
The One Thing All PR Pros Want From Media
By: Nikki Little
Ok…so maybe there is more than one thing PR pros want from media. We want them to cover every piece of news or story idea we send their way. We want them to care about talking to us as much as we care about talking to them. We want them to cover our clients in the most positive light and to never misquote or publish something inaccurate. We want them to do their homework on the company/client before the interview (especially when we provide them with all the details). The list goes on.
But I’m willing to bet there’s one thing that tops the majority of PR pros’ media wish list.
We just want a response.
Jewel Gopwani from the Detroit Free Press joined us for lunch today, and when she asked us what her team could do better when it came to working with us (how nice is she to ask that, right?), we all agreed that getting a response to an email is so helpful on our end.
Just as PR pros despise cold calling, we also hate having to follow up with media multiple times. Not because it’s a burden on us, but because we hate that our perseverance may come off as annoying. Regardless of what some media may think, we aren’t intentionally trying to stalk to them. We don’t enjoy playing the guessing game – “Do we assume no response means they haven’t seen our email, or does no response mean they aren’t interested.” Who knows?
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate a simple “thanks, but no thanks” email from a reporter or blogger. Or even if the reporter says he/she is interested but doesn’t have the capacity now, at least it’s an honest response and I know to get in touch at a later time.
I get it. Reporters get hundreds of emails a day. And they get fed up having to scroll through email when so much of it is junk and not newsworthy. I can’t imagine how frustrating and time consuming that would be.
But think of it from our perspective – we have to do our due diligence and follow up on information we send. If we only emailed or called once and then called it quits if we got no response, we would be doing a disservice to our clients.
That’s why, even if the answer is no, we greatly appreciate a response to our email or call.
What do you think? Is getting a response from media you reach out to your number one wish? Or is it something else?