Feature Tracking in the South African Media
South African newspaper and magazines publish thousands of features and surveys every year. This presents a massive opportunity for public relations and marketing specialists as well as advertising agencies. The primary reason this such a great opportunity is that feature writing is a tough, poorly paid business with tight deadlines. Feature writers are, therefore, generally more open to PR than are many of their colleagues who work on more glamorous assignments. But to gain the most from this ongoing opportunity, you need to know what features are being published in what publications, who is writing them, and what their deadlines and briefs are.
This is where TimS helps
Its feature-tracking service provides clients with weekly updated checklists of upcoming features in seven broad categories:
- Business & Finance
- Education & Training
- Electronics & Security
- Engineering, Construction, Mining, Manufacturing & Environment
- Health, Beauty, Pharmaceuticals & Toiletries
- Information & Communications Technology (ICT)
- Lifestyle, Leisure & Travel; and
- Conferences, Exhibitions, Trade Shows & Events (A phenomenal prospecting tool. For more information about using this tool to grow your business, click HERE)
Subscribers can interrogate the TimS Online Databases which provide comprehensive information, including feature synopses and contact details.
What is TimS' value-add?
With so many publications, how do you keep track without spending most of your time on the phone? The simplest and most cost-effective way is by subscribing to TimS. With more than 20 years of experience we are able to offer an accurate, up-to-date, cost-efficient service that not only gives you a three-month window on upcoming features, but keeps track of all the changes (dates, name of writer etc.) that can happen between the initial announcement of a feature and its eventual publication.
The Cost?
That depends on how many lists you subscribe to. A minimum three-month subscription to a single list is R2,370 (less than R200 a week). However, each additional list costs less than the previous one, so a quarterly sub to two lists costs R2,975 — less than R125 per week per list. Discounts are given for longer subscription periods, so an annual sub to all seven lists costs R18,325 — less than R51 per week per list. For full details of costs, which apply from 1 March 2022, click HERE. To arrange a subscription, click HERE.
NOTE: Long term subscriptions entered into during January and February benefit from the lower price for the full term of the subscription. Subscription prices increase each year on 1 March.