Constant struggle between PR Pros and Journos

By Charlotte Shaff on February 4th, 2010 In Best Practices

It is a never ending issue between reporters and PR pros- too many emails. Some consider the influx of releases spam. But for some PR pros, they feel they have no choice with the demands put on them by supervisors and clients to have as many media hits as possible. I have been thinking about this issue a lot, and was reminded of how hot of a topic it can be after checking out this blog post from The PR Breakfast Club.
A while back, I re-tweeted a post that claimed “95 percent of journalists say PR people overwhelm them with e-mail.” This came from a post about a survey in the UK. It seems journalists are just annoyed in general by the amount of calls and emails they get and also the amount of off-target pitches they receive.
I asked a few media about their thoughts and most of them agreed that while these were issues, there wasn’t too much they could do about it.
Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal told me:

“We are just overwhelmed in general with emails. There are so many public company, government, university and industry email lists we are on and that combined with pitches there is just so much.

I’d much prefer getting emails with pitches, background info and the such than to get a ton of telephone calls. I’m much more likely to look at an email than to respond to a voice mail.

I’d say my biggest pet peeve right now is that PR people don’t view their media relations as a two-way street. We get pitched a lot of fluff and a lot of beating the recession stories but when we are looking for some honest brokers just to talk about the economy, about challenges the PR folks tend to run for the hills.”

Sonja Haller at the Scottsdale Republic agreed she gets too many emails, but that goes with the territory:

Do you think you get too many emails from PR people? Yes, but it’s still the best way to get ideas, get valuable information, find out about potential sources, etc… It’s better than phone or in person. No one has time for lunch or rarely even 15-minute cups of coffee anymore.

I put emails of pr people I frequently do business with in folders. I also have separate folders for stories in which several sources and pieces of information are going to come in, and I have folders for brief material.

Some pet peeves of Sonja that I know many other journalists agree on are when the date of an event is buried.

“When is it?! When is it?! When is it?! That’s everything to me. I need to know if the event is past, tomorrow, of if I can get to that particular press release later. Sometimes I have a hole to fill, for example, in a collection of art briefs. Is this something I can use today? Also, when the type is too small in pitch. I read all day, and laboring to read is one thing I won’t put up with. If I have to squint, the release gets deleted or thrown in the trash.”

A TV producer who asked to remain anonymous also shared similar issues and pet peeves, noting the use of all-caps and too many follow up emails and phone calls after a pitch or release was sent.

While I can understand the massive amounts of emails, attachments and voice mails journalists receive every day, it is frustrating at times for those of us in PR needing to answer to our supervisors and clients. How do we know the media got our email or call and it didn’t get deleted? Do they have interest, but are waiting to follow up after discussing with an editor? I know a lot of PR pros who say that just a simple “No Thanks” is better than no response at all. But, the reality is there is not enough time in the day for a journalist to answer every email and call they get. Luckily, once I develop a good relationship with a producer or reporter, I know they’ll recognize my name and follow up, but I also hate feeling like a pest. Another factor that I found in the UK survey was the annoyance regarding the amount of calls to update directories and lists. As staff/beats change, its quite common for someone to pitch off-topic or to someone who is no longer there, unless those lists and relationships are updated often. Its kind of a no-win situation at times.

Constant struggle between PR Pros and Journos

Comments

Jack Monson Says:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:10 am

Charlotte,

Thanks for sharing these three sensible journalists’ insights! Good stuff here…

@jackmonson

Dan Wool Says:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:23 am

If you think you’re spamming a journalist, your relationship isn’t strong enough.

If they think you’re spamming them, your writing isn’t strong enough.

Rebecca Armendariz Says:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:42 am

Totally agree, Dan! Relationships are key.

Unfortunately, I do not think that writing is extremely important these days – especially for my initial pitching. The stories I land are often the result of a quick note to newsrooms – just one to two sentences, in fact! Reporters are looking for an angle, an interview (with doctor and patient) and visual. If I can tell them I’ve got all three in as few words as possible, all the better. They don’t have time to read through lengthy releases or two-page pitches. They want to tell their own stories. It’s our job as communicators to help them do that, not overload them with information they’ll likely not include in their stories anyway.

Rebecca Armendariz Says:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:45 am

Oh… and re: calling to follow up, I must say that it is necessary at times. :(

There have been many pitches I’ve followed up on and the newsrooms have no idea where the original pitch is. They ask me to resend it, and they cover the story. I’m not saying this should be done for ALL pitches, but if I’m pitching that my hospital just delivered sextuplets and hear zero response from media, something’s up! They appreciate the follow up when the pitch is a quality story. Now… The challenge for PR pros is to make sure it IS a quality story. The little boy who cried wolf eventually got ignored, no?

Stephanie Jarnagan Says:
February 4th, 2010 at 12:38 pm

Rebecca — You are spot on with your comments! I feel the same and have had similar experiences. In today’s info-overloaded world, the most concise pitches often make the cut!

francine hardaway Says:
February 4th, 2010 at 3:01 pm

1) Educate your clients and supervisors on what is POSSIBLE. Remind them of the state of the newspaper industry, especially in Phoenix, especially in areas that are not time-sensitive. You are NOT going to get many hits on any story, because the number of outlets has declined dramatically.

2) Don’t pitch at all, and don’t send press releases. Put the press release up on a site somewhere, and send a very short email FYI.

3) Use social media, where media people go to be found, and where they have a choice about where and when to respond.

4) Don’t work for a client who is unwilling to talk to the press about potential controversial stories and become a source or authority.

Marketing $ociologist Says:
February 4th, 2010 at 4:34 pm

Have found over my life – and it works in media relations, too – if you shut up, someone much more knowledgeable than yourself will come along, same something you were thinking and all you need to do is agree.

Pay PARTICULAR attention to Dr. Hardaway’s #2 and #3.

Another tactic I use: go to other organizations’ press conferences. Went to Dean Martin’s kickoff last month, made at least 5 media contacts.

Jackie Wright Says:
February 5th, 2010 at 9:40 am

All good points! But, as communication pros, I think we need to realize that using other communication vehicles to get our message out is crucial!! The media is not the end all… especially when so many reporters and producers have been laid off. We need to educate our clients about the benefits of fully-integrated marketing programs that include PR, but also utilize other channels to get their message across to key markets.

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