This article was originally published on PR Daily in May 2016.
Many journalists are more curious about the PR industry than they’d probably like to admit.
In light of that, here are my answers to a handful of questions—submitted by reporters—about the day-to-day working in public relations.
1. Why do PR pros follow up so adamantly to pitches?
The answer varies, but consider the following:
One of my clients is in town (or has availability), and I’m seeing if you want to meet them that day. The executive’s schedule is probably filling up fast, and I want to make sure you have enough time for a conversation instead of rushing him or her out the door after 10 minutes.
I’ve received plenty of confirmations after a follow-up email and have also missed plenty of opportunities. I’d like to avoid the latter as much as possible.
Here’s another example:
A reporter says they’re interested in talking to someone for a story “sometime tomorrow,” but they don’t confirm a time. If I pitch a reporter during a particularly crazy day, they probably won't see my email—it might even take days. In that case, I'd follow up to see if they accidentally missed my pitch.
There is, however, following up for the sake of following up. Here are a few ways to avoid that.
2. Why do you expect me to read all of your emails?
Here are a few reasons:
· We have a working relationship.
· I might send you something worthwhile.
· I don’t want to follow up after sending a first email.
· Similar to journalists, PR pros can get hundreds of emails a day. We’re just doing our jobs. Acknowledgement, feedback or a two-way conversation can go a long way.
3. What's the deal with flowery language in pitches?
Most announcements are a pretty big deal for the organization in question.
When something is described as "first-ever" it probably is the first of its kind to be developed in an industry—though a reporter might not know that. We just want to make it sound exciting.
I agree, however, that “flowery” language is not appropriate in every case, and PR pros should express new developments or important events in a more fact-based way.
4. Is PR incentivized based on how many pitches get picked up by journalists?
Part of many PR pros’ roles is to pitch reporters and get coverage, but there are no usually monetary rewards for the number of placements one nabs. For us, quality is much more important than quantity.
5. Why do certain executives go through “media training”?
Through negative experiences, many people have learned that reporters are not their friends—sorry.
Most of the time, your job is to write a story—sometimes when there isn't one to tell. An executive's job is to run an organization well and talk about it accurately and in the best possible light.
An executive can make or break an organization in a single interview; that’s why he or she is “media trained.”
6. What, exactly, do you actually do?
Here’s the gist:
We help shape or change perceptions through what people see, hear, read or experience.
Here’s the longer version.
7. What does the future hold for the traditional press release? Does it still provide value?
For public entities—especially for banks, which are the institutions I work with— press releases aren’t going away any time soon because of regulation.
A startup, for example, has much more poetic license when it comes to making announcements. I’ve seen progress in certain niches, though, to share news through various channels (print, digital, social media).
Multi-channel distribution is becoming increasingly popular and will eventually supplement the traditional press release.
8. Why do you set up “meet and greet” meetings between clients and reporters?
We know these are important meetings—especially for beat reporters. As they’re often charged with covering an organization’s news and developments, it’s beneficial to know executives and how to make contact for comments or details.
Other meet and greets are meant to encourage ongoing relationships instead of a continual stream of isolated interactions.
Whether it be for that night’s news story or general background for future stories, we want to give you a chance to tell an accurate story.
These meetings can help put a face to a name, so to speak, and they strengthen relationships all around. Plus, there’s bound to be coffee in these meetings, and PR pros and reporters drink a lot of it.
9. Why are pitches so long?
That depends on the pitch. Sometimes a PR pro isn’t experienced enough to know that pitches should be short and direct. If a pitch includes a lot of data, those bullet points take up a lot of room. The same goes for press releases.
Generally, a shorter pitch is easier to write, faster to read and, based on the question submitted, probably preferred by reporters.
Julia Sahin works in corporate communications for financial services in New York. A version of this article originally appeared on Muck Rack , a service that enables you to find journalists to pitch, build media lists, get press alerts and create coverage reports with social media data.
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