Why do I call them boring news conferences? Because during my 22 years as a newspaper reporter and editor, I can’t remember attending one news conference that wasn’t a waste of time. Once, when I worked as an editor, I remember getting a call from a PR guy who screamed at me over the phone… Read More
Media Relations
Interview Journalists
When a reporter calls me for a telephone interview, I seldom drop what I’m doing and start answering questions immediately. I always try to buy time, even if it’s just 5 or 10 minutes, and I ask if I can return the call if they’re not on deadline. Not one reporter has ever refused. The… Read More
Build relationships with reporters
Get to know reporters who you want to cover you, and start building relationships. But how do you start building relationships with someone you don’t know, particularly a reporter who is pitched dozens of times a day? Take a tip from Jeffrey O’Brien, senior editor at Wired magazine. “We love to talk about our work,”… Read More
Don’t offer exclusivity for special event photos
If the situation warrants it, some Publicity Hounds like to give a particular story to their favorite media that reaches a large audience. If a certain newspaper or magazine knows they will get the story first, they will be more inclined to cover you–as long as it’s a good story. With photos, however, that isn’t… Read More
Follow the clues
When you listen to your favorite radio talk show, do you listen with only one ear, oblivious to all the little clues the hosts or the drive-time deejays are dropping about their likes and dislikes, hobbies, friends and family members, and other topics that will catch their attention in your pitch letters and phone calls?… Read More
These email faux pas show you’re clueless
Some time ago I wrote about nerdy websites. If you email anything to the media, make sure you aren’t guilty of these nerdy email blunders: –A subject line that says “News Release” with no clue what the release is about. –A generic greeting such as “Dear Editor.” Always use the editor’s name. If you don’t… Read More
12 worst mistakes PR people make
It was difficult to pare them down to a dozen, but we did. Of all the mistakes PR people make when working with the media, Jon Greer of Bulldog Reporter’s PR University and Liz Miklya of Weber Shandwick joined me in whittling down the list to 12. We presented them the Media Relations 2005 conference… Read More
Don’t blame the reporter for inaccuracies; check first
Reporters get blamed enough for inaccuracies in news stories–sometimes rightly so. Most Publicity Hounds don’t know, however, that mistakes in print and broadcast stories are often caused by other people in the newsroom. So if you don’t like what you see, don’t call the reporter and start screaming into the phone. Find out who committed… Read More
Photos on CD help TV reporters illustrate your story
Publicity Hound Brad Wilson of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, passes along a handy tip on how to make TV reporters love you. Give them a CD of photos they can flash on the screen during news or feature stories, even if they already have the film footage they need. Nineteen-year-old Brad recently returned from a… Read More
How to avoid being misquoted in media interviews
The next time you think a reporter misquoted you, ask yourself if you were indeed misquoted. Or did you say something dumb to the reporter that found its way into print? And now you regret it? Jill Henry, a contributing writer at the Springfield Business Journal in Springfield, Missouri, wrote to me about how sources… Read More