Cole Garry of SBS Communications interviewed CNBC technology reporter Ryan Browne about his job.
Here is an excerpt:
You’re based in London, and you have a focus on European companies and news, but you’ve covered major U.S. and global stories as well. How should PR people—and the companies they work with—think about your coverage areas?
My best advice is to check out my author profile page! What are the stories I’m writing, and what is missing there that you think I’m not paying attention to and that you (or your client) have got something valuable to say on?
There is no “secret,” to be honest, and I can’t respond to every pitch that comes through. But my biggest piece of advice is to just understand the reporter you’re trying to get in touch with. What are the trends / topics that make them tick? I’m a sucker for emerging / future technologies and how the biggest tech companies are using and applying them in their operations. And, it has to be said: I will always be more focused on the bigger tech companies – Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, OpenAI, etc. In Europe, it’s usually more the fintechs/bigger tech unicorns by market cap: Klarna, Revolut, Monzo, Starling Bank, etc.
I’m less likely to read a pitch that involves a smaller / early stage startup. But, if your startup is doing something that is genuinely groundbreaking and / or not being done in a way that others are doing it, the likelihood is that’ll pique my interest. Another tip I have here, on a pure “editorial focus” slant, is that it’ll always be slightly more interesting for our readers if such startups are attracting either funding or partnership interest from large tech and / or enterprise firms. So that’s always a bonus. Oh, and I prefer a company that’s at least making above £100m revenue as a rule (but that can’t always be the case, obviously – esp. with startups!)
