July Edition

Julie Wohlberg – Pitching Class Recap

The battle between the PR professional and the journalist rages on (see May and June editions of Spin Cycle for the points of contention on each side of the battle). While journalists are not likely to "play ball" with PR professionals, in the never-ending effort to appease these fickle creatures, Connors Communications hosted a "pitching class" with Judy Lederman, Editor-in-Chief of The Westchester Wag and long-time PR professional, to learn how to break through the PR professional/journalist wall and get some coverage.

Throughout her presentation, Judy made some very important points about pitching – what works, what doesn't and what will infuriate an editor (or worse – have your pitch published on the "wall of shame" or shared with other publicists as an example of what not to write over giggles and gasps). Among her key points:

  1. Research 101: Be mindful of the stratification of the publication and know who to pitch. Make sure that what you're pitching is in line with the publication's readers and isn't something that will offend the advertisers (if the publication is conservative).
  2. When brainstorming on giveaways, be creative. Remember that the gifts you're sending a journalist are part of your pitch, not just a bribe or incentive to produce coverage. Only gifts that relate to the product or service you're selling will capture a journalist's attention. As an aside – it's also good to keep in mind that many major publications have rules regarding "schwag." A journalist can only accept a giveaway that is essential to the story (aka – tickets to a theatre production to review it, etc), or items with a value less than $25.
  3. Pitch-writing: Get to the point. Journalists are used to dealing with inverted pyramid style. The main points of your pitch should be summarized in the first sentence (or first few sentences) of your pitch. If you haven't included the name of the company or product you're pitching right away, your pitch has failed. While you want to write an eye-catching and colorful piece of prose, step away from the pitch and come back to it, asking yourself, "In the first 30 seconds of reading this, do I get a true idea of what the publicist is trying to sell?"
  4. Don't use me for my column! An essential part of garnering successful and long-term coverage is maintaining relationships with journalists. Look for reasons to keep in touch via email or phone that don't necessarily involve pitching a product. Judy used the example of severe weather and hearing a report on the radio from one of her contacts; other ideas include writing to comment on a clever article the journalist wrote, checking back when you notice a title change in the journalist's signature and offering congratulations on promotions and status changes, or keeping up with any personal information the journalist sends your way (aka, "Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, I was traveling" could turn into a great "How was your vacation? Where did you go? It must be hard to be back at work!")
  5. Keep the pleasantries coming. If you maintain a friendly banter with the reporter, he or she is less likely to delete an email upon seeing that it's from you. Always open a pitch email with something friendly and personal – "Hi, XX, I hope this email finds you well…great job with whatever piece."

Ask Matt Mack

Keila from Stamford, Conn asks, "Is it really true that journalists and PR professionals don't get along?"

The simple fact of the matter is no, it is not true; the contentious relationship between journalists and PR professionals is a myth. The reason why is that journalists no longer exist.

The last journalist died in 1945. His name was Jeremiah Hecht and his 1936 series, 1,001 Afternoons in Chicago, was the first attempt by a newspaper man, or any man really, to do their work in the Windy City without being soaked in the most noxious and bootlegged alcohol available. His libation free labors ultimately led to increased self-esteem and a desire to leave the journalism field to do something of lesser public disdain like turning kittens to stew or sucker punching orphans, but before he left, he turned the city on its ear with his sober editorials of everyday Chicago life.

Excerpts from almost three years of chronicling include, "Daniel Hurt was stabbed to death on Halstead Street in a fight over a nickel. As it turns out the nickel was a button and the button was not even silver in color" and "Mayor Edward J. Kelly delivers an address from city hall regarding the progress of certain public works projects on the Westside of town. The crowd seems unaware that the mayor is a bundle of linseed, dressed in tattered cotton clothing and a straw hat."

Since Hecht's passing all news content has been produced by PR pros writing under clever pseudonyms to further their clients' business goals. From the most objective, late breaking news to the softest feature stories, not one shred of text has come from anywhere else but the public relations' presses.

Take for instance this latest flap about an impending oil crisis. A closely held secret between scientists and PR pros is that oil is abundant and plentiful, being nothing more then a derivative of soda. This current hullabaloo is simply a masterfully crafted rebuttal to the automobile industries SUV blitz by the scooter consortium's in-house PR team. They may win a Webby! Or they may have already won a Webby, I don't know. But PR pros don't just control the news you read, they control the news you don't read as well. For example, the imminent extinction of bananas in 2008—remember that story? No you don't, because Rob Skarkov and Debra Lazlo over at Dole have been doing a hell of job for years now. Let's just say though, it might be a good idea to start learning to love plantains.

Will the journalists over roam this land again? My best guess would be that any modern-made newshound wouldn't have the necessary fortitude to survive in what has become an inhospitable climate for hard news writing. My advice to any would-be journalists is to try authoring a book; I hear there's good money in that.

Trust Me on This - Ben Hawken

Found in Translation: A Look at the International Language of PR

I once overheard a professor with a flair for hyperbole and a relaxed approach to accuracy say that the Chinese character for "crisis" is a combination of the characters "problem" and "opportunity."

The professor used the this charming anecdote to explain how public relations can make the best out of otherwise bad situations by using sound, ethical PR principles.

The story behind "crisis" is not the only important word in our industry that has an interesting etymological history. For example:

In Bulgaria the word for "pitching" is a combination of the words "speed dial" and "stalker."

In Spain the word for "journalist" is drawn from a juxtaposition of a term referring to boundless pedantism and an expletive regarding egregious self importance.

In Burma the world for "conference call" is a contraction of the words for "using the mute button to make sarcastic remarks" and "faulty dial-in codes."

In Brazil the word for "office supply room" is derived from the words for "petty theft bonanza," "cheap pens," and "fridge full of Coke no one can drink."

Finally, in Korea the word for Spin Cycle is, somewhat ominously, created by combining the symbols for "Matt Mack's column is funnier" and "Ben Hawken's picture looks terrible." I am not joking.