Why Do Editors Reject Guest-Content Pitches From Brands?

Editors of online publications say the top reasons they reject guest or contributed content from brands are that the pieces are too promotional and the pieces are not a good fit with their readership, according to recent research from Influence & Co.

The report was based on data from a survey of 84 editors who work for industry-focused online publications.

Some 79% of surveyed editors say content that’s too promotional is one of the biggest problems they face with pitches; that’s up eight percentage points from Influence & Co’s 2017 survey.

What makes a piece too promotional? In last year’s edition of the survey, editors said the biggest issues are forced mentions of products/services/clients, including company links in the main body of the text, and covering the industry from the vendor’s point-of-view.

Some 56% of editors say content that’s not a good fit with the publication’s readership is one of the biggest problems of the hpitches they receive.

Most editors are publishing content in formats beyond text in 2018.

Some 67% of respondents say their publication will post videos this year, 52% say their publication will post infographics, and 40% say their publication will post podcasts.

Though editors are embracing various content formats, many still cannot publish certain types of pieces: Some 31% of respondents say their publication does not have the capacity/means to publish videos, and 18% cannot publish podcasts.

Some 93% of editors say they measure the success of contributed content by pageview counts, 75% look at time spent on site, and 69% look at social shares.

About the research: The report was based on data from a survey of 84 editors who work for industry-focused online publications.