Get Known. PR & Media Podcast

This year at the  APS Global Physics Summit in Denver, Colorado, where 14000 physicists gather to talk about breakthroughs in science and technology, I had the chance to get to know Karmela Padavic-Callaghan from New Scientist, and they kindly agreed to sit down with Get Known for an interview about their work. Karmela is a PhD physicist turned science communicator who you will hear started their journey in physics at the age of 12 and never stopped learning about how math can describe the world we live in.  As a scientist turned journalist, there has been a path of learning by fire that I think every tech and science person can appreciate when it comes to press communication.  And in this world of what seems to be an AI takeover as it pressures traditional media, Karmela provided the critical reminder that humanity is still the thing that wins the day and that we need to use it to our advantage, whether you are trying to approach the press or you are the press. When you listen to this interview, get traditional. You might want to have a pen and paper handy to jot down notes because Karmela’s insightful experience and advice will help any tech and science person gain the encouragement and confidence needed to make your best outreach and interviews. 

Recently, 14000 physicists showed up in Denver, Colorado, for the APS, American Physical Society’s combined March and April meeting for 2026. Among them was the 2025 Nobel Prize winner in physics, John Martinis, who is also now CTO and co-founder of a quantum computing company called Qolab. While many of us are still getting used to the computers on our desks, John Martinis has spent his career building a completely different kind of machine that uses the laws of quantum mechanics to process information. He, John Clarke, and Michel Devoret were awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize for proving that these "quantum computers" could finally solve problems that would take a traditional supercomputer thousands of years to finish. Their work marks the moment science fiction officially became scientific reality because these breakthroughs in "quantum supremacy" are set to transform everything from how we discover new medicines to how we secure our digital lives.This podcast mixes the technical details of quantum computing and the possibilities, along with the stories from John about how his life has changed with so much press attention and selfies. John is so good at interviewing and switching between the technical descriptions and stories about his journey. If you are a technical or scientific person who needs to talk to the press, this podcast is an amazing chance to see how this is done in practice. You'll hear about topics that are incredibly complex, well beyond a non-physicist's understanding, and also get a glimpse into the personal, human experiences of a Nobel laureate.I want to give a special thanks, as this podcast is done in cooperation with George Schwartz from Quantum Computing Report, who was covering APS this year. Whether you are technical or not, or into quantum or not, please listen through and learn from the tips and tricks John and George bring to the table in this interview. 

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Petri Burtsoff from Monocle. Petri is the reporter in Finland for this international news and deep dive publication with a headquarters in London, but a huge international readership.  If you are a regular Monocle listener, Petri is probably a familiar voice, and likely you have seen his writings from Finland, but he also has a huge international experience from Africa to Italy and London. He brings all this together to provide more than 150 stories a year to the Monocle.  We dive deep into not only what the Monocle covers, but he also shares a deeper insight into how the editorial processes work for those who are interested in how they choose their stories to cover.  We also talk about the comparisons between Finnish and other Nordic reporting to styles in the UK and how they are both different and similar to each other. I think this will be very useful for companies in the Nordics who are used to a certain style of discussion in interviews vs the way things are done in other international environments.I was so interested in how Petri happens to be a person who has adapted so well and has even taken on some of the mannerisms of the cultures he has experienced over the years. I think this has made him into such an international and interesting person.  You can find and contact him at https://www.burtsoff.com/

Today's episode is, extraordinarily, in Swedish. Join us as we talk to Matilda Andersson, news editor at Breakit magazine, who writes about Swedish business in general and Swedish startups in particular. Per-Ola Mjömark, who spends lots of his time on the production side of our podcast, sits in as our guest interviewer. Enjoy!

In September, we traveled to Washington, DC, and got to spend 2 days at the Quantum World Congress, a gathering of all the best minds and companies in the quantum computing industry.  This was the place to see up close the advancements in this growing industry, which is poised to shake up the world in the next 5 to 10 years.  Not being a physicist, there was admittedly a lot of science that was presented and flew way above my head, but the business side of quantum definitely was clear. Like many scientific or niche industries, they have their own media, and in this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Doug Finke, managing editor of the Quantum Computing Report, which he founded more than 10 years ago. Many people we spoke to at Quantum World Congress call Doug the “Godfather of the quantum computing community”. His creation of this media is a testament to finding an area that was emerging and under-reported, then, over time, turning it into a go-to source for everyone in this industry. It was so interesting to hear about and understand from his point of view the growth of quantum computing from a science project to a now-emerging mainstream industry. He has been there the whole way. As a result, not only did we talk about media but also, but Doug also provided a bit of history and understanding of quantum computing itself. So consider this a bit of a primer for those of you not familiar with the technology and what it will impact in the future.There is so much to learn from niche media like this that can be applied to other emerging technologies. Doug took the time to compare the history of quantum to the rise of the silicon chip and classic computing.  Companies have a tendency to make the same kinds of mistakes in approaching journalists with their stories, and not doing their homework. Doug gives some great advice for companies that want to get into quantum specific media, but also that can be applied to all media.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Jill Martin Wrenn who’s 20+ years of experience ranges from CNN and the BBC to her own podcast, “How to Build a Village” where she interviews a wide range of people from authors and entrepreneurs to journalist and others who are building global communities. Jill is also a teacher and media coach. Jill actually started out as an actress. Her journalist experience began at CNN in New York and eventually took her to London as a producer.  We talk about her years in business news, podcasting, and her freelance work. We also dive into the future of new media and legacy traditional news in this new era along with the blurry differences between U.S. and European media.Jill is particularly interested in founder stories. We talked a bit about how founders can better approach media people like herself. She dives into real examples of how companies have impressed her with their approach and the value of humanity, flexibility, and vulnerability that leads to some of the best stories. Jill had so many great insights from working with editors to understanding different cultures to what’s missing from today's education. There is so much to be learned from her sharing her experience. Enjoy!  

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Yuko Endo from TNL Mediagene in Tokyo, Japan.  Over the years we have rarely had the chance to speak with Japanese media so it was quite a treat to talk with Yuko who is the Vice President of the group that publishes the Japanese versions of some very popular U.S. magazines including Business Insider Japan, Gizmodo Japan, and Digiday Japan. This was Yuko’s first time at Slush so we started off by chatting about her first impressions of the conference and what she was looking to get out of it. We talked about how she got into journalism and her journey into editing and publishing. She also mentioned that the Slush model is a great example for Japan to follow in entrepreneurial business culture.   We then spoke a bit about the differences between Japan’s media and other media around the world. Yuko and her boss represent just a few female leaders in journalism there.  We continued by talking about how to approach media in Japan and how the process of publishing stories works. In short, knowing the right people is important along with providing information in Japanese.   I think one of the biggest surprises for me was the similarities between Japanese and Finnish media culture. For example, embracing failure and taking risks is often still difficult. But facts and honesty are very important when reporting the news and keeping people’s trust..  We did also talk about how Western media gets things wrong in Japan. One way is providing pure translations of news and press which does not fly. Things need to be localized for Japanese markets and it's not easy. There is simply so much to get wrong when you don’t know the culture, mindset, or habits. I guess that is true no matter where you go.

Veera Honkanen is the lone California-based correspondent for Finland’s largest business publication Kauppalehti. She is situated right in the heart of Silicon Valley where so many European companies try to break their way into the U.S. market. But Veera actually covers much more than just tech and in our conversation, we get into her wide range of topics from business to politics.  We started by talking about how she got the California assignment and how working outside the country is different than being a reporter inside Finland.  She shares about her daily work, some of the tools she uses in her reporting, and the editorial process for a foreign correspondent.  We talk a bit about AI, AI tools, and their impact on journalism. She also gives some advice on what it takes to be a story worth writing and this led to a discussion about differences in attitudes towards “failure” in the U.S. vs. Finland. Living in America is still a work in progress for Veera. There is a lot of trial and error to understand the culture but she has learned to adopt some American ways of working including the need for “just going for it”. She still gets approval for big stuff she wants to cover but she has learned to move fast and she says that has been an interesting personal adaptation.  Veera gave lots of real-life examples from her reporting which made this interview full of insightful nuggets. We ended up talking about how doing business and getting covered in such a big place as the U.S. requires more than just a good product but an excellent story to compete with all the many excellent stories that are out there coming from the market.  The successful companies are well prepared beyond just having a product that does a job better than others. As Veera says, you need to be able to tell what emotionally drives a company forward and very often an interesting person who is willing to tell a bigger story. All this led to the general question of whether we are too comfortable with our lives in Finland and that maybe we need to find ways of getting more companies outside their comfort zone to reach more success.

Jennifer Brown is the executive editor of CBS News Radio based out of New York. We got the chance to sit down with her at the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) event in Las Vegas in April. Jennifer and her team are responsible for all of the radio news journalism and broadcasts for CBS both in the US and around the world. We started our conversation talking about how Jennifer got into the business of radio news and then got into some of the basics about how the news we hear each day gets from the reporters out in the field, through the editors, to the anchors, and to our ears.  There are close to 700 stations CBS Radio feeds the news people rely on each day and what I learned is that keeping the pulse of everything that is happening at the rapid-fire pace of today’s media and social media is like juggling 50 balls in the air at the same time. The newsroom has to work like a well-oiled machine and Jennifer is constantly making on-the-spot decisions about what stories are most important at that moment and what markets it is relevant to. In short, This is a super high-pressure job and with today’s mass and social media, the newsroom has little or no breaks in the firehose of content they have to sort through 24 hours a day. One of the cool things about this interview is that Jennifer was constantly using real examples of things that were happening at the moment as we got into understanding storytelling and the relevancy of those stories in the daily new cycle. Sometimes the story is not the event but the meaning of the story or a part of the event that has a wider application to people’s lives.  No matter what, it must be authentic and the editors are constantly working to capture that authenticity in addition to sharing the facts.. Jennifer’s core work focuses on breaking news from the U.S. but we also talked about some of the differences and story requirements for European stories to make it into the US media cycle. Radio broadcasting also has its differences from TV and video broadcasts. Jennifer helped give a picture of the challenges, behind-the-scenes work, and dedicated teams needed to pull all this off.  If you ever wanted to know how the modern American newsroom functions and gets news out, this is the podcast for you.  Here is the interview with CBS Radio’s Executive Editor Jennifer Brown. Enjoy.

In April this year, Get Known got the chance to head to the U. S. National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) event in Las Vegas.  The event gave us an opportunity to interview Dan Shelley the President and CEO of the Radio Television Digital News Association or RTDNA. As you will hear, Dan has been a long-time journalist and newsroom leader who has had experiences over the decades setting the standard for how the biggest news organizations deliver news. Over that time he has been helping the industry transition from its analog roots to the digital area.  In our interview, we start with some history of the RTDNA and how it works today. We then get into the constitutional purpose of journalism for the American public and some of the differences between that and Europe’s democracies.  Dan’s own background is itself a history lesson in how broadcast journalism and digital news evolved in the U.S. We get into talking about the production of digital news, the advocacy work of RTDNA on behalf of journalists, and news ethics in a world increasingly driven by social media and polarized information.  The US broadcasting industry and how news is made in Europe have many similarities but have so many interesting differences from how things are done. As we in Europe engage with US media and make our mark, it is so important to take these understandings into consideration. The market in the U.S. is so big and diverse. But like everywhere, social media and general digitalization have been huge factors in how information is consumed and it is great to see there are people like Dan Shelley in the mix helping the industry grow and develop.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Chris Chinchilla who is a podcaster, video maker, and a writer of interactive fiction, and games. Chris runs his own media and podcast called Chinchilla Squeaks which covers all kinds of tech-related topics.   Being and running an independent media has its own opportunities and challenges. It was great to sit down with a journalist in this space because it seems that more and more people with a niche understanding and interest are choosing to build their own freelance media and stepping away from the constraints of the established players.  These kinds of media open up the door to areas sometimes inaccessible by many bigger media companies that are forced by their editors to stay in a particular lane.  Chris goes between covering the tech industry and helping people with specific tech tools with his writings, podcast, and YouTube channels.  We started out by getting to know what he likes to cover all these different areas and media types.  Chris actually has recently returned from Ukraine and covering the industry there. We talked about what it means to cover tech in a war zone.  We talked a lot about how people engage with the media in different places and things that turn a journalist off from what you are trying to get coverage. As we have heard from other journalists, Chris reiterates that he is super interested in speaking with the real makers of tech and is less interested in talking to the marketing-oriented people. He gives some good tips for tech folks who are asked to speak in behalf of their companies. We also spoke about sponsored content and ways it can be both beneficial and unbiased. 

Every year in the dark and cold of winter in Helsinki, Finland, we and 13000 others find our way to Slush, the world’s leading startup event and the largest VC gathering.  This is a place where so many journalists also show up and question their sanity because as they say, no one in their right mind would come to Helsinki at the end of November. So it was a great chance to interview the bravest of the brave.  In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Adam Bluestein a freelance journalist who is working for Fast Company and other U.S.-based publishers. We start by talking about Adam’s experience in Helsinki and what Finland needs to do to get more global attention. Later, we get into the details of what attracts his attention and his way of developing a good story.  The one thing that stood out to me in our discussion was how tech journalism is about so much more than tech. It's about people, the dream, and impact. When it comes to working in PR and media, I was reminded how critical humanity and impact are to any story, especially when journalists write for a wider business-focused audience like Fast Company.  Outside the interview, I got the treat of being able to spend time on a press tour with Adam where we got to see firsthand some of the amazing tech that is coming out of Finland. As you will here, we got to visit one quantum computing chip manufacturer at the Micronova Center for Applied Micro and Nanotechnology in Espoo, Finland. On that visit,  I got to see how he asks his questions and his way of exploring angles for a story. After this experience, I can’t stress how important it is for people in PR and media to spend time with journalists understanding their work, watching them operate, and getting to know them. It is by itself a school and as much as I can share through the podcasts, I want to encourage anyone reaching out to journalists to do more than focus on your own product and pitch. Spend some time with a journalist, it will open up your mind and your life. Check out Adam's website at https://adambluestein.com/

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Lou Covey the editor of Cyber Protection Magazine and the Crucial Tech podcast. Although, we have a deep interest in both these subjects, in this podcast episode we dove into the world of industry-specific media both on the side of journalism and a bit on the economics of running and editing this type of publication. As you will hear, Lou has a background not only in publishing but also in PR and media. When you talk to someone with such a diverse background and experience you get a great view from both sides of the table when it comes to PR. Industry-specific media also has its own nuances and economic model. We get the chance to dive deeper into how companies can better appeal to industry media and particularly about the unique cooperation marketing and press coverage have in industry-specific media. Lou has been doing journalism everywhere from local news to well-known publications like the New York Times. So he brought all his experience to the table sharing information on the origins of the term earned media (go Finland!) and his decision-making on what to cover for Cyber Protection Magazine. He talks about the balance between news sourcing, and sponsorship. We also discuss journalism ethics within industry-specific media, his observations of how marketing and salespeople work together inside companies, and where journalism and PR fit within that combination. And an unforgettable history lesson about free press and advertising. I really enjoyed not only the facts and observations that Lou brought to the table but also the real-life stories of his experiences that brought home this key area of journalism. Both the magazine and the podcast are looking to be a source of knowledge about the area of cybersecurity where there are not that many voices clarifying the landscape of more than 5,000 companies that are offering products and services. So, if you are looking to get industry-specific coverage for your company, this episode is a great opportunity to hear great advice from the inside.

In the world of journalism, do you know what a stringer and a fixer are?  In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Mari-Leena Kuosa who has been working in this capacity for many years for the New York Times, Voice of America, and many other publications. In fact, one of her stories have even been among the 10 most read articles from the the New York Times. We got the chance to sit down with her to talk about her career in journalism starting in Finnish media as a both a journalist and producer then moving on to international press where she has been part of the reporting teams of many of the stories you have seen in international press coming from Finland.  Mari-Leena explains that  most press work for larger international publishers is actually done in teams that gather information, write and produce it. This is where fixers and stringers come in.  In this episode, Mari-Leena shares her experiences and advice for companies who want to get their stories heard. She talks about some of the interesting crazy days required and even a connection to her career to the heavy metal horror and Eurovision winner Lordi. We talk a lot about the differences and similarities between US and Finnish media and get a bit philosophical about the spread of misinformation.  As she says in the interview, its a big difference when it is much more likely you will run into the country’s president in the bathroom.  We also discuss good pitching and the many other adventures on which her career in journalism has taken her.   Check out Mari-Leena’s LinkedIn profile at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mari-leena-kuosa/ and some links to other articles she has contributed to: Finland Has Second Thoughts About Giving Free Money to Jobless People - The New York Times Finland Unnerved by Trial of Police Detective on Drug Charges - The New York Times

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Thomas Macaulay from The Next Web (TNW) where he covers a wide range from startups to the tech ecosystem across Europe. Thomas had quite an indirect and inspiring route to becoming a journalist proving that a degree in journalism or communications is not the only path to success in tech journalism.  In addition to his unique background and the development of TNW from a blog to the media and events organization it is today, we discuss the development of tech stories and the process of writing about very technical topics for a mass audience.  We also discuss the commercial and journalistic balance that must be combined to benefit all of TNW’s different businesses.   As we have spoken with many journalists on this podcast, the economics of journalism have changed significantly over the years as the internet and expectation of free content have had a massive impact.  We discuss how it is much more difficult to build a viable business on journalism alone and where that leaves reporting and his own job in this day and age.  If you want to get Thomas excited about your tech story, he loves the more weird and wacky tech or things that have real human impact. We talk about his most recent work focused on the surprisingly boring business-driven pitching needed to raise money for a psychedelic startup. Our conversation into this topic actually provided insight into how the team at TNW works in pitching to their editors, developing the angle, and getting out 1 to 2 stories a day with their small team of 5 journalists.  Of course, we also talk about the relationship between “PRs” and journalists,  the massive amount of pitches received daily, how to stand out among all those potential stories, and what pushes Tuomas over the edge to take a story.  To contact Thomas, he is best reached by email at [email protected].  You can keep up with The Next Web conferences on https://thenextweb.com/events .

Fake news, misinformation, and disinformation continue to be a huge problem in the world. It sometimes feels like you can’t trust anything you read. This was a bit of a different episode, where Steve Lee and Christina Forsgård, both comms pros, sat down and talked about the media and journalism getting deeper into this increasingly problematic issue. Besides being the founder of Net Profile and crisis comms pro, Christina has spent years leading efforts in journalism and communication ethics to find ways to combat the growing problems with disinformation in the media. We got deep into the current culture of news consumption. the ways trust has been lost over the years and we discuss ways it might be brought back again.   Over the years the podcast has had conversations with different journalists whom we know are really providing solid reporting and ethical execution of information gathering and reporting. In my conversation with Christina, I was reminded how lucky we are to have journalism ethics and structures to share the truth.  But there are so many things that are getting in the way around the world and so many countries that do not have these freedoms we have in Finland and other Nordic countries.  Christina has great insights about how misinformation is happening around the current crisis in Ukraine and other ways bad news drives our news cycles.  In short, our conversation goes from Twitter to personal media consumption diversification so I am sure there is a bit of something for everyone as we try to solve one of the biggest issues in an internet-driven media world.   

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Leah Hodgson from PitchBook.  We met Leah at Slush while she was digging into the stories behind the data that PitchBook gathers and publishes about the VCs and their activities.  PitchBook started off in the US but Leah is the longest-serving journalist for the European news team.  Leah’s job is about completing the picture around the data and she appreciates the freedom within this kind of press organization where she can follow the pulse of the market and dig deep into the stories she thinks are most important. These data-driven ideas include looking at the dip most recently in fundraising deals and figuring out details about why investment trends are happening.  A good discussion was also had about series round labeling (pre-seed vs. seed? A round? B round?) and what they mean. This was not fully solved in our discussion but perhaps an understanding of the labeling and intention came out of it.  Of course, we also spoke about what makes a company interesting for the team to report on including the basic levels of investment PitchBook considers to be worth covering. 

In this episode, we got the chance to sit down with the one and only Mike Butcher from TechCrunch.  Having been with the publication since 2007, and a working journalist since the mid-90s, Mike has so many insights on the industry and tech journalism. He was kind enough to give us a first-hand look at how TechCrunch has developed from a pioneering blog into the online media icon it is today.   As one of the most significant tech media, TechCrunch gets hundreds of pitches daily.  Mike helped us understand his views on what makes a great story and extremely useful advice on what he is looking for in a pitch.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Maddy Savage, a Stockholm-based reporter, broadcaster, and audio producer originally from the UK.  She has been storytelling for the BBC for two decades, both as a staff journalist and as a freelance foreign correspondent.  If her name sounds familiar, you have probably seen or heard her not only on the BBC but in many other places like NPR, Times Radio, The Telegraph, Monocle, Lonely Planet, HuffPost, and ABC Australia. As a freelance journalist, Maddy shared the pros and cons of basically working as an entrepreneur with lots of different publisher clients while still pursuing her own topical passions through documentaries and other forms of media. It is a real balancing act that requires the freedom to be creative and follow the stories you believe are important while at the same time keeping the practical needs and desires of the publisher in sight. Maddy really helped us understand the interworkings of the complicated production of news. There is lots of teamwork but also competition within each publisher for stories and budget.  We also talked about the advantages and challenges of the life of a foreign correspondent. Below are a few links to some of the latest work from Maddy: Latest documentary: Sweden's Green Power Struggle https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct4lyv Tackling loneliness with coliving https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p083bzb2 How Swedes opened up about periods https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct2zjj Why Finland is building with wood https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct316s

In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with the Managing News Editor of Helsingin Sanomat, Jussi Pullinen. Jussi has been with Finland's largest publisher for the last 15 years starting out as a journalist there. We caught up with him the week before the big Slush conference here in Helsinki. As a reporter, Jussi has covered everything from domestic reporting to culture and politics before managing the entire news operation, so he has both the practical experience as a journalist and the editorial needs of the publication in mind. He still does a bit of op-ed writing too. Kristiina Nieminen, Strategic Communications Director at San Francisco Agency, sat down with  Jussi to talk about an interesting range of everything from the erosion of trust in journalism and the HS News editorial process to Elon Musk and Twitter. For those of you interested in understanding what gets an editor excited about your pitch, this is the episode for you. Jussi gives a bunch of tips and lessons learned.  They also dive into what the rest of the world can learn from Finnish media culture.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Khari Johnson, Senior Writer at Wired Magazine.  We originally thought that his focus was AI but found out that his work goes far beyond that to the “intersection of technology, society, and power”.  So much of our lives take the technology that drives our lives for granted as it is so seamless to the user that it often has huge amounts of influence over the way we function and yet we have no idea how much it impacts us.  In this interview, Khari tells about some of the places his reporting has taken him to and shares his process for getting stories both written and published.  We talk about working with editors and he helps build a much better understanding of the life of a writer.  He also shares some of the inspirational history of his family’s roots in journalism and how diversity can help make journalism and publishing better.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Robin Wauters, founder of Tech EU.  Robin was not originally trained as a journalist but rather in marketing. He found his passion for journalism and tech in the mid-2000s after starting his own blog and then over time turning that into a media company. He has been with publishers including Techcrunch and Next Web before starting Tech EU. Along with giving some great tips for companies that want to get into the media, Robin shares his experiences from his own journey reporting on the start-up ecosystems and technology. His work has led him to his love to see start-ups grow up in front of his eyes and this passion drives the writing of the stories in Tech EU. Throughout the interview, he shares insights about the Tech EU editorial process and how they deal with pitches. Robin also talks about the balance between getting a news story out and wanting to dive deeper into all the cool technology that is out there to share.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking live from Slush with Mimi Billing from Sifted who started by giving us an understanding of where the name of the publication comes from. Mimi is a Swede who found her love for journalism on a trip to Israel.  Her main beat is health tech but she is most recently interested in new tech like nuclear power. Startups are doing so many great things but she tells us that it's so important to go deeper in a story if you want to make something people really want to read. Throughout the interview, she provides interesting insight on how she works with editors at Sifted and how she chooses the stories to write about.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Erica Benke from the BBC who shared her experiences covering stories from basic income and climate change to winter cycling and clean water usage technology. In our conversation, she offers tips in talking to journalists and getting your pitch story right along with providing an inside look at her own pitching of stories to editors and how that process works within the BBC. Much of our conversation had to do with making sure an element of humanity along with simplicity are keys to making a great story (or a great pitch). Below are a few links to some of Erika’s most popular stories: Lapland living story link The Finnish Experiment Basic Income The tech that could make water use sustainable Photo by Sanna Krook

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Lisa Morgan, content strategist, and journalist for Information Week. If you are into nerdy subjects and bringing life to stories about tech, Lisa has done it all. She shares key points about her process for finding good stories in the tech world along with how following her interests drives her writing.  She also talks about how COVID-19 in 2020 affected tech reporting and what exciting themes 2021 will bring. In her mind, we have all learned a lot and the entire tech world has transformed into a world where we must be agile and we have to use tech to pivot. Lisa also talks about the way she is using AI in her own work. In our discussion, Lisa also went through the process she goes through in pitching new ideas to her editors.  We discuss what editors are concerned about and the pressures that journalists are under to help the publication reach its readership goals. Lisa shares how editors differ and what makes them choose one topic over another. We have spoken to some journalists who say bringing humanity into a tech story is difficult. But I was surprised to find out that for Lisa, it’s fairly easy. She says it’s all in asking the right questions and having the right source with the right credibility with the audience.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Jari Tanner. Before his 16 years working at the Associated Press, Jari built experience at international news agencies like Bloomberg and Reuters. He is currently part of the AP team that covers the 7 countries in the Nordic and Baltic regions and spends most of his time in Finland and Estonia. Jari starts with a brief history of the AP and its interesting non-profit model, continuing with his thoughts on what it takes for a story to be accepted by this strictly journalistic organization. He also tells listeners about the skills required to build an incredibly concise story that his editors will agree to run, including the compelling pictures and videos that are part of every AP story. Linked to this is the way social media is changing the way news is reported. Throughout the interview, he provides advice for companies who want to pitch to the AP. It seems that humanity is a big part of every AP story. COVID-19 dominated 2020, but there are places where other stories meet the high threshold of interest. This would include Jari’s breaking of the hobby horse phenomenon in Finland that was then reported all over the globe.

A  personal show note from Steve for a unique Get Known Episode: Needless to say, with a global pandemic combined with a major social awakening that has been sparked by the killing of another unarmed black American, George Floyd, we happen to be in a moment that feels like a special opportunity for truth and understanding. Of course, when we are directly touched by seeing people we often know pushed to their limits and we see the protest in our own streets, it is easy to feel this way.  But this time, for me, the media I consume has provided so much new context and learning that it has made me feel very hopeful about the future. This is despite the fact that the things we are seeing and hearing are often horrible. I had the pleasure of stumbling upon a LinkedIn post from Laura Smith in my own search for more knowledge and understanding of the history of the black experience that led to the most recent protests.  Laura is another African American comms person living in Helsinki. In her YouTube video, she beautifully lays out some very concrete ways companies and individuals are able to use this moment to make a lasting difference. So I thought I would ask her to expand upon her thoughts in a discussion for Get Known. We talk about internal and external communications, the media, Finland, race, and some things from our own lives here and in the US. As promised in the podcast, below are a few links that I found helpful in my education. Even as a person of color, there has been a lot to learn and listen to because I am finding out there is so much I don’t know.  So I hope these additional items help you as well. Through Line episode on the history of policing in America. https://podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/up-first/id1222114325?i=1000477045455 This episode of Radio Lab is about the origin of the reasonable officer standard, with the case that sent two Charlotte lawyers on a quest for true objectivity, and changed the face of policing in the US. https://podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?i=1000477046043 “1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones about the real history and legacy of slavery. https://podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/1619/id1476928106 The Air We Breathe: Implicit Bias And Police Shootings.https://one.npr.org/i/876073130:876079143 Patent Racism: The story of how black people in the US were. https://one.npr.org/i/876097416:876420841 Report of the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman: Racism and discrimination - everyday experiences for People of African descent in Finland. https://www.syrjinta.fi/web/en/-/report-of-the-non-discrimination-ombudsman- And finally, clear words of wisdom with 5 steps people can take to make a difference in this time in a video from Laura Smith.  https://youtu.be/g-qJPM-PEY4

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with one of the best-known business journalists in Finland, Elina Lappalainen.  A lot of people know Elina as a tough journalist. and she is. But as you will hear,  it is clear that you can be a no-bullshit journalist and still be a really nice person.  You might be surprised to find out that she is into role-playing games and has written several children’s books. In our interview, Elina shared lots of inside knowledge on how stories get written, what companies should and should not do. She also talked about how PR people can help her get more stories out with so many pitches to choose from. Elina primarily covers the broad range of Finnish startups. As a business publication, Talouselämä’s and the other beats that Elina writes for are looking for business stories including growth and internationalization. But Elina did give away her soft spot for stories and that is companies that are making an impact on the world.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Charlotte Jee from MIT Technology Review (Tech Review). Charlotte is a UK based journalist responsible for the Tech Review’s newsletter the download.  She also writes news and features for the publication.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Peter Vesterbacka from FinEst and FinestNinja. Peter is perhaps best known from his work at Angry Birds.  Peter talks to us about his views and advice after many years helping companies get known and stay known.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Margarita Khartanovich from Binary District. Binary District writes stories about tech-related research and development to catch “technology at its inception”. Their articles are also syndicated in Next Web. Margarita is also a PhD candidate in journalism focusing on the timely and fascinating challenge of how certain people can be about the news they consume in a world where there is so much to doubt.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Benjamin Bathke a journalist who is spending most of his time working for Deutsche Welle technology and startups. Benjamin loves to tell human stories and in our discussion, he dives deep into what motivates his storytelling and how important the human element.  During our conversation, he talks about how bad pitches are extremely vague, the humanity around good stories, and how media is changing because of news fatigue.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Kati Pohjanpalo, the Helsinki bureau chief at Bloomberg News.  Kati shares her advice to gain newsworthiness in the financial press. If you are looking for financial media #PR advice with no bulls#*t, this is the one for you. Kati tells it straight and you will probably want to take some notes.

This episode we spoke with Amy Lewin from FT’s Sifted. Sifted gets deep with startups beyond the funding and into the interesting stories and how-tos of being an entrepreneur. Amy talks about everything from how she became a journalist to some solid advice to anyone looking to pitch to media. You can contact Amy on Twitter (@amyrlewin) or LinkedIn along with subscribing to their awesome newsletter (that Amy writes each week). 

In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Andrii Degeler from Tech.eu As tradition demands, journalists from around the world visited Slush in November 2019. Slush may be dark and cold in Finland but it's a great time to talk to busy journalists and pick their brains. Here at the Get Known podcast, we interview journalists about their work and what they cover so that companies know how to engage with the press better and get their company covered in the media. Our big goal is to make sure that companies who are reaching out to the press build the right relationships, pitch the right ideas, and better understand what wastes journalists’ time.

In this episode, we sit down with Virve Rissanen, the technology journalist from Helsingin Sanomat, to discuss how to approach mainstream media and how to tell tech stories worth reading.

In this episode, we sat down with Tarmo Virki, Co-founder Magazine editor and broadcast journalist Katja Pantzar to find out how we can make their lives better when pitching and interacting with the media.