Ways of working with journalists
11/05/07 13:27 Coffee machine moments
I've been working on a
piece for the Guardian on a particular category of
product. It's not something I can disclose prior to
publication but anyone who's glanced at my regular
stuff in the Business Sense section, which has been
running now for nine years in a National Paper, will
know what it looks like. So I've been interested in
some of the help I've had from the world of
PR.
Now, I'm not one to
moan about PRs usually. They do a tough job and are
under a lot of pressure. To be frank I don't think I
could do it. Nevertheless, from the whacky world of
the last half an hour in my life, here are a few
guidelines on how to work with a journalist if you
have a product or service to push.
1. When a journalist e-mails you with a request, under no circumstances read it all the way through. Hacks are much happier if you just pick up on a key word and pitch something wholly irrelevant to what we're writing.
2. If a journalist is after information on products and pictures only, having written a column around this structure for the whole of this century, don't offer them either - offer them an interview with someone instead. They'll like that and of course the British media will change its structures to accommodate your client.
3. If a journalist has specified he or she is writing in a column specifically aimed at the small business and self-employed market, ignore him and pitch something that's clearly aimed at another area entirely. When he comments on this, tell him small businesses need to know.
4. If a journalist specifies that he isn't interested in a particular category of product, send him information anyway. And at least four high-res pics. Under no circumstances check that he has a broadband connection before sending the lot.
5. Just in case, if the journalist has multiple e-mail addresses, send it to all of them rather than just the one he's asked for. We like multiple copies of stuff we didn't ask for in the first place, tidying up our hard disks keeps us off the streets.
I could go on...
1. When a journalist e-mails you with a request, under no circumstances read it all the way through. Hacks are much happier if you just pick up on a key word and pitch something wholly irrelevant to what we're writing.
2. If a journalist is after information on products and pictures only, having written a column around this structure for the whole of this century, don't offer them either - offer them an interview with someone instead. They'll like that and of course the British media will change its structures to accommodate your client.
3. If a journalist has specified he or she is writing in a column specifically aimed at the small business and self-employed market, ignore him and pitch something that's clearly aimed at another area entirely. When he comments on this, tell him small businesses need to know.
4. If a journalist specifies that he isn't interested in a particular category of product, send him information anyway. And at least four high-res pics. Under no circumstances check that he has a broadband connection before sending the lot.
5. Just in case, if the journalist has multiple e-mail addresses, send it to all of them rather than just the one he's asked for. We like multiple copies of stuff we didn't ask for in the first place, tidying up our hard disks keeps us off the streets.
I could go on...
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