1. Ten Deadly Sins of Media Relations
By Ernie Reno, President Avatar Communications Group
As a professional media and public relations practitioner, and a former
journalist, I spend a considerable amount of time helping clients place editorial
content in print, electronic and Internet media. This month's column focuses on
ten common mistakes that companies and their public relations people make
when dealing with reporters.
The list was compiled by noted technology writer, Andy Walker, executive editor of Dig
It magazine. It's one of the most comprehensive I have found in my research on the
subject, and serves as an excellent primer for pr neophytes as well as a useful
reminder to corporate and agency media relations vendors. Avoid these mistakes and
you'll increase your chances of success.
1. Follow-up calls.
"PR people placing follow-up calls after sending out releases or emails - that's one of
my all time classic peeves," says Walker. "In general, follow-ups are a no-no.
Journalists receive hundreds of releases via fax and mail each week. We get even
more unsolicited email. Worse, follow-ups are typically conducted by junior level
people. Experienced PR people don't bother - they're too embarrassed to make the
calls themselves. I also find that smaller shops or in-house PR departments avoid
wasting our time with follow-ups [unlike] the way big agencies with letters in their
names do."
His advice: "Recognize time limitations. If we spent one minute per [release], we'd
have no time to report or write stories. Most of us read the headline and first graph -
so trust us. If you don't hear back, assume we're not interested." On the other hand,
"pitches are different. If it's targeted and you show you understand our audience and
coverage, we're more likely to be open to a follow-up. But people who repeatedly follow
up non-targeted releases go straight to my blacklist. In those cases, we plug email
addresses or agency names into our spam filters."
2. Lackadaisical response.
"Another top peeve is PR people who don't get back [to journalists] in time," continues
Walker. "PR people spend a lot of time trying to get our attention. So when we turn that
attention to a specific company or product, you've won the battle. You made it through
our barriers - we're now motivated to pursue your idea. It makes no sense at that
point to ignore our requests or to take days getting back to us."
His advice: "Get back to us within the same day," Walker pleads. "Fifty percent of all
PR people take between 48 and 72 hours to get back to me. Why? There are a lot of
reasons - including bureaucracy, lengthy approval processes and too many clients.
We understand that many PR people are overloaded. We also realize we might not

2. always fall near the top of your priority list. For example, we're a newer magazine - so
we're lower on the ladder. But you could still send a quick email or leave a voicemail
explaining the holdup. That shows you appreciate the pressures we face - and that
you're working on it."
3. Lack of contact info.
"Surprisingly, a lot of companies still don't put press contacts on their websites - or
even on releases," Walker says. "Trust me - this is a lost opportunity. For example,
we needed a photo of a tablet PC for our [first] issue. I tried eight different vendors.
Three of those didn't have easily accessible contact info online. Needless to say, I
didn't call them." Who'd he call? "I pulled phone numbers and emails from the Fujitsu
site," Walker says. "They had two or three contacts on their press page - and their
people got back to me within an hour. Ultimately, their tablet PC ended up on our
cover."
His advice: "Always make your online press room easily accessible. Put it near the top
of your homepage. Also, make sure PR contact info is only one or two clicks away.
Don't make us dig up releases to find it."
4. Newsroom naivete.
"Not understanding newsroom realities - that's a big one," according to Walker. "It
seems that few PR people have journalism experience these days. They don't
understand the day-to-day operations of news production." He offers this example:
"Nobody seems to understand the mechanics of image resolution anymore. Magazines
and freelancers run into this all the time. PR types seem to think we can just cut-and-
paste pictures from websites - even though the resolution is too low for print. The
result could be that your mention gets pushed down, or that someone with adequate
art gets better [above-the-fold] placement."
His advice: "Take a tour of a local newsroom," suggests Walker. "Get in there and see
how the job gets done. If you can't do that, consider hiring more PR people who used
to work in the media. At the very least, do some research or send somebody to a news
production class or seminar."
5. Misspelling names.
"Journalists get releases directed to the wrong person all the time," says Walker.
"Sometimes, the person isn't even at the [magazine] anymore. Also, misspelling or
mispronouncing names is a sure sign that you haven't done your research. If you can't
take the time to research us, why should we take the time to hear what you have to
say?"
This is a widespread problem, according to CNN.com technology editor Jeordan
Legon. Though his PR handlers were reluctant to grant an interview for this story,
Legon did concede that his name frequently gets mangled by those seeking coverage
[i.e., it's "Jeordan," not "Jordan"]. His feeling was that PR pros often make faulty
assumptions about their targets prior to distribution. --

3. He suggested that PR pros use media directories to double-check such things as beat
assignments, name spellings and pronunciations.
6. Breaking promises.
Dig_It's Walker believes inexperienced or heady PR pros often over-extend
themselves - particularly at functions like trade shows. "I can't begin to tell you how
many PR people make and break promises at high-tech trade shows," he explains. "It's
all a big rush and they can't keep up with all of the contacts or commitments they've
made. They're delighted to meet us, and they're thrilled that they've gotten our
attention. They promise follow-up calls, stories, product previews and even exclusives.
But it never happens. No access - nothing"
His advice: "I think a lot of this has to do with an inability to say 'no' - especially when
[PR people] are talking to us face-to-face," ventures Walker. "My suggestion would be
to focus on the handful of journalists you really want to talk to - instead of placating
everybody. Then follow-up with them methodically. And never, ever break a promise
you've made to a reporter. We never forget promises - and we hold grudges forever,
especially if you've gone out of your way to get us excited about [an idea]."
7. Gatekeeper-ism.
"Shutting us out is the quickest way to make an enemy in the media," warns Walker.
"So is giving us the runaround-or ignoring an outlet." He offers this example: "We ran
150 product reviews in our inaugural issue. We wanted to review 30 of Sony's
products, but it was like pulling teeth. After five emails and three phone calls, I still
didn't get a call back from their internal PR department. We were at the edge of
deadline, so I emailed all of their product managers - still nothing. I then sent an email
to the VP of marketing for Sony Consumer Electronics. He promised two Sony DVD
cams - that's all they would send."
The upshot? "We never got the product," vents Walker. "I then requested an editorial
meeting [with them]. I got an email about it three months later. Too late - by then I
hated Sony."
His advice: "Be a facilitator - not a gatekeeper. If you can't work with a reporter on a
story, say so up front so you don't waste anybody's time."
8. Favoritism and "media apartheid."
"The big problem I have with PR people is being ignored outright," Walker continues in
a similar vein. "Being ignored on purpose really upsets journalists - especially if we
feel it's because our outlet isn't 'big enough.'" He elaborates: "PR people classify
outlets into tiers. If you're new and unknown, they push you way down on the list. You
get shoddy response times and lousy behavior."
His advice: "Treat outlets equally," Walker suggests. "This isn't a static business-
[magazines] grow, and journalists have long memories. We're all in highly cyclical
careers - we change jobs frequently. Or, we work for different outlets simultaneously.
For example, I freelance to the Toronto Star, En Route magazine and CityTV." The

4. point? "Word spreads. If we get treated poorly by anyone PR person or company, I
can assure you that will be the topic of conversation the next time we get together with
other journalists for a beer. In fact, we've all had gripe sessions where we talk about
the worst PR agencies."
Like who? "My opinion is that the worst agency is Edelman," proffers Walker. "They're
just too big to give good service. You have to go through gatekeepers just to get to the
gatekeepers. They've also broken tons of promises involving the [Microsoft] Xbox
campaign. We were promised one to review, and again - nothing." The result? "It's
ironic, but Sony pulled through on that one. We reviewed the PlayStation2."
9. Tunnel vision.
"Some PR people are too close to their company to do journalists any good," believes
Walker. "They fail to manage the client's expectations because they can't see both
sides. The truth is that the best PR people are intermediaries - not emissaries. They
serve both sides equally."
His advice: "Step back and look at things as a news consumer. Ask yourself how your
idea would appeal to readers - not your executives. For example, releases packed
with jargon and insider terminology shows that you're not thinking outside the
company. It shows that you have no idea what journalists do. Instead, be a translator.
Open up the lines of communication-that ensures that we both get what we want. If
you think of media relationships as win-win - not win-lose - you'll get a lot more out
of us."
10. The spam syndrome.
"Good media relations is not a numbers game," asserts Walker. "Sure, spam works -
for the short term. You can throw numbers against return all you want. But with a very
small amount of extra effort, you can really improve your results."
His advice: "Don't treat journalists as names on mail-merge lists. Talk to us individually.
Target your pitches. Research our coverage. If you do a great job at that, we'll come
back to you again and again," Walker concludes. "At its core, PR is a human
[endeavor]. Your cachet is grounded in relationships - not numbers. Your relationship
with the media is your most critical asset. Without that, you're just a telemarketer."
Please feel free to e-mail yourcommentstoernie.reno@avatarpr.com. I welcome your
perspective.
Until next month ... to your success.
Ernie Reno, is founder and president of A vatar Communications Group, a local public
relations and corporate marketing firm. Reno is an accredited practitioner of public
relations and a member of the Public Relations Society of America's Counselor's
Society.