It is the classic PR conundrum – having a story in hand that is less than newsworthy, and yet still having to find a way to convince journalists to take an interest. We’ve all been there. As a PR executive, I’ve been there – repeatedly.
But I wonder if we are asking ourselves the right questions when it comes to getting “eyes on”. Have we taken a moment to sit back and really look at a release or an article, and consider how it can add value to the reporter’s content pool? This is where most PR people struggle – in realizing that it’s not just your client who’s the customer – it’s the journalist as well. And you do your client a disservice if you forget that.
Your client gives you a message to sell to the press. Your job is to transform it into an appealing story, find the right reporter, break down their cynicism by choosing a newsworthy angle – in short, you are spinning the story to each journalist’s needs. Yes, there are some obliging reporters out there who can find an angle all by themselves, but oftentimes you must battle the resistance of a hardened cynic. They’re not going to cover your client because you were polite. They have readership concerns; Web-traffic concerns – “Why,” they will ask, “is this important/interesting/amusing/shocking/informative/etc to my readers?” Why should they let you in the door?
Don’t get junked
So your challenge is to create that value for them in the story you are trying to pitch, and build a reputation for supplying useful, solid content. Do this, and you can avoid your emails being relegated to the journo’s Junk folder. I do not exaggerate; I once experienced this. After having sent several press releases and other marketing material to a particular journalist, I sent them a very important story that I was certain was perfect for them. I soon received a notification that “your email was deleted without being read”.
That was the moment I realized the importance in creating value in every story – not just for the earth-shattering content that sells itself, but for the everyday, routine messages. It’s about building a reputation that is… does anyone know what the opposite of “spammer” is? Aim for that.
Remember that list of adjectives before (important/interesting/amusing/shocking/informative)? There are many more that elevate a story from “something my client cares about” to “something the general public cares about”. Moving/insightful/inspiring/intriguing/surprising – try staging your own brainstorming sessions to come up with more. It’s not only fun, it’s vital to success in PR. In the attention-science sphere, your SME clients are competing with the exploits of multinationals; and your enterprise clients are competing with SMEs that may have done something startling and innovative.
To serve and project
Of course, you will struggle against that ingrained instinct to make your client happy. But that does not necessarily mean giving them what they ask for without challenge or counsel. What’s the point of saying “yes” to your client, pitching the story the way they want it pitched, and then bringing home no results? Are they happy then? You owe your client not only your hard work, but your judgement. Success sometimes means taking the hard road of educating them – something I will cover in my next article.
PR pros must venture beyond their comfort zones. It takes no human judgement, no professional finesse, to send a press release full of the usual marketing blurb. Robots can do that. It takes a human – and a smart one at that – to grasp the subtleties of persuasion and convince a journalist that a story is worth using. Put yourself in the reporter’s shoes; keep your pocketbook of adjectives (illuminating/mind-changing/creative/heart-warming/exciting) on hand and ask yourself if your story satisfies any of those descriptors; and where possible, link your story to real-world current events in which the public have taken an interest.
As a PR executive, try to think of yourself as in the problem-solving business. The problem is getting the client’s message in front of as many eyes as possible; the solution lies in molding that message into something that appeals to as many journos as possible. That way lies success.