When journalism and public relations intersect

As publishers increasingly rely on analytics to measure the performance of their journalists, every click counts.

The New York Times has expanded upon this measurement approach, and it mirrors tactics used by many PR pros. My colleague Bob Pickard shared his interaction with Times reporter Ian Urbina, who had emailed him to promote a series of stories called “The Outlaw Ocean.”

Although it’s a form letter, it’s a darn good one.

I liked Urbina’s word choice, and the publication’s condoning (assuming this was copy edited) his starting a sentence with “but.”

“Forgive me if this is an intrusion. But we’re experimenting with some new methods for getting content directly to readers with particular interests.”