Let’s face it, everyone makes mistakes. And as our previous blog posts show, public relations experts are not an exception. Unfortunately for them (for us) it can be very costly.
So without further ado, let’s check out the latest ‘mini-lessons’ journalists have tweeted, and that we gathered for your convenience, highlighting various pitfalls, some hilarious, some not, but all helpful to understand what a PR should not do.
Check out our third batch of journalist pet peeves on Twitter:
Treat the person you’re emailing with respect. Don’t shorten their name until developing a relationship or being told you can do so. It might look appealing, and seem like an icebreaker but remember it’s a business relation, not a friendship.
Be cautious of words you are using, especially during these hard times. It’s important to be aware of timing, but don’t go too far.
Double, triple check the name before sending an email. This is probably the most frequent mistake done by PRs, and it hurts that it’s such a simple one to get right. If helps, there’s a magic trick called ‘copy-paste’.
Some journalists don’t consider press releases, or don’t want to be pitched at all.
There is stuff that is just too basic. Being this lazy is really off-putting for journalists.
No one got into top tier niche media outlets out of desperation.
Make sure your response to a journalist on a service like ResponseSource is relevant. Journalists go there to get specific information.
Adrian here gives both the example and the description. Nothing else needed.
Never lie to a journalist about exclusivity. It might be the last time you hear from them.
Do your research on how to pitch freelance journalists.
Double and triple check the name of the person you are writing to, otherwise it might get a little awkward. We don’t get tired of highlighting this, just like journalists don’t get tired of tweeting about it. And until PRs stop making this basic mistake, we’ll keep ‘em coming!
This isn’t a PR person, but we thought it was hilarious.
This one reminds us of Avril Lavigne. Why does it gotta be so complicated?
Flattery and compliments can go a long way. But avoid sounding arrogant with half-compliments. Also, it needs to be genuine. This is clearly some kind of template.
We’re actually not sure why Oscar would be pitched about this.
