
    sam_little@iacnet.com



#: 71202 S20/Marketing OS/2 Apps
    13-Jan-96  22:03:50
Sb: #71149-Getting apps reviewed
Fm: Esther Schindler [EXEC] 72241,1417
To: Samuel G. Little 70544,10 (X)

Please keep bugging the right people!
