Get Known podcast: Get inside the journalists’ mindset.
In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Jari Tanner. Before his 16 years working at the Associated Press, Jari built experience at international news agencies like Bloomberg and Reuters. He is currently part of the AP team that covers the seven countries in the Nordic and Baltic regions and spends most of his time in Finland and Estonia.
Our chat with Jari starts with a brief history of the AP and its interesting non-profit model, continuing with his thoughts on what it takes for a story to be accepted by this strictly journalistic organization.
He also tells listeners about the skills required to build an incredibly concise story that his editors will agree to run, including the compelling pictures and videos that are part of every AP story. Linked to this is the way social media is changing the way news is reported.
Throughout the interview, he provides advice for companies who want to pitch to the AP. It seems that humanity is a big part of every AP story. COVID-19 dominated 2020, but there are places where other stories meet the high threshold of interest. This would include Jari’s breaking of the hobby horse phenomenon in Finland, which was then reported all over the globe.
Takeaways from the conversation with Jari Tanner from Associated Press
- The AP is a non-profit organization owned by other news agencies.
- AP stories are usually around 600 words and include a visual component.
- Reporters have to think about how to get visual elements to support their stories.
- Complicated pitches don’t work. Pitches should be short and simple (who, what, and why should I be interested is all you need to say)
- Never be afraid to call up a reporter
- The most interesting stories are unexpected and human.
Listen to the newest episode of Get Known podcast with Jari Tanner to learn more!
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!
