Harry is not only an investor but a podcaster. Beautiful overlap for PR tips. OK, so, what would you copy press releases for, if you don’t have an announcement? Right, better off without a press release for some things (like pitching to be on 20VC).
To whom it may concern – don’t use “To whom it may concern” if you can.
Avoid buzzwords. We are in the business of newsworthiness, not wordflashiness.
If you are pitching a journo, be prepared to eventually talk to them on the phone.
Never put something in a press release that might need to be removed later. Ever!
KYJ. Know Your Journo. It takes a few seconds to do things right. Yes, it’s quicker to rush and see what sticks, but the returns are infinitely higher if you take a bit of time to check what the journalist actually works on and will appreciate. Plus, it’s the right thing to do!
Get to the point. Cut down on unnecessary steps. And also, research the minimum amount to do the right pitch and be confident about it.
They say time is money. But it’s more than that. Time is life. Journalists are always running out of time, so don’t waste any more. Have a process and don’t change it mid-way, it confuses everyone and wastes time.
Timing is everything in PR. Some will learn the hard way. Sometimes, the inevitable and unpredictable happens. But for the most part, you can plan the timing for the best outcome, and that includes letting journalists know and do things in the right time.
Typos can be more than typos sometimes. Your first pitch email is under a huge microscope!
As tempting as it may be, don’t lower your relationship with journalists to the level of asking for hyperlinks.
The situation: journos can get thousands of emails. Their thinking: Quickly identify good ones. What PRs should do: become a trusted source of useful information, consistently communicate in a targeted way, develop a relationship so your emails will always stand out.
It looks like some things don’t have an obvious solution. PR is as much a social art as diplomacy, negotiation. When will PRs and journalists organise themselves and hold annual conventions to agree on basic rules and practices? But things change so fast anyways….
Clogged inboxes mean less attention from journalists per email. On the other hand, the high number of bad emails means that over time you can really differentiate.
Some things need to be double checked. Also, journalists are savvy people, who will turn any rock to find juicy info. Don’t just share a working document. Copy the final text into a new, fresh document.
Similar to the last one. Make sure you don’t inadvertently send something you didn’t want to. Or headaches will ensue.
Ah, the famous end of year push. If you choose it to push news, then expect timelines to be slightly different. You might also want to send coffee to your contacts in the media!
No matter what, don’t be rude. PR is hard, and it’s easy to let emotion take over, but don’t take it out on others.
Don’t call journalists content creators. Though we wonder why anyone would do that?
