In my red top days I was often called upon to run around the country “babysitting” the subjects of buy-ups. These were people such as ex-butler Paul Burrell and farmer Tony Martin who had sold their stories exclusively to one newspaper.
Selling an exclusive means you get well paid for your story as the newspaper you sell it to expects to shift extra copies by publishing it. It also means though that you annoy every other newspaper who will then often decide to stick a very sharp knife into your back and rake up any old dirt they can find about you.
If you have a story you need to get out into the press and your goal is simply coverage then it may be best to avoid an exclusive and let the story go “all round”. However if your goal is wonga then an exclusive is the only way to go.
One question I am often asked is, “How much do papers pay for exclusives?” The answer is usually not as much as most people think.
It’s true that a fortune can be made but only if your story involves someone with a pretty high profile. If it is a story about an unknown then you’re not going to be able to retire to the south of France on it, no matter how good a tale it is. Think about it, a story is only worth cash if it adds on sales. How many extra readers can the likes of the Sun, Mirror or Mail add on if they stick a picture of Eric the randy window cleaner on the front page? Zilch.
However if Eric is having an alleged affair with Gordon Brown and has love letters, or (even better) photos / video to prove it, then he can probably expect to be heading to Cannes / Nice fairly swiftly.
Which papers buy exclusives? The same ones who break every major news story in this country (clue - it ain’t the broadsheets).
So if you have a story to sell how should you go about it? The wrong answer would be to contact a paper directly. If you do that you’ll be whisked off to a hotel by a team of grubby hacks before you know it where an even grubbier contract will be forced into your sweaty palm. You’ll sign your story away for way below market value. (The reason they take you to the hotel is to protect their exclusive - in other words, prevent their competitors to getting to you and making you a better offer).
A much more sensible approach is to hire a PR to broker a deal for you. Someone like (ahem) myself. With my press contacts I will negotiate a better deal for you than if you try to do it for yourself. So if you have a story to tell call me on the number above and I’ll quickly tell you if it’s worth selling or not. Window cleaners having alleged affairs with senior politicians (or Premiership footballers) are especially welcome.