If you are a PR professional sending pitches to members of the media, you probably have some goals in mind: first and foremost, you want the media to reply to your pitch and cover your news. Ideally, you hope this also leads to a mutually beneficial relationship with the media outlet, where your client becomes their go-to source on a certain topic. One way to help achieve these goals? Don’t piss off reporters.
Journalists are people too, and just like everyone else they can have their share of bad days. You can either add to their stress and waste their time, or you can add value and positive feelings by avoiding a few unfortunate mistakes.
Check out this week’s video as I discuss five things you can do to truly piss a reporter off. Avoid these mistakes, and you will enjoy happier relationships with the media and better success with pitching.
Just like the rest of us, our media friends have deadlines to meet, goals to hit and personal lives to manage. We want to be happy, and we appreciate interactions that add value to our work and life.
So, be kind and please don’t piss off the reporters.
If you’re in the media and have advice to share for the PR community, leave it in the comments below. If you have additional tips from a PR perspective, chime in with your real-world experience.
