Here are journalists' New Year's resolutions that they wish you would adopt - collected by Encyclomedia through several months of research on the topic of PR best-practices and publicity pitching tips:
Public relations practitioners are communications experts. However, from time to time, we get so absorbed in our writing skills that we lose the point. The point, of course, is to effectively get a message across. How well can a message be understood when it is drowned out by reams of “impressive” words and phrases like utilise, best-of-breed, turn-key? Keep it short, keep it simple and cut out the jargon and clichés. In fact, all journalists really want are the 5W's and H (who, what, where, when, why and how) – they really don't have time to read through anything else in your email, so stop wasting your time and theirs.
Undoubtedly, the number one plea Encyclomedia hears from journalists is: Make your pitch relevant! For example, what is the point of sending a press release about an anti-wrinkle cream to a teenage mag? “Ridiculous” you laugh. But it actually happened last year, along with many more strange and sometimes hilarious examples from journalists across the country. Unfortunately though, it's not very funny for the journalist who has to deal with hundreds of emails every day – of which a large percentage is completely irrelevant. It's a massive time-waster for them and is not likely to get you a warm reception the next time around.
Don't make the mistake and assume that you know (or can correctly guess) the style, format and content of the media you're pitching to – you might just be horribly wrong.
Think of this from a journalist's perspective: You get sent a media release, which you can tell has been sent to 20 other journalists. “Hmm, interesting article, but it'll probably be used by one of the other journalists, so there's not much point in me using it”.
Instead of wasting opportunities (and being blocked by spam filters), rather look for the appropriate angle and personalise the pitch. Sure, it'll take you longer, but your new success rate will be more than worth it. A targeted media release, where the journalist can see you've thought of him or her specifically, will triple your chance of media exposure and will help build a positive relationship with the journalist.
When writing a media release, forget about what your client expects to see and put yourself in the readers' position. Yes, the client pays the bills, but as the communications expert you can be assertive about the knowledge you have on what works, what doesn't and what can seriously damage your credibility. Look beyond a brand or company-centric mindset – your silo – and see how your company, product or brand fits into a bigger story, such as a consumer trends article. Editors are not really interested in publishing a piece about just one brand or company, unless it's a big public company with news that can impact the market in some way. See if you can tie your story into a national or even global trend to make it more appealing to the readers.
Yes, those same words that scare the hell out of you when they come up in conversation (when you don't know what they mean) are now becoming an important part of the PR vocab. Don't believe me? More and more web-savvy journalists are sourcing their content through search engines and RSS feeds. An optimised press release (optimised media release) provides you with fantastic ways of extending your reach and exposure to those journalists and direct to the consumer searching for your product, brand or event.
Make it a goal to learn as much as you can about these online tools. And if you already know what they're all about, make sure to learn the do's and don'ts before using them.
May 2008 be a year of great success for you!
