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I Promise to…

May 21, 2008, Mike

In the wake of another blacklisting of PR agencies by reputable tech reporters, SHIFT PR’s Todd Defren mapped out a list of 7 laws PR pros should follow. While the rules included in Todd’s list are common practice for many in the profession, there are still too many others who need the reminder.
  1. The PR pro promises to read several weeks’ worth of previous blog
    posts and/or articles to ascertain whether their story would be a good
    fit for the blog/publication.
  2. If the PR pro ascertains that there is NOT a good fit, they will
    not pitch the blogger/reporter, and promise to push back on
    unreasonable client or management demands to do so.
  3. Before pitching the blogger/reporter, the PR pro promises to
    double-check their method of outreach. They will not only check
    externally-developed media resources like Cision but will also review
    any guidelines made publicly available by the blogger or publication.
  4. The PR pro promises to never send a press release without being
    able to demonstrate its concrete relevance to the blogger/reporter …
    and will never, ever send an attachment unless it’s been requested.
  5. As much as is possible, the PR pro will participate actively and
    transparently within the communities of-interest to their clients. The
    PR pro acknowledges that a “cold call” (in any form) – while sometimes
    unavoidable – is considerably less effective than reaching out as a
    known community member.
  6. The PR pro promises that any correspondence – whether the initial
    contact or follow-up – should contain a message customized to the
    blogger/reporter’s needs and should offer value. For example, “just
    checking to see if you got the press release” is not welcome or
    appropriate.
  7. The PR pro acknowledges that being ignored by the blogger/reporter
    is not to be considered license for harassment. It’s more likely the
    pitch was not of-interest, so any further outreach should be mindful
    that the story idea has likely been quietly rejected. If the PR pro
    must try again, they promise to do so by offering a different, more
    creative and valuable approach to their original pitch.
Mike
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