PR Professionals Can Learn A Lot from Rookie Mistakes

When I was a Junior Account Executive just starting out in public relations, I once made the mistake of asking a journalist when they would be publishing my client’s interview. Side note: there are two issues with this. First, never assume any interview will convert to coverage. The second is do your homework and monitor the publications you are interfacing with. With a sigh, the world-weary scribe patiently informed me that if I had read the latest issue I would know the piece in question was already out.

Fair enough. This was back in the days of print. The clippings service had yet to come through with the cutting and I hadn’t checked to see if the magazine arrived on the rack.

Looking back, I got off lightly. Today, with many publications sharing content in print and online, there really is no excuse. Yet here we are a couple of decades later and, if press feedback like this is anything to go by, PR rookies are still making the same mistakes.

Journalists are constantly calling out PR professionals for poor judgement and laziness on social media. Occasionally, there is even praise for those who get things right.

Many examples are very funny.

Perhaps this is why the industry is often  not taken seriously. It’s easier to laugh, dismiss it as someone having a bad day at the office, and carry on as before.

As PR professionals, we engage with editors every day. The reasons for doing so are many and varied. Among the most frequent ones are the story pitch, the follow-up, the commentary, and the interview.

Done well, they can help build solid relations between clients and media.

But it’s a delicate balance and it doesn’t take a lot to upset things. Here are some of the things journalists complain about most when PRs try to engage with them in the wrong way.

1. The Pitch

One of the most basic errors in public relations is to approach a journalist without first doing some brief background reading to find out who they are and what areas they write about.

Rule #1 of PR, right? Amazingly it’s all too often forgotten, as these examples show:

A good story will only be welcomed if it’s original, individually tailored to a particular journalist (and the audience they serve), and timed right, plus provide a bevy of resource materials.

Any signs of a pitch that’s been mailed out en masse will likely be treated with the contempt it deserves.

Other unacceptable pitch practices include demeaning the competition and leaning too heavily on a single relationship.

2. The Follow-Up

Working in public relations is very often a pressure-cooker environment. PR teams commit themselves to achieving certain objectives and the client expects results.

So, when an emailed pitch fails to chime with its intended target media, the temptation to follow up is enormous.

A second email “in case they missed the first one” (after a suitable interval) is just about ok but chasing up over the phone is generally a no-no.

Similarly, journalists don’t like to be chased for coverage. Some will kindly offer to notify you when the article comes out, but most move on rapidly to the next story. They don’t keep track of publishing schedules and don’t take kindly to being pressed for updates.

The final follow-up faux pas is when the client is not happy with the end result and asks you to demand a correction. Asking for something factual like a typo or a title to be changed is all right, but if it’s a matter of opinion, then it’s better to leave well alone or risk permanent damage to the relationship.

3. The Commentary

Many journalists, when researching content for a story, will post details and questions on a forum like HARO or Response Source asking for expert help from PRs and their clients.

In the first instance, they simply want to harvest as many emailed responses as possible. The best ones are selected for use in the article. Often the information supplied along with the client’s ‘canned’ comment will be exactly what they need.

As with the pitch, the commentary must be highly tailored, original, and informative.

Commentary responses are a lottery. The chances of success depend on everything from timing and relevance to originality and available space. Arguably, it is most important to be relevant.

Responding off topic can be self-defeating.

4. The Interview

Sometimes a journalist will decide they want to speak to the client to get a direct quote. This usually takes the form of a telephone interview.

PR professionals, eager to fully brief the client, will very often demand to know the key points to be discussed. An outline is acceptable. But it’s a fine line. Being too controlling does not go down well. If possible, do not insist on an NDA or on signing off on questions in advance. The journalist may think client has something to hide and it could make them probe a bit further. In advance of any interview, PR professionals should prepare their executive or client (we will address this in a separate post).

Better to keep things informal.

If things do get awkward, you can always politely bring the conversation to an early close – even if it means losing the opportunity.

Finally, always fully disclose who is on the call – even if they plan to be silent observer. Journalists consider the practice of hiding people on the call rude and distasteful.

The PR and Journalist Relationship Needs to be Nurtured

Dealing with the press is a minefield. That’s why it’s best left to the professionals. As a newbie to the industry, look to your peers for more best practices and advice as you’re learning the field and about the key players that you will be reaching out to.

For the sake of balance, it should be said that for all the bad examples called out in this article there is plenty of good practice out there.

And just as a reporter will call out the negative, they will even show appreciation by giving credit when credit is due.

In summary, good PR professional learn from their mistakes. The really good ones learn from the mistakes of others.