As I was browsing the blogs on PRSSA.com, a particular topic caught my eye, “Public Relations Practitioners and Journalists: Can’t we all just get along?”
In the article Chris Anderson, the editor in chief of Wired magazine, wrote an article calling PR practitioners “lazy flacks” in response to all the emails he was receiving. Then, he posted nearly 300 email address on a Web site for everyone to see. Was he wrong in doing so?
There are several basic principles all PR practitioners should know about writing news release, including: it must be newsworthy and you must know the appropriate person to send it to.
In the article Chris Anderson, the editor in chief of Wired magazine, wrote an article calling PR practitioners “lazy flacks” in response to all the emails he was receiving. Then, he posted nearly 300 email address on a Web site for everyone to see. Was he wrong in doing so?
There are several basic principles all PR practitioners should know about writing news release, including: it must be newsworthy and you must know the appropriate person to send it to.
In this article, Anderson expresses his anger about receiving over 300 emails a day that have no relevance to him, and rightfully so. A good PR practitioner researches the exact person to whom the release should be sent. For example, if you are sending out a news release about a great, new restaurant, you want to locate the name of the food critic at the local newspaper. Do not just send the release to anyone at the newspaper and assume it will trickle down to the correct journalist. It will not. Personalizing the letter shows respect to the journalist, who is on deadline, by not wasting their time with a news release out of their area of expertise. This is also a great way to begin a positive relationship with a journalist, and increases the chances of the journalist writing about the pitched topic.
Anderson is not responsible for reading through over 300 press releases a day and distributing them to the appropriate journalist. Instead, it likely results in him throwing away great potential stories, and reflecting poorly on the PR industry.
Anderson’s decision to list the email addresses of 300 PR practitioners that sent him useless news releases may have been a bit extreme, but it definitely has vocalized his point. It is often the bold statement that causes change. Many of the PR practitioners included in that list work at well-known agencies, such as Edelman. Had Anderson decided not to list the email addresses, I doubt much of a change would occur. However, this public humiliation of Edelmen, and other agencies, will likely be the catalyst in teaching PR practitioners how to appropriately send a news release.
Anderson is not responsible for reading through over 300 press releases a day and distributing them to the appropriate journalist. Instead, it likely results in him throwing away great potential stories, and reflecting poorly on the PR industry.
Anderson’s decision to list the email addresses of 300 PR practitioners that sent him useless news releases may have been a bit extreme, but it definitely has vocalized his point. It is often the bold statement that causes change. Many of the PR practitioners included in that list work at well-known agencies, such as Edelman. Had Anderson decided not to list the email addresses, I doubt much of a change would occur. However, this public humiliation of Edelmen, and other agencies, will likely be the catalyst in teaching PR practitioners how to appropriately send a news release.
The field of Public Relations is finally gaining a seat at the table with top management. It has taken years of PR professionals validating their work to others in order to prove its importance, to prove it is not just “fluff.” Perpetuating the feud with journalists will only increase the divide between two industries that, if they work together, can help each other achieve higher levels of success. Journalists want the latest, hottest stories, and PR professionals want their stories published. That said, working together creates the opportunity for both industries to prosper.
Check out this commical video of two people discussing the problems between PR and journalism.
2 comments:
This is the reason for the article you found. take a look at this post I found the other day because I had the same questions.
http://www.myfreepr.com/public-relations/press-release-spam.html
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