I review gadgets for BBC Radio Manchester and 5live across a number of shows. This section is designed to give PRs all the information they need to get me the gadgets and get them back along with the coverage, keeping everyone happy with the minimum of fuss.

1. What you need to know about me

First things first: a bit about me. I am not a full time journalist. In fact I used to be a tech PR, so trust me, I have some sympathy with the challenges of your role. I do these reviews in part for fun, and in part for my own CV/profile, but I do not get paid (much) for doing them.

That means I have to fit in the running of these reviews around a very busy work and home life. So I can be a pain to get hold of and slow at responding to emails. Please be patient – I will usually respond if I have said I will, or if I have something of your client’s in my possession. But I cannot respond to everyone: I get hundreds of emails from PRs suggesting ideas, not all of them as good as yours.

The nature of the slots I do for the radio means that I don’t normally do interviews: it doesn’t take a lunch to get together the five facts that I can get across in a quick review. However I will consider events/experiences if they’re local or if I happen to be in London around the right time (I’m there pretty frequently). I’m thinking homes of the future/trade shows/things like that.

2. Getting Coverage

Most of the broadcasts I do are available on the iPlayer, live and for up to 6 days after the original broadcast. This is the best way to get your clippings (or order a copy from your clippings agency). I’ll generally send you a link before the broadcast or afterwards to the Listen Again. Sometimes, due to things like sports broadcasting rights, they’re not available after the fact. If this is the case, I can’t help you. However if you have missed the coverage, check out the Clippings Archive.

3. What I cover

I cover very mainstream gadgets – things that the average local radio listener can pick up in the high street shops. There are exceptions to this but by and large the things I review will be electronic/electrical hardware. Things like consoles, cameras, phones, laptops, MP3 players etc, as well as larger things like stereos, iPod docs, and even robot vacuum cleaners. If you have a decent pitch I’m always willing to listen, but please keep it focused and bear in mind the answer’s likely to be ‘no’ if it’s outside these areas.

When you are pitching think about how things might come across on radio. One more iPod dock/mobile phone/tablet/case/stand is not interesting unless it has something to make it really stand out from the crowd. That does not include a slightly faster processor or a slightly bigger/brighter screen. Give me a good narrative please.

4. Getting things to me

I’d like to stick my address up here to make it easy but that’s probably not the best idea, so email me for it and I’ll let you know. Please make sure gadgets arrive in plenty of time for me to test them before the show in question (ideally a week), and that they come with everything I need to get them up and running. I don’t have the time or money to be hunting out batteries, memory cards, cables and chargers. Please don’t send stuff to the BBC – it will more than likely get lost and I won’t be held responsible if it does.

5. Getting them back

In an ideal world, things are sent to me and then collected again by courier. This accounts for most of the kit I’m sent, but clearly this isn’t cost effective for every piece, so these are my suggestions. If you want me to post something back, please include an SAE or appropriate packaging with postage paid in the original mailout. And then be patient: getting to a post office when you work a 60+ hour week and have a small child is not easy. It could take me a couple of weeks or more to get it back to you and I’m afraid there’s not a lot I can do about that. Unfortunately since I don’t get paid (much) for doing this, I can’t afford to cover the cost of return postage.

6. My reviews

I don’t have the time or the equipment for rigorous objective interrogation of products. And even if I did, I wouldn’t have the time on air to walk people through the minutiae. Instead I try to give the product a fair test, explain the complexities and give people a reasonable basis for a buying decision – something that is always ultimately subjective. There are upsides and downsides for your client in this.

Just because your client’s product has the most this or the biggest that does not mean that I will praise it to the heavens. Conversely though, I’m a lover of technology and a pragmatist who believes that you get what you pay for: if your client’s product represents good value for money and has some merit I am also unlikely to complete pan it.

If you have any questions, please do get in touch. But as noted above, don’t expect a lightning response.