Get Known: A podcast with something other than Coronavirus news.
(Note – at the time of recording, Elina was working for Talouselämä. She now works for Helsingin Sanomat Visio!)
In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with one of the best-known business journalists in Finland, Elina Lappalainen. A lot of people know Elina as a tough journalist, and she is. But as you will hear, it is clear that you can be a no-bullshit journalist and still be a really nice person. You might be surprised to find out that she is into role-playing games and has written several children’s books.
In our interview, Elina shared lots of inside knowledge on how stories get written, and what companies should and should not do. She also talked about how PR people can help her get more stories out with so many pitches to choose from.
Some other key takeaways include:
- The journalist is not your friend who will just write good things about your company. The reason people trust Elina’s journalism is that she always writes the truth, good or bad. She says that she feels “lucky to cover startups” and growth companies here in Finland. Most of her stories are quite positive, and she gets a lot of joy from sharing the funding and company growth that is happening here.
- It is so important for companies to be open, and she gives examples of times that companies have not been. (Note: A good lesson in how to piss off a reporter).
- The most common problem with PR is usually with the communications person inside a company who is holding on to information and not telling it when she asks.
- Even Elina gets her stories edited. Everyone answers to an editor.
- A story about a “deal” your company made is not a good story for her work unless it shows a significant demonstration of the business growth. Big deals should be used to support a growing business story, but they won’t necessarily be the story.
- “Be as honest and transparent as you can and build trust.”
Click below to listen to the full podcast interview with Elina Lappalainen.
We hope you enjoy the podcast! Please feel free to email us with any questions, suggestions, and opinions to steve@sanfrancisco.fi or tweet us at @SF_Agency!
Photo credit: Touko Hujanen
