When Will Public Relations Learn?

2009 September 9
tags: , , ,
by Grace Boyle

Quick disclaimer: I majored in public relations and have worked in PR agencies so I’ve heard not only a myriad of comments regarding the industry but I’ve experienced it first-hand. Still, when you begin to see from the other end the impersonal, irrelevant pitches it is not only annoying but it reinforces the stereotype.

Reinforcing the stereotype frustrates me because the aspect of PR that inspired me was the collaborating with clients, building a buzz about something you believe in and the creativity behind launches, events and publicity. I still have close friends who work in PR, I pay close attention to industry news and there’s an aspect of PR and marketing to my current job. So, I haven’t turned my back…yet.

This post came to be because I received three impersonal e-mails recently from PR or marketing reps. [Weird. My blog is being pitched. Wasn't I just on the other side of the fence?]

Back to the story: It was clear each person contacting me hadn’t read my blog. One agency (to remain nameless) started the e-mail like this,“As a young entrepreneur, I thought you might be interested in [insert client/product/business here].”

I’m not a young entrepreneur, although I could take it as potentially flattering, it’s pretty clear that I work for Lijit, a startup in Colorado and I do Business Development for them. I talk about it in numerous posts and my about page. Wow, imagine that. The e-mail went on explaining the product, the e-mail was too long and there was nothing personal about me or my blog. Not one sentence.

It’s not that I am anti-PR. That means I would be sort of anti-the last five years of my life. But the first rule I learned was to do your research and be personal. I’m not extremely special or influential, but a pitch is a pitch, and three impersonal and non-relevant pitches in a week. Come on. There are blunders and PR fail stories continually circulating the web daily so I ask when will public relations learn?

I’m rooting for public relations and where it all started: to promote and grow a product, service, business, brand, etc. I’ve definitely made mistakes in e-mail correspondence, but I make sure to never let it happen again. I understand we aren’t perfect. It just seems that the little things are so important, so why not incorporate them into your PR strategy?

Be personal. Read and subscribe to my (or any) blog you’re pitching. Heck, comment and interact so I know who you are. Don’t send out mass form emails. Remember that little function called BCC? Oh please use it if you must at all.

Furthermore, I like to hear success stories of PR professionals doing it right. And to their credit, of course that exists. I think we can all learn from each other: bloggers, journalists, media and public relations professionals. Maybe it’s time we bridge the gap.

Which side of the fence are you on? Have you ever received a great and/or horrible pitch? What about it made it great or horrible? PR professionals, how do you feel about this?

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Related Posts with Thumbnails

from → Marketing and Public Relations

  • http://twitter.com/dgmandell David Mandell

    Hey Grace,

    I've read a great many “bad pr” posts over the years. I think the bigger point that most people miss with these posts is that it's not that pr people are any worse than most other people focused on other parts of 'business,' it's simply that their actions are more public by nature.

    I think the better perspective here is to realize that there are simply a lot of lazy, un-focused business people out there and these stories are a good lessons to anyone trying to succeed in whatever business capacity they may be pursuing.

    What's pathetic is that these lessons have been around since way before I joined the work force. They are nothing new, but lazy people will always fail to do what's needed to rise above the mediocrity. It's very easy to use pr folks as the scape goats, but I've seen just as many lazy sales people, biz dev people, ad execs, journalists and yes, even bloggers.

    Understanding these shortfalls in a bigger perspective is the best way we can all learn and succeed.

  • http://modite.com/blog Rebecca

    I think PR thinks far too highly of itself. And now that I'm in it, I see that even more. The whole industry of PR/Marketing/Social Media, especially on the internet, exhausts me. It's far from inspirational.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Rebecca It is exhausting. I think when executed properly and successfully, then it's inspirational (much LIKE what you do at Alice). That of course is from the outside, whereas the PR professional themselves may feel the exhaustion.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @David Hi! Thanks for weighing in. Your opinion and experience is without a doubt trustworthy and relevant.

    You bring up a very good point that PR people often get a bad rap because their actions are 'public by nature.' I knew my post wouldn't be anything new, however, I suppose when I was on the other side of the fence (for the first time) it really made me think.

    Laziness can be found across the board and overall understanding the shortfalls and mistakes can help any business initiatives that might have gone awry. Thanks for sharing, David. I hope all is well :)

  • http://politicoholic.com/ Nisha

    It's funny that you mention this because I work in PR of sorts but even I get frustrated with the PR people who pitch my blog. I mean seriously, I get generic, mass press release blasts that are clearly sent to tons of people and have NOTHING to do with my blog (like one from some headache association. HEADACHES on a political blog? Really?) Everyonce in a while I get a good pitch and I never forget that person's name and where they work and the effort they put into the pitch, because it's so rare to see a good one.

    I don't think it's fair to rail against the whole industry though. My firm would never send out mass form emails to bloggers and I know there's many other PR agencies that do “get it” and know how to reach out to bloggers effectively. There are definitely still a lot of problems though that need to be fixed.

  • Pingback: When Will Public Relations Learn? | Small Hands, Big Ideas « Public Relation

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Nisha You have a great perspective and you've been on both sides of the fence. If you note what David Mandell (below commented) he has been working in PR agencies for years and he brought up an excellent point: It's not like PR people are worse than others it's just that the nature of their pitch is more public.

    It isn't fair to rail on the industry at all, which is why I wanted to hear PR success stories and the perspective (like your own) where they can speak to PR and the practices of their current position. I've seen it done well and I want to KEEP seeing it done well! Thanks for sharing Nisha :)

  • http://socialmediarockstar.com Brett Borders

    I think I understood that it was important to “be personal” when you are requesting a favor of someone, even as an elementary school kid. It's something I grasped long before my first PR pitch.

  • http://blakesunshine.com/ Blake Sunshine

    Sometimes I wonder if the people writing these terrible pitches are actually PR people with PR degrees and experience or if they come from other aspects of a business and have been assigned to pitch people. It seems to me that PR professionals who are dedicated to their craft aren't making these amateur mistakes anymore, but maybe I am wrong.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Blake You bring up a good point. Maybe they're just beginning…sometimes I sleuth around for the company and look at company bios when I receive a lackluster pitch. Thanks to the Internet of course ;) I would like to think that seasoned PR professionals understand how the industry works…

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Brett You're right. The act of being personal and thoughtful doesn't have to begin on the job or even in PR. I like that point…it should and does start young. Exercising that throughout your life is imperative.

  • http://www.rachelmesterline.com/astepahead Rachel Esterline

    I write a PR blog from the point of view of a student and I have received bad pitches too. After writing a post about the Motrin Mom's twitter issue, I was sent a pitch about health insurance. It had nothing to do with what I write about and I replied to tell the supposed president of this PR agency what I thought of his pitch. I was nice, but irritated.

    A few weeks later, he sent me the same exact pitch again! If I get it one more time, I'm calling his cell phone to yell at him!!

    But I completely agree with you. When I pitch a blog or publication, I take a few minutes to see if my pitch will even relate to them. If not, I don't want to waste my time or their time.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Rachel Love your perspective and I'm excited to read more of your blog. Relevancy is so important and it baffles me as to why it's so hard to follow. However, like you will see in these comments there are many great PR professionals and I like to hear PR done right. My post isn't anything new, many people experience this but I simply wanted to share what I had been thinking. I'm glad you stopped by and now you know we both share the same frustration for irrelevant pitches! ;)

  • http://www.theprpractitioner.com/ Brian Camen

    Hi Grace. Thanks for the link love. There will always be PR pros who go about their job the wrong way. Hopefully people learn from their mistakes.

    As a PR pro, it is my duty to educate others who are younger than me and are just coming into the industry to practice PR the right way. I hope others are doing this as well (I'm sure they are).

    I can talk forever about people off topic pitching, but I'm not going to. I really think the key is education. Young pros have to find mentors who they can look up to for guidance. If you're an experienced pro who is off-topic pitching – well shame on you – you should know better!

    I like your blog. I clicked the link on your “about me” page and saw that you were profiled by your college. That is awesome.

  • http://socialmediarockstar.com Brett Borders

    I think I understood that it was important to “be personal” when you are requesting a favor of someone, even as an elementary school kid. It's something I grasped long before my first PR pitch.

  • http://blakesunshine.com/ Blake Sunshine

    Sometimes I wonder if the people writing these terrible pitches are actually PR people with PR degrees and experience or if they come from other aspects of a business and have been assigned to pitch people. It seems to me that PR professionals who are dedicated to their craft aren't making these amateur mistakes anymore, but maybe I am wrong.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Blake You bring up a good point. Maybe they're just beginning…sometimes I sleuth around for the company and look at company bios when I receive a lackluster pitch. Thanks to the Internet of course ;) I would like to think that seasoned PR professionals understand how the industry works…

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Brett You're right. The act of being personal and thoughtful doesn't have to begin on the job or even in PR. I like that point…it should and does start young. Exercising that throughout your life is imperative.

  • http://www.rachelmesterline.com/astepahead Rachel Esterline

    I write a PR blog from the point of view of a student and I have received bad pitches too. After writing a post about the Motrin Mom's twitter issue, I was sent a pitch about health insurance. It had nothing to do with what I write about and I replied to tell the supposed president of this PR agency what I thought of his pitch. I was nice, but irritated.

    A few weeks later, he sent me the same exact pitch again! If I get it one more time, I'm calling his cell phone to yell at him!!

    But I completely agree with you. When I pitch a blog or publication, I take a few minutes to see if my pitch will even relate to them. If not, I don't want to waste my time or their time.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Rachel Love your perspective and I'm excited to read more of your blog. Relevancy is so important and it baffles me as to why it's so hard to follow. However, like you will see in these comments there are many great PR professionals and I like to hear PR done right. My post isn't anything new, many people experience this but I simply wanted to share what I had been thinking. I'm glad you stopped by and now you know we both share the same frustration for irrelevant pitches! ;)

  • http://www.theprpractitioner.com/ Brian Camen

    Hi Grace. Thanks for the link love. There will always be PR pros who go about their job the wrong way. Hopefully people learn from their mistakes.

    As a PR pro, it is my duty to educate others who are younger than me and are just coming into the industry to practice PR the right way. I hope others are doing this as well (I'm sure they are).

    I can talk forever about people off topic pitching, but I'm not going to. I really think the key is education. Young pros have to find mentors who they can look up to for guidance. If you're an experienced pro who is off-topic pitching – well shame on you – you should know better!

    I like your blog. I clicked the link on your “about me” page and saw that you were profiled by your college. That is awesome.