‘Don’t call us’: Why PRs should stop calling editors and journalists
The media has been forced to change in recent years, but businesses have been slower to see that the way they communicated just two years ago isn’t going to fly in today’s landscape. Media Stable’s Nic Hayes explains why you need to put down the phone if you want your message to reach the media.
The media has gone through significant change in the past 12 months, across print, radio, television and online. Cutbacks both in financial resources and human personnel have taken a toll on the industry and changed the way they broadcast and publish. A lower head count affects the way media sources content and stories. I am afraid to say that this isn’t the end of the cull that is going on in the media sector. There will be more to come.
Producers, journalists, editors and presenters have changed their practices to adapt to this new environment. The real question though is this: have businesses and brands changed the way they approach the media in this new environment? Media hasn’t had a choice but to change, but business has been slower to see that the way they communicated to media just two years ago, isn’t going to fly in today’s landscape.
A recent Media Stable survey of over 130 journalists across the country asked those in print, radio, television and online how they liked to receive content and story pitches.
The problem with this piece and the research is that it is surveying journalists on their opinion of effectiveness whilst negating effectiveness of business outcomes or even PR results.
I’ll give an example. Does a journalist like admitting that using a press release to create an article is good? Probably not. In reality have they? Probably. Thus there could be a gaping void here in the outcome.
Another example. Does a journalist like being pitched a story on the phone. Perhaps not. Does it raise it out of their overcrowded inbox and generate an article. In my experience of pitching many stories on the phone, yes it does. Irrespective of the journalist’s opinion.
The article states that there has been little evolution of communications by business despite the massively changing media landscape. What is the basis for this comment? The enormous rise in company produced content for social and owned channels is evidence of the change of business communications.
Finally, why raise the point that business communication hasn’t evolved and then advocate how to do media relations via traditional methods?
I think a piece on the potential for evolving business communication should aim higher.
Hi Matthew,
Thanks for your feedback and it was good to meet you last year when we were on a panel together talking podcasts.
I am unsure if you are questioning the validity or the motivation for the article. It is clear feedback from media across print, television, radio and online what they like and how they are consuming content themselves.
I agree with you the phone is still a good way to communicate but an emphatic number of journalists and producers preferred the pitch via email first. The follow up call was essential to highlight relevance, timeliness and in many cases did you see this and why your audience would appreciate the content. This proves to be very effective particularly when the content is quality and the recipient of the pitch is drowning in emails.
As for the commentary on the evolution of communication this was not directed at company produced content but the means and methods that businesses were communicating to media. The practice of hit all and hope method is still widely used but I can assure you the biggest complaint from media was irrelevant content and material sent to them is an enormous drain on their time and resources.
I am happy to discuss the article in greater detail if you have some time next week. I will drop you an email.
Regards, Nic
“41% of media want a short but direct email with concise details of the interviewee plus a follow-up call.”
Agree with the concise email pitch. Doubt they want that follow-up call. I was under the impression the “did you get my email?” follow-up call caused near combustion…
A good practitioner will know how to land a story and will pitch it appropriately based on their knowledge of the journo, publication, audience, etc.
It’s unfortunate to hear that Spray & Pray Cowboys still exists…
Hi Bryan,
Thanks for the feedback.
Totally agree with you a good practitioner will know how to land a story and will pitch it appropriately based on their knowledge of the journo, publication, audience etc. My point that a great PR is worth their weight in GOLD does exactly that.
The follow-up call is essential because if the content is relevant, timely and high-quality it just might need that extra kick to bring it out from the vast amount of other pitches sitting in the inbox of that journalist. Keep the call short, precise and give the journalist a reason to escalate it to be a priority.
Too many great yarns and stories have gone through to the keeper because there was no follow-up call.
Cheers, Nic
I agree with Nic. I have had occasions where an email to a new contact has slipped through due to an under-resourced news room but the follow-up call has been successful.
Fair enough… I also recommend the humble SMS.
Thanks Christina… for the record a follow up call got this OP-ED piece in.
It depends what they are being offered on the call. The ‘stop calling’ action is too general. PR must first look at their content – is it newsworthy? If I was the journo I’m calling, would I actually feel confident pitching it as a proper story to a news editor?
It’s all about the brand you want to create for yourself in the eyes of PR. Journos very quickly learn who calls them/emails them trash, and who calls them/emails them with gold.
Completely agree Shaun.
Hi Nic,
Thanks for very much for this. As someone who recently started at a PR agency, it’s extremely useful and helpful information; I will keep it on my desk and run all my pitches past this piece before hitting send.
Thanks for writing.
Daniel
Brilliant Daniel. Pleased to hear the data can help.
Cheers, Nic
don’t call the journo unless you have a ripsnorter of a yarn.
For God’s sake. I think this is APPALLING advice. And the reason why is contained in the article.
“23% of media surveyed liked their pitch to come from a trusted source who knows their audience and what they are looking for.”
I’d like the author to explain how the PR is supposed to get into that “trusted” position with the journo if they never pick up the phone, and therefore never speak to them and therfore have no direct relationship with them?
Every human being alive intrinsically trusts someone they already know more than one they don’t. So if I take this advice, and someone with a competing story doesn’t, their story will get up ahead of mine every time.
The reality is that 1% figure for journos being directly pitched won’t have shifted at all over time. Nobody answers “yes” to “do you enjoy being sold to?” But the reality is it works. BECAUSE everybody answers no to that question.
And you literally CANNOT impute ANY trend from a single-point survey. CANNOT.
THANK YOU NIC – yes yes – put the freaking phone down unless you’ve actually got something interesting to pitch. Even then – just write me a goddam email. I’m a journo now freelance with a steady stream of work and I pitch stories that come via PRs to editors who won’t pick up the phone because (as one of my favorite & prolific editors at a major metro daily explains) 99 percent of their calls are from “Tiffany in PR” checking to see if the editor got their email. “If I wanted to follow up on their f%$&ing email, I’d call them,” favourite editor barks at me. Editors call me back when I email them. They don’t call you back, PR agency, even when they like your idea, because they aren’t going to run a feature from one press release. They want a range of voices – so if they like your press release, they may shoot it off to me (or dozens like me) with the request that we turn it into a story with multiple sources and viewpoints.
80% of my time is writing and researching, 20% is pitching. When we are writing, we just want you to go the F$% away and don’t call us, please please just email, because we are waiting on a call from someone for an actual story. When we are pitching, yes, we do look at your emails – you have about 5 seconds to get us interested. PRs please never never call us, or worse get your poor intern to call us, with the “just calling to see if you got my email” – (half the time it’s about the launch of a freaking toothbrush starting in 3 hours time in a converted orthoptics factory, no no no no I’m not making up the numbers at your pathetic launch, I do this for a freaking living and two hours of my life spent on drinkies with your client won’t pay my mortgage). How do you know when we are on deadline and writing and when we are pitching? You don’t, so just don’t call. Email. Email. (Oh and never send us attachments. Set your files up with sensible filenames in a nice neat Dropbox with a link we can access if we are interested).
Hi Adam,
The data is not telling you not to call … just don’t do it as a first pitch to a journalist that you don’t have a relationship with. This was very clear from the data the media gave back to us. You might be reading way too much into the headline of this story as many others have.
The email pitch and the follow up call is highly regarded by media if the pitch or yarn is of high quality, relevant and timely.
As for building relationships with media well I suspect you know how to do this. The phone and every opportunity you can get to get in front of a journalist is crucial to build trust, value and an understanding of each other. The days of the long lunch might not be on offer but a quick coffee with two or three quality yarns is always a great way to build a working relationship.
Thanks for the feedback.
Who will buy this beautiful turd?