How to Get to the German Media
There is wide awareness of IMEX in both the German and the international media. An awareness which you could capitalise on. The tips below will help you to reach the diverse German media.
German Media
The German media landscape is one of the biggest and most diverse in the world. Around 380 daily newspapers, 1,800 general magazines, 3,700 special interest magazines, 90 TV broadcasting studios, 200 radio stations and the internet all offer services for their readers - each in their own special way.
PR in Germany
PR work against this specific backdrop must be based on:
- clear PR aims and the right strategy to reach them
- a clear decision about the media target groups that are crucial for your business
- suitable means to get to the media, for example press conferences, regular press releases, media-cooperation or interviews
News must be real news and be tailor-made to the specific type of media and their readership. Always bear in mind the competition and the short availability of space; there may be 100+ incoming news releases per day and also a large number of events that compete with your press conference.
PR and Advertising
The volume of advertising in the German media has decreased during the last 12 months. Due to this the editorial space has also reduced, making PR work even harder. You will now face an even tighter relationship between advertising and editorial than ever before.
Take this into account when you contact the media and be aware that you may need to budget for media cooperation or advertising in order to guarantee that your editorial is published.
Selecting your Target Media
Trade Publications (MICE Industry)
| Title | Location | Website | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIM Conference & Incentive Management | Darmstadt | www.cimunity.com | One of the leading meetings magazines, bilingual (German/ English) (published six times a year / circ. 22,297) |
| Convention International | Neuwied | www.convention-net.de | Important MICE magazine (published six times a year) |
| TW Tagungs-Wirtschaft | Frankfurt | www.tw-media.com | One of the leading MICE magazines, bilingual (German/ English) (published eight times a year / circ. around 22,500) |
| m+a report / m+a NEWSLINE | Frankfurt | www.dfv.de | Special publications of TW with event marketing themes (published eight times a year / circ. around 12,000) |
| Event Partner | Cologne | www.event-partner.de | Special publication with event themes (published six times a year / circ. around 20,000) |
| events/Redaktionsbüro Schütz | Roßdorf | www.events-magazin.de | Special magazine for meetings, fairs, incentives (published four times a year / circ. around 22,000) |
| Incentive Congress Journal | Egmating | www.incentive-journal.de | All MICE themes covered (published four times a year / circ. around 14,000) |
| Blach Report | Uetze | www.aktivmedia-online.de | Event-marketing, promotions, sponsorship, incentives (published 25 times a year / circ. around 1,000) |
| Location Report | Uetze | www.aktivmedia-online.de | Business information for event and incentive locations (published five times a year / circ. around 1,500) |
General Non-Trade, National Consumer and Business Media
Nationwide Newspapers
| Title | Location | Website | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bild | Hamburg | www.bild.de | The biggest daily newspaper, only interested in general interest themes |
| Bild am Sonntag | Hamburg | www.bams.de | The biggest Sunday newspaper, mostly interested in general interest themes |
| Die Welt | Berlin | www.welt.de | Daily except Sunday |
| Welt am Sonntag | Berlin | www.wams.de | Sunday |
| FAZ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung | Frankfurt | www.faz.de | Most important and serious daily national newspaper |
| FAZ Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung | Frankfurt | www.faz.de | Sunday |
| Financial Times Deutschland | Hamburg | www.ftd.de | Daily except Sunday |
| Handelsblatt | Frankfurt | www.vhb.de |
Daily except weekends |
| Süddeutsche Zeitung | Munich | www.sueddeutsche.de | Daily except Sunday |
| Die Zeit | Hamburg | www.zeit.de | Weekly |
Business and News Magazines
| Title | Location | Website | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital | Cologne | www.capital.de | Finance and business related news (weekly) |
| Der Spiegel | Munich | www.spiegel.de | Leading general interest magazine (weekly) |
| Focus | Munich | www.focus.de | Second leading general interest magazine (weekly) |
| Focus Money | Munich | www.money.de | Special title of Focus (weekly) |
| Focus Online | Munich | www.focus.de | |
| Stern | Frankfurt | www.stern.de | Second leading general interest magazine (weekly) |
| Wirtschaftswoche | Düsseldorf | www.vhb.de | Finance and business related news (weekly) |
| Manager Magazin | Hamburg | www.manager-magazin.de | Finance and business related news (weekly) |
| Impulse | Cologne | www.impulse.de | Finance and business related news (weekly) |
| Junge Karriere Handelsblatt | Düsseldorf | www.vhb.de | Monthly special of daily newspaper covering themes for young business people |
| VDI Nachrichten | Düsseldorf | www.vdi-nachrichten.com | Business related news for engineers (weekly) |
| DM | Düsseldorf | www.vhb.de | Finance and business related news (weekly) |
Frankfurt Media
| Title | Location | Website | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfurter Neue Presse | Frankfurt | www.fnp.de | |
| Frankfurter Rundschau | Frankfurt | www.fr-aktuell.de | |
| Bild Frankfurt | www.bild.de | ||
| FAZ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung | Frankfurt | www.faz.de | Most important and serious daily natlional newspaper and with local focus for Frankfurt also |
| Hessischer Rundfunk | Frankfurt | www.hr-online.de | Local TV and radio broadcasting (public) |
| Radio FFH | Frankfurt | www.ffh.de | Local radio broadcasting station (private) |
Marketing-Related and Special Interest Media
| Title | Location | Website | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| working@office | Wiesbaden | www.workingoffice.com | Target group office managers (monthly) |
| acquisa Zeitschrift für Verkauf | Würzburg | www.acquisa.de | Marketing (monthly) |
| Horizont | Frankfurt | www.horizont.de | Marketing (weekly) |
| W & V Werben & Verkaufen | München | www.wuv.de | Marketing (weekly) |
| Der Kontakter | München | www.kontakter.de | Marketing (weekly) |
| Absatzwirtschaft | Düsseldorf | www.absatzwirtschaft.de | Marketing (14 times a year) |
| Manager seminare | Bonn | www.managerseminare.de | Magazine for training themes (10 times a year) |
| Wirtschaft & Weiterbildung | Würzburg | www.schimmelverlag.de /produkte_fr.html |
Magazine for training and HR development (10 times a year) |
News Agencies
| Title | Location | Website | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| ddp Nachrichtenagentur GmbH | Frankfurt | www.ddp.de | |
| dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH | Frankfurt | www.dpa.de | |
| gms-Themendienst/dpa | Hamburg | www.gms-themendienst.de | Dpa subsidiary for special themes |
| Reuters AG Frankfurt | Frankfurt | www.reuters.com |
The Right Timing
The German media have a very different news-production time-scale to the media in the rest of Europe and it is therefore important to bear this in mind. Radio is the fastest media and has very few deadlines to worry about. Newspapers usually go to press early afternoon. So send them news before 11.00 to give them the opportunity to contact you again before they have to be ready with their article. Weekly magazines need their information at least two days before their day of publication. Use the internet-links above for checking the right dates. For most of the monthly magazines their deadlines are often two to three months in advance.
Press Releases
The basis for all press work is news releases. One rule is clear : KISS - keep it short and simple and only report real news. A good headline and newsworthy content that is tightly related to the interest of the media you send your release to is the recipe for success. Try not to write more than one page and don´t forget to insert all your contact details.
Most journalists prefer to get the information via e-mail or post - some also appreciate fax. The way you contact the media should also be related to the immediacy of your news, for example relevant news for daily media should be sent out via e-mail or fax to them.
It is always best to send the German media your news in German, if you can. This will enable them to use your release as quickly as possible and saves them the trouble of translation. Whilst English is acceptable not every editor will be used to working with the language on a daily basis.
Telephone Follow Ups / Personal Interviews
There is no question that it is important to build a close relationship with your target media. However, telephone follow-ups are not always appreciated by editors. You should only do this if you have a special piece of news to tell them or offer to the editor e.g. a factual and additional news item or a personal interview with a person of interest who can add more detail to your story.
Press Conferences
At IMEX several rooms are available for press conferences. Most of the MICE media will be attending so it is a good opportunity to target them. Additionally, press events on your stand can be very successful and appealing to the press.
However, whilst an attractive opportunity, remember that press conferences should to be organised as the exception, rather than the rule. The story needs to be extremely strong, a VIP presence guaranteed or the launch of a initiative guaranteed, for journalists to feel that the time spent has been worthwhile.
Contact Nalan Yilmaz at nalan.yilmaz@imex-frankfurt.com if you would like to book a meeting room.
Press Packs
The IMEX Press Centre provides excellent facilities for press including work stations and private meeting rooms. It is therefore an ideal place for you to advertise yourself through press packs. The pack should include actual news as well as all the necessary basic news that describes your company.
Continuity and Useful Rules
Last but not least PR relies on continuity - so try to build up a close relationship with your target media and keep it up throughout the year. For example, if you have had a successful contact through a journalist, write a letter thanking them; alternatively contact the media with a news release four to six weeks after IMEX . Further monthly press releases, press trips and personal interviews will help to keep you in their mind.
Work with C&C
For introductory PR advice on the German media you are invited to talk to C&C Contact & Creation GmbH (www.cc-pr.com). The agency is retained as consultant to IMEX and has close relations to the most important German MICE media and editors that specialise in tourism and travel.. For the past ten years C&C has been voted the "best tourism PR agency in Germany" by 70 of the most important national editors and 30 clients from the tourism industry.
Please contact the team at team@cc-pr.com, +49 69 963668 10.
