How to Pitch: ArabWheels
March 20, 2016 Consumer Magazines
In the latest installment of our ‘How to Pitch’ series, MediaSource spoke with ArabWheels editor-in-chief Issam Eid about the car magazine, embracing new media, and his take on automotive PR in the region.
Tell us a bit about ArabWheels.
ArabWheels launched in 2002 and is jam-packed with reviews of what's new in the auto industry - the distinctive combination of editorial information that ArabWheels offers its readers is pretty bold. Each month, we bring appealing motoring information from all around the planet.
Who reads the magazine?
Our audience is truly diversified. Demographics are divided between males (81%) and females (19%), the average age of readers varies from 18 to 38 years-old, and our readers can be divided into three experience categories:
Pro (17%) - Earns a significant percentage of income from the automotive industry.
Skilled Fan (50%) - Not a professional, but has a greater level of skill and knowledge than most, and is frequently called upon to mentor others regarding technique, tips and auto accessories.
Passionate Fan (33%) - Is passionate about cars, and devotes considerable time and expense to their car.
Which sections of the magazine most appeal to readers?
Our readers are particularly interested in the ‘First Drives’ that we do abroad, the regional drives, and the ‘Editors’ Choice’ section. This section is really appealing as we choose the cars upon their request and provide deep insight into the next car they are planning to buy. The ‘Spoil Your Ride’ section is all about interviewing people who have tuned their vehicles in terms of performance or body. And finally, the ‘Ride With Us’ section, which gives readers the opportunity to drive with us.
How do you use online and social media?
We need to follow our readers wherever they are - on their phones, tablets and even on radio. In addition to print, we have the ArabWheels website where readers can also access our digital magazine edition, our web TV platform ArabWheelsTV and free to download Apps on both Google Play and the App Store.
On our website you will find the full reviews (articles and images), and full length video on our Web TV. On our social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channel) we sum up our articles with headlines and a couple of sentences, one or two images and short videos.
Social media is a fun and entertaining way of sharing images, quotes and videos in a condensed manner, but serious people searching for a car won’t be sitting on social media platforms only - they will be looking for full reviews in magazines and websites to read extensively. Social media may give a tip-off that a car looks good and is the talk of the town - it's certainly useful, but not everything.
How do you prefer to be contacted by PRs?
Usually by email but, if necessary when there is important news, it’s okay to be contacted by phone.
What annoys you about PR?
You can’t imagine how many press releases we receive per day – somehow around 300! – and more than half are totally unrelated to automotive topics. It seems some PRs work with one list for all their clients and blast all the media, even if they are not relevant to the client’s news. I wish that issue could be solved in the future.
What makes for a great automotive PR?
Frankly speaking, we have very few great automotive PRs in our region. The industry is lacking in this area. A professional automotive PR should spend a lot of time nurturing relationships with specialised motoring journalists and contacting them to find out more about the types of stories they are looking for and how they prefer to receive information. And finally, be as helpful as possible. Your goal is to build long-term relationships with the media so we can get in touch with you again and again. Our priority is to inform the public, not to be your spokesperson.
Any advice for PR professionals on prepping clients for an interview?
First of all, PR professionals should anticipate the questions to a certain point and have answers ready. Precise statistics bring information to life for us, and personal experiences are credible and important too. We hate being told how we should write and there is no such thing as ‘off the record’. Don’t let your spokesperson say anything you don’t want to see in print. Assume everything they say, even in a social situation, may appear in print or on the air. Let your spokesperson use anecdotes that illustrate their point and give examples, and providing a written summary of information, main points and statistics - before or after the interview - is also helpful.
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