Going to the Drive-In and Calling Reporters
A recent trip to the movies reminded me of this frequently asked question: Should I call a reporter to check that they got my press release/pitch?
No. (Usually.)
As a general rule (meaning of course there are always exceptions) calling a reporter to see if they received your press release usually just annoys the reporter.
Why?
Because the reporter is probably very busy not only writing or researching their next piece, but also wading through the dozens–if not hundreds–of press releases and pitches they get per day. Also, calling a reporter who is on deadline can get you on their bad side–permanently. Make sure you know their deadline before you call, and if you must call, the first thing you should do after identifying yourself is ask “Is this an okay time for a quick chat?”
Okay, but what the heck does this have to do with going to the movies?
Getting your message out to the media is like going to a drive-in movie (stay with me, folks!): you want to come early for a good space, but not too early, or you’ll spend a couple of boring hours waiting for the sun to go down in your good parking space, listening to corny music and swatting mosquitoes. If you come too late, you’ll get stuck behind a family of three in an oversize SUV that nearly blocks the screen. Same idea with your pitch or press release: make sure you send it out in a timely way.
Most daily or weekly publications/broadcasts won’t remember your pitch if you send it months in advance, and pestering reporters for weeks in the interim will probably get you nowhere. Conversely, if you send it three days out from your launch or event date, then you’ve equally shot yourself in the foot. Being a little early, say two or three weeks, is not a bad idea for most pitches–that gives you time for follow up. Ultimately, timing is really down to how well you get to know the rhythms of reporters and their publication. (That’s where the services of a good PR pro come in handy, too.)
Anyway, I recommend you make a point to follow up via email first. This way the reporter can respond to you when their schedule permits.
What if the reporter never responds to my email?
In my experience, most reporters will respond to your second follow up email (if not the first one). If they don’t, it could mean one of a few things:
- The Pocket Veto. They saw your pitch/press release and aren’t interested–and they’re too busy to reply to you about it.
- Hmm. I’ll get to that soon. The reporter is interested, but on deadline or too busy to focus on it at the moment.
- They haven’t read it yet.
If you’ve made repeated attempts via email and feel the pitch/release is worthy of the reporter’s attention (and you need a definitive yes or no) then by all means call. But make sure you can spell out your pitch quickly and you’re respectful of the reporter’s time. Also, here are a few tips from a reporter on making your pitches and press releases ready for their closeup.
Okay, the dancing corn dog says it’s time to hit the refreshment stand. Enjoy the movie and good luck with your next pitch!
–Alex Greenwood
Q and A
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Holiday Spirit Can Come When You Least Expect It…
Just ask this guy. Through an interesting twist of fate, the talented team of T2+Back Alley Films helped a Kansas City homeless man have a very happy holiday. Click here to watch the video.
13 Things I Need to Do
Source: TheSharkGuys.com
Lists can be helpful in getting organized and staying on task. They can also inspire others to do the same. (I hope). Tedious as it may be, I’ve made one and wish to share it with you. Those keeping score may feel free to hold me accountable.
So, in the interests of preserving my sanity, gaining more clients and doing a better job, I need to (in no particular order):
- Unsubscribe from just about any email newsletter, blog post notification, advertisement, solicitation for Viagra, etc. I don’t read within two days of receiving it. Too much clutter, not enough benefit.
- Clean up and organize my office. No, really. I need to. It helps me focus. (The cleaning, that is. Once it’s cleaned and organized it’s only a matter of time before it’s back to its normal state of “creative disarray.)
- Get all my receipts, mileage and tax stuff ready. Hard to believe AlexanderG’s first year as a going concern is almost upon me–and that taxes are going to be due. Must scan those receipts and create a spreadsheet of deductions. Ugh. Wish I had one of those cool receipt scanners–though I’m not convinced they are any better than a regular flat bed scanner. Anyone have any wisdom on that? I’d be happy to try one and report back.
- I need to get another 10,000 words of the sequel to my novel written by the first week of 2011. If not the book runs the risk of becoming stale. Don’t want that, and I know at least ten readers are waiting!
- Also need to do the same for the book I’m collaborating on with my pal David. That one is more fun to write right now, but the self-applied pressure of writing something that suits even a kind, like-minded and cool collaborator–as well as myself–can be daunting.
- Follow up on six RFPs floating around out there. I want the clients, and need to make sure they know I do.
- Step up my in-person networking a little more.
- Complete my business plan for Q3 and Q4 2011.
- Thank my current clients for trusting me with their PR, marketing and management consulting needs.
- Speak to groups, seminars or classes at least five times next year. I enjoy it and have a kick-ass presentation thanks to the aid of my friend Al Bonner.
- Work with my strategic partners to create lucrative business opportunities for us all.
- Decide whether I want to get my accreditation or not. (APR or ABC? Neither?)
- Establish working relationships with my new partners at the PR Consultants Group.
So, there’s my list. All doable.
Have you made one?
Check Out My Guest Blog at “PR at Sunrise”
The economy understandably makes you interested in talking with any and all potential clients. Just watch out for ghosts.
“Ghosts ” go beyond kicking the tires, feeling you out on strategy and discussing fees. They’re the potential clients who could also be called “time vampires,” as they want to meet often and then have you draw up a full-blown proposal and/or contract. Then they disappear. You literally get no response.
Read the entire piece over at PR at Sunrise.
The Blurry World of PR
“The boundaries between disciplines had begun to blur,” [Bob] McEwen said in a written statement to the Kansas City Business Journal. “In at least three instances, senior PR people were asked to step up and assume account service responsibilities in addition to their own jobs. So our PR numbers didn’t represent a true reflection of the capability or performance of our PR team. We were just spread too thinly.”
via Nicholson Kovac cuts VP McEwen, CFO Crawford | Kansas City Business Journal.
Welcome to the new world of Public Relations. We “little guys” have been living in this “blurry” world for years. Best of luck to Bob–a stand-up guy if there ever was one.
A Quick Lesson in Building Customer Loyalty
Great machine, too.
Quick lesson in building customer loyalty:
I needed a new computer–my MacBook was fading after three years of constant service.
So, I bought an iMac. You may know that Apple offers a great service: they’ll clone your hard drive from the old puter and transplant it to the new machine, thus saving you hours of torture when you get home.
Okay, that alone is great service. But what’s better is they told me it would take about one business day to do this. I could come back the next day at 5 p.m. to pick up my old machine and the new one– fully-loaded with all my files, programs, music and stuff.
Well, why not? One business day is a small price to pay for the time and effort it would’ve taken for me to do it myself.
That’s not the lesson, though. Here’s the lesson: they called me less than three hours later to tell me my computers were ready for pickup. Not a day later, but a mere three hours later. Do I have to tell you how thrilled I was when they called? When I first picked up the phone I was sure they were going to tell me something was wrong. Nope. They were just finished being highly efficient. I’ve had other good experiences with Apple–and this just reinforced my brand loyalty big time.
Under-promise, over-deliver. Simple concept. Works every time.
High Fructose PR Problem
The folks at PRWatch.org are concerned about the attempts to change the image of the cheap, subsidy-sweet high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) by changing its name; even comparing the HFCS lobby to the evildoers at Philip Morris and worse, Blackwater:
Philip Morris tried to escape its tarnished reputation by re-branding itself “Altria” and the private military contractor Blackwater tried to ditch its bad image by re-naming itself “Xe.” Now the Corn Refiners Association is taking a tip from these companies and trying to re-brand its much-maligned product, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), as “corn sugar.” Consumption of HFCS is at a 20-year low. This might make doctors and nutritionists happy, but it’s bad news for manufacturers of HFCS, who hope to turn the trend around. No longer should we refer to chemical-sounding “high fructose corn syrup,” but instead we should use the fresher, gentler and more natural-sounding term “corn sugar.” HFCS has gotten a reputation as obesity’s public enemy number one, and over-consumption of HFCS and other sweeteners has been linked to a list of chronic health problems. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved the name change for food labels, but the corn producers are already working to change public perception of their product. They are running TV ads featuring a down-home family farmer and sweeping shots of nature, and their Web site extolls the virtues of HFCS.
The re-naming could work. In the 1980s, there was an ingredient called “low erucic acid rapeseed oil” which was re-named “canola oil,” and more recently, the FDA permitted prunes to be marketed under the name “dried plums.” In both cases, after the name change, sales of the products increased.
As they say, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still unhealthy, delicious bacon. Dr. Andrew Weil has weighed in:
Instead, in the web age, the name-change petition quickly became an appropriately sticky public relations mess. After just nine days, a Google search for the twin terms “high-fructose corn syrup” and “corn sugar” garnered 143,000 results, and asking social media posters for their own alternate names became a raging meme. I happily joined in, posing the challenge on my Facebook page and Digg profile. Hundreds volunteered tags including “liquid suffering,” “cellulite syrup,” and several that can’t be published in a family website, despite my instruction to avoid profanity.
via Dr. Andrew Weil: Fortunately, ‘Corn Sugar’ Has Become a Sticky PR Mess.
So, PR geniuses, what would you do if the Corn Refiners Association were your client? I think I’d be looking up case studies on New Coke, myself.
