A reference list for PR professionals on how to relate to the media to improve exposure and maintain your reputation.
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The 10 Commandments of the PR World, blog entry from the 10 Yetis public relations firm, located in the UK.
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Whether your PR background is in-house or within an agency, or even if you’re just a start-up that has chosen to handle your own PR for a while, there are certain rules that must be followed when braving a phone conversation with a journalist or even just in your day-to-day life as a flack.
In an ideal world, journalists and PRs would all be the best of friends; getting coverage would be as easy as saying “run this for me, would you?” and everyone would live happily ever after in a world full of cuttings and SEO links for clients. Of course, that’s not always the case.
Sometimes, getting client mentions can be like waiting for a bus; you get nothing for a while and then cuttings come flooding in, whilst at other times, coverage just comes naturally. To maximise your chances of getting exposure for your client and, to help improve and maintain your reputation as a PR whizz, there are things that can be done.
With that in mind, I have come up with the 10 commandments I think it’s wise for all PR professionals to follow;
1. Thou shall never call a journalist to say ‘did you get my press release?’, then wait for an answer and bid them goodbye.
If you want a sure-fire way to annoy a journalist, give them a quick call just to ask them if they received a press release you sent them earlier. It’s a waste of their time and yours, so just don’t do it. If you’re calling to sell a release in, make sure you are ringing with something more to offer, like images, more information or just to ask for a bit of feedback.
2. Thou shall go the extra mile to secure coverage
Sending a press release to the masses is not enough to guarantee coverage. More work should be done to increase the chances of a newspaper, radio station or even TV producer using your release, so PRs need to put a lot of effort in. Think about what will set you apart from the hundreds of other PRs the journalist will be hearing from in some way that day and do whatever you can to make their job a bit easier.
3. Thou shall live by the ethos ‘reading a newspaper a day keeps angry clients at bay’
Keeping up to date with which journalists are writing what and what certain sections in newspapers and magazines revolve around is a good way to stay in-the-know and maximise chances of coverage. If you know there’s a page in a publication that features website reviews, you can get in touch about your web-based clients and try to get them in there. If this happens, your client will (hopefully) be pleased. OK, it’s tedious, but it makes sense. Targeted PR is the best kind, so a good knowledge of a range of publications is necessary for every PR.
4. Thou shall consider the idea of press trips and desk visits
Whilst journalists might not like being hassled with pointless phone calls, many are quite open to the idea of being taken out for a bite to eat, or being visited by PRs at their office to discuss clients and ways they might fit with the publication. To be clear, I’m not suggesting you rock up to a publishing house, gatecrash the relevant office and perch confidently on the desk of said journalist. A ten minute chat down in reception is usually sufficient and putting a face to a name usually makes you more memorable.
5. Thou shall go to the ball ...
Well, OK, perhaps not the ball. Here I’m thinking more along the lines of awards. PRs and businesses often miss a trick by not entering clients or themselves into awards. There are so many different awards out there; it seems daft to miss out on the chance of winning one.
And finally, a few commandments that should speak for themselves and, I’d hope, don’t need explaining too much.
6. Thou shall remember that journalists are people too (aka. don’t be a scared of them)
7. Thou shall never snub a lesser-known journalist at a small publication (they could go on to better things and then they’ll be worth knowing)!
8. Thou shall never break a promise to a journalist or client (if you can’t keep your word, don’t give it at all).
9. Thou shall be current (keep on top of the media agenda – e.g. don’t issue Christmas stories in February.
10. Thou shall remove that journalist from your mailing list (if they ask, just do it)!