Okay, I know what I'm about to say is blasphemy in our world, but I agree with the recent reports of journalists blacklisting PR professionals. (Go ahead, grab your pitchforks and light your torches.) I agree because I've had enough reporter-pals share these SPAM-pitches with me to know how frustrating it is. Pitches with all caps shouting ad messages; misspelled names; identical emails sent to 5 people at the same publication; a technology story sent to someone on a real estate beat...it goes on and on.For those who might be unaware of the uproar, there has been a flurry of reporters to officially blacklist individual PR pros and, in some cases, entire agencies because of this kind of activity. The most recent complaints have come from Gina Trapani, editor of Lifehacker, who published a PR blacklist of domain names from firms that had sent her SPAM-like pitches. Blogger Matt Haughey also joined the fray, complaining about an endless stream of PR SPAM and Wired magazine's editor-in-chief, Chris Anderson, shared similar frustrations last year. Todd Defren of PR Squared, one of the blacklisted firms, published an open letter of apology to Gina and other offended journalists hoping to get back in their good graces.
So, here's my inevitable two cents on the subject. Media pitching has always been a delicate art, made even more so by the explosive number of targets and tactics available to us. It's so easy to forget that for every one reporter, there are thousands of us vying for their attention. Seriously, think about how often you pitch reporters, now multiply each one of those emails and phone calls by oh, I dunno, 50,000 and maybe you get an idea of the numbers we're talking about.
So, here's my advice to avoid the SPAM-pitch.
Think like a writer. So often we forget that reporters & bloggers are writers. And, what does every writer need? Characters. Conflict. Resolution. Emotion. Every story has these. How did the company leaders meet? What problem does the product solve? What challenges were overcome to get where they are now? There is a story in there, I promise. Find it and pitch that instead of the company or product.
Think like a reader. So, you've got your characters and story-line. Now ask yourself, is this something I would read? Would this capture my interest? If not, go back to the beginning and find out why; what's missing? Where is the heart? What was the ah-ha moment that started it all?
Tailor to your target. Know what your target media writes about and tailor your story to them. Blasting out a bunch of press releases or the same pitch to hundreds of reporters will never get you a real story. Maybe, at best, you'll get a couple of minor hits. But, if you want a real narrative, you need to make it personal.
Be Brief! This is especially important when considering the volume of pitches media get. The goal of a pitch is to get a reporter's attention not to provide an epic thesis on every possible angle or idea relating to the product. You want to simply demonstrate the potential for good ink. Journalists & bloggers know their craft and they can read between the lines of your pitch to see the bigger picture.
It's not always about you and your needs. Our job is to make reporters' jobs easier and sometimes that excludes our clients. When I hear about a story that I know Joe Journalist will love, I tell him about it. It doesn't matter that it has no relation to any clients on my roster. I am building a relationship with Joe that will pay off in the long run. These guys get enough self-serving emails/calls every day. Toss them something that serves only them and they will remember you for it.
So, let's redeem ourselves here folks. Get creative. Get writing. And remember sell the story, not the product.
-- my two cents
22 comments:
Great post! I love giving a lead on a non-client story. I'm steling that bit from you.
I do wish though there could be more tolerance for mistakes from reporters. They need us as much as we need them. And they seem to forget that when things like this happen.
Once, a PR firm sent me a 8-foot Christmas tree, a live Douglas Fir, to my office on the 43rd Floor of a building in NYC's Rockefeller Center. The idea was to get my attention for a very small start-up company but since our building's fire hazard policy prohibited such trees, I spent a good part of the day finding someone to cart it away, as I didn't have a car then. It cost me $40.
Like many journalists, I am not allowed to accept gifts, nor do I want that pen with the logo, t-shirt or package that spills confetti when you open it.
Rachael King -- BusinessWeek
It seems that a lot journalist who create these blacklists do so because they are being spammed with generic pitches. I think that if you take the time to really think about what is going to help a writer and craft a thoughtful pitch you have a great chance of staying off of those lists.
One small PR firm started to send me letters about Ukrainian racing team. I asked to remove my e-mail (I'm working at business paper, so don't need any information about racing teams). Reply was great. "We do know, that you don't need this information. But let us to send it for media, we're interested in".
I blocked their domain. Maybe, they tried to send me some good information after it. I don't know:)
How about simple basic rule: don't antagonise journalists with your behavior. Or as it is stated in the Scriptures: "don't do to your neighbour what you wouldn't want to be done to you." Or as Ockham's razor stipulates: usually the simplest solution is the right one.
And in our modern speak - the Golden rule: don't be pain in the a... and it won't backfire...;)
Others have posted some good advice, so I'll add this: Don't make me work any harder than necessary to figure out what your message is.
Case in point: I recently received an e-mail from an unfamiliar company. the subject line read simply: "Press release."
I opened the e-mail. The body text was generic boilerplate that said nothing about what the news was. To find that out, I had to open the attached PDF file -- only to find out that the news had absolutely no relevance to me or to anyone else at my publication.
End result: Next time I get an e-mail from that firm, unless I'm having an unusually slow day, I'll probably delete it unread.
Michael Hardy, News Editor at Federal Computer Week
As has been stated here, it's really about getting to know the journalists to whom you're pitching and how to pitch. However, I lay some of the blame for the blacklists at our own feet. Those of us who have been in this business a while need to help our colleagues, especially those new to the industry, understand the benefits of truly building relationships with the media. We also need to help manage our "client's" expectations of media relations efforts.
Dana
It's simple: don't send me press releases that don't apply to my interests. You have to know exactly what my magazine's about, and what makes it different from similar competitors. That makes it more complicated for you, I know, because you can't send out blanket press releases. But if you want to be heard above the spam, you have to put in the extra effort.
John Marsh
Managing Editor at Outdoor Empire Publishing
I'm a 15-year Money magazine contributor, freelance journalist, features reporter, author and have contributed reporting to a variety of cover and second-cover stories for Money, MORE, People, and others.
I need publicists to do my job and I've always been open to what they send me.
I do use such a small fraction of what I receive, and I also receive a bunch of spam press releases on a daily basis ... but this has never bothered me because I have benefitted so much from these relationships.
Even with the spam, every so often I find something that I can use. I regard it all as an ongoing tag sale and I love to shop.
I can tell immediately whether the information is something I can use and I feel our job as journalists is to sift through communications to find the nuggets - we do this at all phases including research, interviews, and writing. We take what we need and scrap the rest. Why is this such a big deal? This is our job.
I have no idea who is sending me what most of the time and have never considered blacklisting someone over a misfired press release.
I know that the basic culture in newsrooms supports this, but to me this is ridiculous. Whenever I speak to publicists at conferences I tell them this. Don't take it all too seriously.
Very good list. I'll add, "Don't nag me." There's a line between being persistent and being a nag. Send me an email. You can even call to make sure I got it. But to call me week after week to say "are you going to do anything with it" is just irritating.
There was a similar theme on Digital Pebbles a little while back. There was a Part 2, and maybe a part 3.
And here are two cents from me.
First Cent
Second Cent
I'm a former journalist. Ok, now that's out of the way. I'm a public relations counselor and communications manager who acts as the chief communications officer of a financial company. One of my biggest concerns is how many PR pros lack the experience, or flat don't give a damn about building true relationships with reporters. Let me put it to you this way, journalists are people too, and they like to be noticed. They're also our colleagues in the media mix. As such, and as professionals, we have an obligation to reach out to them, know their area of interests and help them develop stories that make their editors smile. On the other hand, we need to be doing the same with editors.
Hi Jennifer,
Got some great answers already and yep the blogged info is great at helping to to avoid it. Spaming is a nightmare in all areas of business so it's got to be relevant and asked for, if you have a good relationship with these guys they will be looking for your content. you have to talk to one another like we did back in the old days.
I suppose we need to know more from the journalist about what they actually want and are finding hard to fill their pages with. it will possibly get worse before it gets better... spamming is for the lazy folk who have not done their homework and got respect for people inbox... if it's that good, do they really want to just throw it out to any email.
interesting topic and great pic on the blog... it's memorable.
Danny
Many good advise has been poured here already. I'd say that you have to contact journalists with relevant information not only for them but also for the audience they're writing to. Remember to include the famous WH questions in your press release, write it in a style similar to the newspaper you are sending it and include any picture or relevant attachment you think it's useful or at least let them know that you have pictures available. Don't be a pain in the ass and you won't be considered a spammer.
I think you first need to do research and understand who your market is. Don't rely on Cision or other PR databases for information. Use them for research but confirm that information by making sure that they are writing about what the database says. I think your blog post emphasizes that well.
Second, ask permission to send them news. Make a case for why they would want to receive it (e.g. relevant). That's going to work much better than sending them a press release "cold". It also indicates you have a level respect for their time.
Third, develop a relationship to the best of your ability, send emails with their name rather than blanket BCC emails. Compliment them on their articles related to your content. Journalists have egos, try to appeal to that without being a kiss-up.
Finally, I think using technology can help you. For example, use a customer relationship tool like SalesForce.com account to track interactions and send emails so you have a history of your communications. Track activity of when they picked up your stories. Send "thank yous" when they write about you or take your briefings. Journalists are "customers" for your news treat them as such.
Your post is excellent, but I do have a couple more items to add.
First, realize most writers -- the ones you want to target, anyway -- are busy people. I recently received a boilerplate press release and then got a phone call from the PR person who sent it less than two hours later. I don't exactly know what she was expecting I would do with it in that period of time. I'm not sitting around waiting for pitches to hit my inbox, so don't expect an immediate response.
As an extension of that, I would say try and understand what writers and editors do. As a freelancer, I have to pitch stories to editors just like you pitch them to me. And I have to wait to get a response. Please don't continually follow up with me, particularly after I've told you I will let you know something. A follow up after a prolonged silence is acceptable, but every week or two? Really, we will just dump all your future releases if you bug us.
Second, I have pitched and had accepted stories based on information in PR pitches, then contacted the PR rep only to have them a.) tell me their client isn't interested/can't do it at this time/doesn't think it's a good fit or b.) just don't respond at all. Please have an idea of the outlets I generally write for before you pitch me so this doesn't happen.
Thank you for addressing this topic, Jennifer.
Good points, Jennifer, as are many of the suggestions in the comments. The bottom line, really, is pretty simply stated, if hard to follow on occasion: be on-target in your pitches. Make sure there is a news story, not just a plug; then, make sure that the story is relevant to the journalist you are pitching. Build relationships with journalists. Understand that helping a journalist, rather than blind pitching, is a far more effective way of getting your message out. Sounds simple, but it isn't.
When I was a journalist, I absolutely refused to deal with PR firms and dealt directly with partners at consultancy firms (as I was cover the tax and regulatory beat).
Hence, some pointers for the PR agencies.
1) Ask what the journalist needs. Let the journalist know you can be approached. Be prepared to brainstorm. Dont' thrust your ideas, complement the jouranlist's ideas. Use your clients to respond to the journalists story. This has an even greater impact on the reader whom you are trying to reach, than a press release, a few sentences of which may just act as a space filler on some inside page.
2) Understand yourself what makes news and what doesn't. To illustration: setting up of a branch office by your client in a tiny city will not make news in a national business paper. Not unless, this office is providing something unique - say being the first office in the country to prepare US tax returns or something like that. Further in this context, add more, what are the regulations involved both on the India and US side, how are various issues being dealt with - such as security etc.
3) Take appointments and stick to that. Don't expect the journalist to be ready for a lunch/dinner at the drop of a hat (In general these are a waste of time).
4) Know your subject. While you are not expected to be a technical expert, it is essential for you to be well read in your field before making a pitch.
This felt good. Always wanted to rant about it.
Best
Lubna
First and foremost, to quote Google's corporate statement: Don't be evil. Don't use and abuse journalists. Remember that you're building a relationship with the journalist community, so treat all of them fair and with respect.
Second, know which journalist you need to contact. It is mentioned in other answers, but it's worth mentioning again. Don't just carpet bomb them with tons of, for them, irrelevant press releases.
Third, give something back. And no, not 8 foot christmas trees (that story got me laughing so hard!). If a journalist gives you his or her time, give them a good story, and remember that they treated you well next time you have good story.
Fourth, respect the ethical boundries of the journalistic profession. Don't send them gifts or anything similar. Don't get too chummy with them or it may mean that other journalists or editors will questions their neutrality.
These are basic, basic rules. Building a good relationship with journalists is much more complicated than this, of course, but sticking to these rules will, in my experience, at the very least keep you off the black lists.
Make my life easier. I recently worked with one PR pro so fantastic I offered her a reference...she stayed on top of about 6 interviews, set them all up for me, made sure if there was a change to tell me immediately.
If or when you work with freelancers -- who can have astonishing contacts and place your clients many times -- understand that our time is every bit as valuable as yours, or your client's -- as every wasted minute is lost income with no salary at week's end for unanswered calls and emails or misleading self-serving garbage.
Try to understand the value of well-published freelancers and offer them the same courtesies and service you rush to offer staffers at major outlets.
Even if the piece I am calling you for is -- this time -- in a less prestigious publication, it does not mean I may not need you in the future for a piece in a publication you'd love...the New York Times, for example. Think longterm.
Caitlin Kelly
Jennifer,
You're getting some good insights here. I thought you might be interested in an alternative response--I teach college students about the "smarts" of PR as well as have my own agency.
First off, start with the end in mind. In ANY pitch you do, think about where the ideal fit will be. Is it a blog post? An article? A review? What is the ideal position you want to have for your product/service?
Second, do some homework to ensure that your ideal fit is right. Think of PR as economics--this is a business where supply meets demand, but your currency is content and not money. Thus, you want to make sure your currency is utilized most effectively. If the fit isn't right, don't send the pitch and start back at Square One.
Once you have the homework and the proof, write your pitch but summarize you know a writer's beat. RESEARCH is the ultimate spam buster. Prove you know or appreciate what a journalist does and you will be light years ahead of the competition
Strangely, I am catching this post for the 1st time.
Just wanted to note that the big error in Ms. Trapani's case was NOT necessarily the quality of the pitches but that her personal email address was listed in the ubiquitous Cision dbase. Keep in mind PR firms pay Cision top-dollar to scrub their contact lists, so as to save the agencies precious time.
The fact is, Ms. Trapani's personal email address is actually not all that easy to find (without stalking her); and if those agencies HAD found it in the one place it is published in public, they'd have all readily abided by her request to NOT use it for PR purposes.
Now, that doesn't mean that all PR pros are angels, nor that some of the blacklisted PR people didn't send crappy pitches.
I know that in our case, at least, the pitch was brief and on-target: just directed to the wrong email address, thanks to Cision.
Other than that, I agre with all of the other comments! They gave good advice.
Thanks.
Post a Comment