I had the great honour recently to give a talk to the Middle East Public Relations Association, and was genuinely surprised, even honoured, to see how many bright young aspirants in the PR world turned up to listen to my tired old war stories.
Some of it must have appeared to be from another world. How can you explain the concept of “spiking” – a decision by an editor not to use a piece of copy – in the digital age, when a metal spike, and even paper, are generally missing from most offices?
They listened intently, asked some very pertinent questions, and seemed to get something worthwhile out of the event, for which I was glad.
I think I answered most of their questions reasonably lucidly, but remember being flummoxed by one.
“What advice would you give to somebody starting out in the PR business looking to build relationships with journalists?”
I must have had a mind-blank then, because I just mumbled something to the effect “be wise” before my interlocutor rescued me with another question.
What I meant by “be wise” was a bit like the sentiment contained in the Google mission statement of “Don’t be evil” when they went for an IPO way back when. I meant be shrewd, well-judged, anticipate the media’s needs, offer access, good guidance. Just be smart.
Maybe that’s a bit too broad-brush, and could be applied to anybody in any profession.
So here are a few more specific rules on how to approach journalists if you are an aspiring young spin doctor. I think they hold for most press people, even grumpy old hacks like me.
1 Initial contact: Make it as personal as possible. A phone call is better than an email, a coffee meeting is better than a phone call, lunch at La Petite Maison is best of all. Worst of all is a phone call to check that I've got the email … unless the email was an invitation to lunch at La Petite.
2 Avoid acronyms: If the initial contact has to be by email, avoid acronyms. An invitation to look at the "report from ADQIB" in the header field will probably get the mail junked straight away. Spell out the name in full with a synopsis of the message: "AD quarterly investment banking figures show decline" will get the message read, the first step to getting the PR published.
3 Email etiquette: Again, if lunch at La Petite is just not possible, avoid hectoring emails. "Publish my PR in the edition of 25/3 with full artwork at top of the page" will also get it junked pretty quickly. News editors are generally a curmudgeonly bunch who don't like being told what to do.
4 Over-Familiarity: Do not under any circumstances wish me "a fantastic weekend" on Thursday afternoon, and even more, don't inquire whether I've had "an incredible weekend" on Sunday morning. My weekend was either so incredibly fantastic that I wouldn't want to share it with a semi-stranger, or was so dull as ditchwater that I'd be embarrassed to admit it. Either way, it's not your business.
5 Vernacular: Get it right. Do not begin an email with "I hope you are fine". The correct usage is "I hope you are well", to which the response is "I am fine". A small but important point.
6 Approval: Don't ask for it. Prepublication copy approval is a no-no, and asking for it has soured more PR relationships for me than any other issue. Even on grounds of "just to make sure the facts are correct". Newspapers have plenty of people to do that already.
fkane@thenational.ae
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