Can I Call A
PR Person A ‘Tool’?
I’m a journalist and I love PR people. There, I said it.
PR people are a part of my team, so much so that I wouldn’t
be able to do the work that I do, or make the living that I do as a successful
freelance writer, if they didn’t exist.
It is so terribly predictable and dull
to read about journalists and PR people not getting along, being at odds with
each other’s goals, not understanding each other’s roles.
But guess what?
Journalists like to think they don’t get along with anyone – advertisers,
marketers, sub-editors, legals, agents, publicists – you name it, journos hate
them.
But the journalists who are not constantly complaining about
the shortcomings of those around them are actually busy producing great content.
One of the most powerful tools in their tool belt is the PR person.
We all know how it feels to ring a business to set up an
interview only to be frozen out of that business once the receptionist hears
the word ‘journalist’.
The media frightens the uninitiated. When non-media people
hear the word ‘journalist’ they think of Today Tonight. They think of A Current
Affair. They think of Rupert Murdoch and phone tapping and Wendi Deng’s awesome
right hook. And they run a mile.
PR people provide us instead with experts who have been
taught all about our world, who have been media trained and who prepare for the
interview by reading up on the topic. This is excellent for journalists and for
our readers.
Even if the interviewee is a little over-eager in putting across
the three vital messages that have been drummed into them by their PR adviser,
all we have to do is learn a few basic interviewing skills to get around it. PR
people make our lives easier.
I was once accused, by a senior manager at a magazine
publishing house, of having others ghost-write stories for me. He couldn’t
believe I was able to pump out so many features each week on my own. But
actually I wasn’t doing it on my own, I had the assistance of PR people. They
set up my interviews and they briefed their experts. They ensured the
interviewees were at the required place at the required time with the required
knowledge and they made sure any follow-up material was sent on to me
quick-smart.
This was perfect for me as it took a lot of the leg-work out of
the process and it guaranteed a knowledgeable voice within my features. It was
also excellent for the PR people as it demonstrated their own value to their
clients.
And yes, in every relationship there are sore points. I will
happily reiterate what others have said about the dastardly follow-up phone
calls after sending a press release. Just don’t do it. It is bloody annoying. I
deleted that email as soon as I saw it and if I didn’t then you would have
heard from me.
So don’t ring to ask what I thought about your latest press
release. Really, just don’t. Ever.
Also, please keep things brief. By ‘things’ I mean
everything. If I had my way then press releases would be no more than one
paragraph.
Phone calls would be over in 30 seconds. Emails would be
headline-only, which I guess would make them an SMS message.
We’re all too
busy, it is the way of things.
Finally, we have all survived thus far in the media because
we appreciate the meaning of deadline. If I miss a deadline then I will lose a
client. If you make me miss a deadline then I will curse your name forever.
Don’t promise more than you can deliver or your actions, as you’re a service
provider to the media industry, will have many negative knock-on effects.
And yes, dear PR friends – you are ‘service providers’ (just
as we are ‘content producers’). If you are ever upset about the fact that
journalists act as if you work for them then just sit back, relax and remember
that you earn twice as much as they do. It will help put everything in perspective.
But if they ever treat you with disrespect or act as if they’re a better
species than you then feel free to ignore them or tell them off for being the
short-sighted morons that they are. We all have a very simple job to do and
it’s so much easier if we do it together.
I know this for a fact – I have built
my business on it.
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