Five Ways Not to Annoy Journalists

Imagine waking up at the crack of dawn, making your coffee, and opening your laptop, knowing that you must complete six pieces of news by 4 pm. A flood of emails come through; you open the first one, and it’s from a PR person promising a case study they don’t have. Frustrating, yes? 

PR is an exciting career, but if you can’t deliver stories with substance, your greatest stakeholder might be your greatest enemy. How can we build strong relationships with the media? 

1. Save as draft 

Hold on, don’t send that email just yet. Place yourself in the shoes of the journalist you are pitching to: is your pitch relevant to them and the publication they write for? It’s likely your email will be one of dozens, if not hundreds – so you must stand out and be helpful.  

2. Avoid going straight to voicemail 

Most journalists have a preferred method of contact, whether it be an email, text message, or phone call. Take a moment to learn what they prefer.  

3. Pitch perfect 

Avoid sending out mass communications to a big mailing list, unless it is major breaking news. Pitches should be carefully crafted with the specific journalist in mind, and provide everything they need in one place, including talent, data, case studies, and clear imagery. 

4. Keep it fresh  

Journalists work to tight deadlines; each day is a new masthead. Is the topic you’re pitching still relevant, or has it gone stale? If you are sending a media release from a week ago, chances are it is no longer news and won’t be of interest. 

5. Be agile 

The journalist sets the deadline, not the client – so work with their timeline. Have all the information ready to go and be swift to respond to requests for additional information.   

At Arize, we regularly host insightful professional development sessions with journalists to ensure we are pitch perfect and can work together efficiently. At the end of the day, journalists are our colleagues; so, let’s treat them as such.