June Edition

Julie Wohlberg – The Rebuttle

Dear PR Professional,

While you make some good points, I think that perspective is the name of the game when discussing the communication between journalists and PR professionals. While taking into consideration your tips, I’d like to offer a few of my own – for PR folk dealing with journalists:

Tips for Journalists when talking to PR people:

  • My deadlines are usually the same. If you want to build a solid back-and-forth relationship – ask me for good days and times to contact me with new pitches…and then stick to those times. I'll be more responsive to your pitch and may be more inclined to help you out (within the regulations of company editorial policy) if you don't regularly call me while I'm on deadline – intentionally or not.
  • While we're on the subject of building and maintaining relationships, let me address a few more helpful tips for PR professional faux pas:
    • When you're corresponding with me, remember who I am, and don't ever, ever ask me what my outlet is
    • Maintain records. There's nothing worse than giving a publicist (Uh, we're PR professionals. Publicists are personal assistants for people like Naomi Watts and Jeremy Piven) contact information – mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc, and being asked repeatedly to resend them. Invest in a Rolodex or build a spreadsheet – then use it.
  • If I'm obviously not interested, don't try to sell me a used Cadillac. You may think that your pitch is "a great match" for my readers – but I likely will have a better sense of that than you. It's usually PR folk who won't get off the phone that become the targets of my badgering. Don't see it as a "challenge" to hassle me – keep in mind that if you hassle me over something I'm not interested in covering, I may not answer the phone, or read a pitch that you send in the future.
  • New information is always welcome – but put it in writing and send it to me in an email. Follow up with me, but always keep in mind that when a journalist is writing a piece about a certain subject their objective is to share with their readers the facts and figures they need to know from key companies and spokespeople. Chances are, if your company isn't on the first two or three pages of a Google search, 88% of our readers aren't going to know much about the company anyway (please see Mike Levin for an SEO lesson).
  • Finally: The biggest mistake that a PR PRofessional can make is telling a journalist "You need me". In some cases, you may be right – but depending on what publication I represent and what company I'm going after, whether you like it or not, I'm going to get the information I want – whether I have to work with you or go above you to get it. The CEO of your company isn't going to turn down an interview request for an important outlet because I was short with you on the phone and your feelings are hurt. However, it would be fair to say, "You need me". Without my help, you get no exposure. PR professionals that view themselves as being above journalists are typically the ones who fail at getting their clients exposure. Try a little humility. Remember that I'm underpaid and overworked, and I probably have 10 people barking at me on my end of the line – I don't need any additional grief. Remember, in the words of Mark Twain, "You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar".

Ask Matt Mack

Herman from St. Paul writes "what is the difference between a public relations professional and an advertiser?"

Though the differences could not be clearer to me, I get asked this question quite a bit – so don't worry Herman, you're in good company. To settle the matter once and for all, here is a handy guide to the visual cues that can help you discern which is which.

PR professionals are often clean cut, never having hair longer then shoulder length, preventing by necessity any possible fax or lathe accidents. They often sport red armbands over their suit jacket or shirt as homage to their patron saint, Thomas of Verona, who was the first to bill the Catholic Church as "a turnkey solution for what ails ya" in 1643. PR pros tend toward the cooler weather of the northern climes and are often seen in large numbers at bars or well stocked lounges.

Advertisers, by comparison, are bilious creatures of loathsome appearance and even more loathsome moral fiber. Their bodies are often covered in thick musculature and tufts of course, clumped hair. They are rarely seen, but for the intrepid, can occasionally be found living under bridges or roaming the countryside terrorizing livestock.

Editor's note: During the writing process, Matt confused advertisers for trolls. He apologizes to his readers for circulating bad information, and mocks advertisers by calling them trolls.

Websites We Like

Barry Kagan – Connors' Ultimate Undergrad Intern

Fun – Anytime you're surfing the web and find yourself bored, check out Fark.com for some instant entertainment. I really like this site because it lists a variety of interesting news articles on a whole range of different topics from sports to politics to technology. It also covers very bizarre and wild news stories of the day from around the country.

Helps at Work – I find Bloglines to be an incredibly useful site that makes staying up to date on all your important internet favorites very quick and easy. It allows the user to add a "feed" to any website, blog or forum that you want to follow, so they can check the latest entries and information posted since they were last there. You can keep tabs on the latest news about any company or technology, and also get real time updates from your favorite media outlet. Anytime you see a website mention that it has RSS or XML capabilities, you can follow the subsequent link, add it to Bloglines, and get instant updates on all the important websites you browse frequently with one click of the mouse.

Kait Ziskin – Connors’ Fabulous Receptionist/Office Assistant

If you're wondering whether or not that next new spin-off band is as good as the members' original work, park yourself at The Hype Machine. Hype searches a variety (what they call "the best") music blogs for any MP3 posts they have.