Meryl's Notes Blog

Reporters everywhere despise it when PR people call them and ask, “Did you get my [fill in the blank]?” Fill in the blank with your distribution preference: “e-mail, fax, or other means of distribution.”

We know e-mail can get lost somewhere on the Internet highway, but that doesn’t justify calling a busy reporter or editor with such a silly question. The Washington Post [Link: Publicity Hound] pokes fun at this frustrating practice.

One of my current projects involves contacting writers and editors of the appropriate publication (a mistake many PR people make… sending it to publications that have nothing to do with their release or business — or at least, they don’t make a connection).

Based on experience as a person on both the sending and receiving end of PRs, I think what’s most effective is a note personalized to the recipient and publication that focuses on what readers could get out of a story and proposing story ideas.

Some publications accept articles from companies (IF they’re not marketing-speak) — take advantage and propose story ideas that complement the publication and avoid topics that have already appeared in the publication unless it’s reporting something new or different. Using this method, two publication responded to my e-mail and we’re working on something.

At the end of the message, let the recipient know there’s a PR WITHIN the e-mail for FYI. Don’t make the message about the PR. Writing creative PRs works — but some clients prefer sticking with traditional PRs. Focus time and energy on that personalized intro.