It’s Friday and time to have a little fun. I wanted to talk
about the top three “gaffs” in the PR world that even the most seasoned
professional still, at times, commits.
The first one is the assumed interview. We all know what the word “assumption” makes
out of you… well, it often happens within the PR world. You build a
relationship with a reporter and then think the press release will be picked up
without a pitch. Wrong. Many PR people
have relationships with reporters, so don’t assume your press release will be
picked up – let alone viewed- by a busy reporter. You still have to make the
pitch.
The second one is the lack of a follow up call. We all know
reporters are busy. You should still leave a voice mail for the ones you are
pitching if you don’t hear back. Again, they are busy people and are inundated daily
with press releases from agencies, entrepreneurs and other wires. Things can be
overlooked and a simple phone call can quickly fix an oversight.
The third “gaff” is giving your client the impression of a
magic wand. PR people are not, and do not have, magic wands. If you sell your
client a one-shot fix (booking agent, marketing services, personal assistant,
counselor, career couch, etc.) then your client will be mad at you in the long
run. This is one area where you don’t
want to be proactive in customer service. Stick to the contract. If you deviate
even the slightest to help your client, you will assume the added responsibilities
of the position and then fall short later. It is ok to tell your clients ‘no’
when they are asking for services outside of the PR contract.
Until Monday,
Coco the CEO
No comments:
Post a Comment