Don’t tick off the journalist

It’s a phrase all too commonly heard in the modern newsroom; “Ergh fricking PR person!” (and I’m being polite!) It usually follows a loud phone slam or a furious swipe of a computer’s mouse as a well-meaning public relations professional attempts to get a journalist to publish dribble they’ve packaged into what they think is a news story.

PR people will tell you that the reason they can charge you through the nose for every phone interaction they have with a journalist, every email they receive, every badly written press release they send out is because “they’re professionals, they know media” and sometimes that is very true. Many PR firms do an amazing job and come up with great story ideas that journalists are often impressed by. But for every great PR person there are five bad ones who could potentially hurt your business.

To help you navigate your way around a newsroom or work out if you need a PR manager or just a really good content writer to get your business media coverage — here are my top tips “how not to tick off a journalist.”

  1. Don’t send out a blanket press release
    If you’re pitching to a news organisation be creative. Unless you’re a seriously big brand (and even then it would have to be breaking news) journalists are not going to be impressed to see your release has been sent to their colleagues and their competitors. If you want to be in a women’s magazine for example, pick up the last three issues, look at how they write, what they cover and think about how you can come up with a story that they would run. How does that relate to your business? Could you be a good case study? Do you have a unique perspective and images ready to roll? That’s your starting point.
  2. Don’t call them at certain times of the day
    Most daily newsrooms will have several editorial conferences per day to keep a track of the news agenda. But if you miss getting your story on a journalist’s desk before morning conference, you better have breaking news or pray it’s a slow news day if you want to make it in that day’s paper. If you have a story that has to be pitched over the phone, do it first thing in the morning or better yet, be one of the last calls at night.
  3. Consider if you really need to call at all
    Many journalists are working harder than ever so often if you have a story that isn’t super urgent an email is your best bet. Be conversational, talk about the story and be snappy in your introduction. Attach the press release and copy the text into the body of your email. Add images as well.
  4. Don’t call immediately after sending an email
    “I just sent you an email?” Oh really? This one that popped into my inbox 30 seconds ago? How about you give me a chance to read it and reply before following up.
  5. Be nice and don’t waste time
    If a journalist responds to you, be quick. Don’t leave it sitting in your inbox all day. Reply straight away. It’s likely you aren’t the only one they have reached out to, so if you get in first they will pick you. Also, if you build a reputation as someone who gets back to them quickly you will find they contact you for comment on a lot of issues because they know you’re reliable.
  6. Don’t flake on photo shoots
    One of the most annoying things to organise can be photography so when someone cancels a shoot it could mean you get bumped entirely. Show up when you are supposed to, be flexible, think about the shot — is the the location colourful, does the background have texture but is not cluttered? Does it showcase your business and who you are? Can you supply props to make it better? Remember the better
  7. Never ask “when is it going to run?”
    If the interview is done, the photos are taken you can take a breather — the story will get a run. It’s fair to ask for a general idea of when it may run but don’t harass a journalist every day or week for an exact date. A journalist writes the story. The editor decides when to run it. So the truth is, they have no idea.
  8. Be personable in your quotes
    When a journalist is asking you for a quote think about how you can offer a unique perspective. Don’t stay “on message” too much, be personable. Think about your brand and how you can communicate that voice without churning out marketing messages. A journalist is more likely to run the quote “It was a banger of a tune!” rather than “It was quite a good song” any day of the week.

If you want help writing a successful media release or building a strategy to ensure you have constant exposure in the media contact me.

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