July Newsletter - Garrett Public Relations - Does It Matter Who A PR Pro Knows?

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• even if you are able to establish relationships with reporters, many are currently going through layoffs or other transitions.

• Another point to keep in mind is that journalism is a little more complicated than some folks may think.

• It’s not like a PR consultant can simply contact a reporter they may have worked with in the past and say, “I have this story a client wants me to share with you – you’ll run it, right?”

• Reporters are in search of story ideas that are a fit for their audience. Stories that are timely and haven’t already been told by a million other media outlets.   This means that in order to land an earned media story, the client and PR practitioner need to be working together to come up with ideas so the practitioner can craft a pitch that will appeal to a particular journalist.

• PR friends: save your email from the Delete button by answering ‘Why now?’ every time you reach out.”

• What’s more important than who a public relations provider knows? Here are some questions you can ask that may be much more helpful in determining a good fit for your brand: What experience do you have in our industry? What’s your process? (Make sure the word “proactive” comes up in this discussion.)  Do you do your own research and writing? How will we work together? How often will we meet? How will we measure success? What should we expect in the first three to six months of an engagement? Who will be doing the day-to-day work on our account?  Who will our contact be?

• And, if you’re pitching your own news and stories to journalists, keep in mind that a story idea should be: Timely Newsworthy A fit for the journalist’s audience Supported by additional resources: Data/statistics, third-party sources, visuals, background information The pitch you send should be brief. It should include your contact information and links to these additional resources (use a Dropbox link for your visuals, for example).