Pitch ‘best of’ and ‘worst of’ year-end lists

This is the time of year to be pitching year-end lists.

Thanks to Publicity Hound Scott Hansen of Carnation, Washington, for alerting us to the “2005 Most Unbelievable Workplace Events” issued by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Inc. They’re designed to make you ask, “What in the world was that company thinking?” The list includes:

—A German company that initiated a strict whine-free policy. Whiners and other boat rockers are under a “two whines and you’re out” rule. At least two people already have been fired because of it.

—A Michigan woman was fired from her part-time receptionist job for failing to show up for work the day after seeing her husband off to war as a National Guardsman.

—Two Spanish-speaking hair stylists in Chicago claim in a federal lawsuit that the company they worked for strictly banned the use of Spanish, even when employees were on their breaks. A sign at the company read, “Speaking a language other than English is not only disrespectful, it’s prohibited.”

I love the list, but it would have been stronger if the outplacement firm had identified the companies.

What lists can you pitch to the media this week? Think wild and whacky, the “most” or “least,” the funniest, the most unusual, the scariest, etc.

Editors love lists because they’re short and fill odd-size holes on a page. They can also be trimmed easily. If you submit a “Top 10” list and the editor only has room for six items, he can trim the list and call it the “Top 6.” lists are one of the nine kinds of briefs I explain on “Briefs, Fillers & Quizzes: How to Write Them and Why Editors Love Them.”