We’ve been playing catchup, and now we’ve made it! Feels good to be able to bring you all the goodies and micro-lessons from the past months.
How can we possibly summarise all we’re learning about the pet peeves of journalists on Twitter?
Well, we’re in a time in history when VC funding keeps climbing and startups keep reproducing. But we can’t say the same about the media industry, even when it comes to the segment that focuses on covering tech and / or startups. The new dynamics mean we see a lot more PR activity, but on average those performing it are not doing so with a thorough understanding of the startup PR game.
The enormous asymmetry in the number of journalists versus PRs, and the increasing workload on the shoulders of a few journalists, means there is no time and few platforms for a direct conversation between journalist and PR on the meta of the PR game. As a result, we get pet peeves on Twitter. Unfortunately, something that a lot of PR pros should see will be lost forever in the Twitterverse. So let’s make the most of it here!
Happy learning! The BUPR team.
July
Piggybacking on someone else’s pain. Constantly. Not a PR strategy. Thanks.
There is the right time and place for an opinion piece, and it should be the one right place.
We are professionals that shine the brightest when being in the shadows. Facilitate the call with your client / founder. But not much more.
Understand exclusives and embargos. Or you will have a real mess on your hands.
We’re in the year 2021. There should be almost no need to use attachments.
One day’s notice for a TechCrunch writeup? Doesn’t bode well…
The person (source) you are pitching should be presentable (online). Or it’s a journo red flag.
August
Journalists can cut through the BS. So it’s in the interest of PRs not to send any BS.
Lovely metaphor, Jon. Just like you wouldn’t throw a brick through a window to send a letter, don’t cross certain digital lines either.
Most journos don’t care that you mention you read they wrote about similar companies. They just want to hear why your story is relevant.
Logos on photos are a no-go. Thanks Cate!
Sometimes something seems really smart. But it ends up that it isn’t. Like stalker subject lines.
Like in Dante’s inferno, circling back probably leads nowhere good.
Not a pet peeve, pretty much the opposite. Alex here highlights how reaching out weeks in advance for funding rounds is the way to go (as opposed to only a few days).
September
Everyone manages their inbox differently. Tech journos get hundreds of emails every day, so potentially they won’t be able to respond as quickly as you wish them to.
“I just had to delete a thousand unread emails. […] There are so few of us and so many of you.” Spray and pray doesn’t work folks. Send personalised, relevant emails please.
Great advice from Harry. Not a journo, but he knows the game. And his pet peeve is how others don’t play it well. Lesson here? Cultivate relationships and create stories (as opposed to: blasting out press releases to lists of email addresses).
