The PR Top 20

Years ago, our colleague Kelly Davis pointed out a great post about public relations and client expectations on Ragan’s PR Daily by Elizabeth Friedland titled “20 Things PR Clients Should Know.”

It’s a little snarky, but comes from a good place and can help clients understand the most effective ways for us to succeed on their behalf. We encourage PR pros and clients alike to check it out.

We’ve excerpted a few of the twenty “things” that we found of particular import. We have said many similar things on this blog over the years, but this is such a succinct post that puts it all in one place we just had to share it.

So, without further ado…our favorites from this educational post:

1. No, we don’t know every journalist everywhere across the universe—not that it matters. Even journalists whose weddings we were in will turn down our pitches occasionally.

2. A good publicist doesn’t have to be based in New York or Los Angeles to be effective. If I want to pitch a story about a locksmith in Toronto, even from here in Kansas City, it’s easier than ever.

[…]

5. Stop insisting we telephone the media. Most of them hate this and specifically request we contact them exclusively via email.

6. PR is not free advertising. PR is not free (or cheap), period.

7. Don’t ask us to pitch an idea and then not be available for an interview. If you want the press, we need you to be ready to talk to the media at a moment’s notice.

8. What matters most to you may be totally irrelevant to a journalist. Remember that it’s what they—not you—think is important that matters in the end.

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10. Social media is more than Facebook and Twitter.

11. If you insist on running all tweets and posts past your legal department, don’t expect results from your social media strategy.

12. If a journalist says he or she is not interested in a story, that person means it. Reaching out again will further annoy the reporter and guarantee you’ll be ignored the next time.

13. Don’t measure your PR results in ad equivalency rates. Do you want to know you had $500,000 of ad equivalent value in negative press, or would you rather know 80 percent of the press you received was positive in tone and accurate in its messages?

14. No, we’re not writing any more “…pleased to announce…” ledes.

15. Ditto for “We’re so excited/thrilled/happy” CEO quotes. Pretend you’re explaining the story to a friend over drinks, and then give us that quote.

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17. PR is a process. You know who hits it big overnight with a story on the “Today” show? Criminals, naughty celebrities, and shark-attack victims. Do you want to be one of them?