City AM is targeted at the workers of London’s Square Mile, which is the home of the UK’s finance sector. The title has two outlets, the free morning paper and its website which was updated in November 2021. The paper has a daily circulation of 82,455 (May 2022) and its website attracts close to 3 million hits per month. Our media relations team recently had the opportunity to meet Nicholas Earl, who covers all things energy and industrial at the paper.
How to pitch?
When it comes to receiving pitches, Nicholas is fine with both emails and phone calls. He would be happy to meet for a coffee on London Bridge if sources are keen to discuss things in person.
When is the best time?
The City AM news desk operates in two shifts, one from 7am to 5pm and again from 10am to 7pm. There are also three email newsletters sent out each weekday.
The first newsletter will be sent out at 7:45am just prior to opening – this serves as a kind of ‘preview’ for the day. Then there’s the midday mailout at 12pm, which features more news, interviews and updates. Lastly, there’s the ‘Five at 5’ newsletter, which focuses on the five main stories of the day at 5pm.
The team meeting at 11:30am is where Nicholas will pitch stories. Therefore, if you have a story or piece of news, he will want to hear it before then. Nicholas also does not want to be contacted between 3pm and 6pm – he’ll be busy writing.
Half the team work on Sundays to provide news for the Monday edition, but some of these pieces are written on the Friday. The print newspaper is sent to the printers at 10pm each evening.
What’s hot right now?
Because this is a paper for City workers, Nicholas is currently interested in the Russia Ukraine impact on the gas and oil markets, and Europe’s energy supplies.
Additionally, the paper is very keen to talk to green hydrogen experts and authoritative voices on metals (nickel, lithium, copper, and aluminium). Stories on renewable energy opportunities are normally considered, but it ultimately depends on the investment opportunities they offer City workers. Any surveys submitted must be based on stringent data and include detailed information on how it was obtained.
Innovations and future technology are of interest, especially if they are associated with emerging trends.
That’s all from Nicholas for now, but you can follow him on Twitter at @nearlbog.
Drop us a line if you’re looking for an energy PR team that knows what the media wants and you need press coverage to build expertise, authority and trust with your target audience.
Written by: Jasmin Martin, Media Relations Executive at Definition.