In the wake of the ‘churnalism’ row, spawned from Nick Davies’ Flat Earth News, PR Week has advised PR specialists on the best market research methods for producing a “genuine news hook that can be associated with a brand”.
Jan Walsh, former consumer editor on the Daily Mirror and now MD of market research company Consumer Analysis told PR Week that journalists wont use research-based stories if the research is taken from a low-cost small sample of between 100 and 250 people. She said: “These days journalists don’t see that as a robust enough sample, and PR people have stopped using them to avoid wasting valuable media contacts’ time with non-credible stories.”
PR Week explained four techniques “that help grab headlines” – Tickbox ‘combo’ survey, Consumer Analysis Hybrid Survey, YouGov’s Brand Index and Kadence insight generation.
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