PR: You’re Doing it Wrong

By Jenna Oltersdorf

I’m old. I’ve been in this business for a long time.

Want proof?

  1. I used to send news releases by fax (for those of you who aren’t familiar, click here.)
  2. When building a media list, I used Bacon’s Books … much like a phone book. Oh, wait. You don’t know what that is either.

I also no longer use a car phone or an Atari (confession: I miss Asteroids like crazy). The whole point is, as a PR pro I’ve evolved and I hope you have, too.

News releases aren’t dead … they’re simply over-used.

It’s not that we have to stop reaching out to reporters … it’s just with the 24/7 news cycle AND more media than ever, we have to be strategic about who we approach and how we approach them.

The problem is, you all are moving too fast. You aren’t checking your sources before you pitch them.

Case in point? My food blog (admittedly, abandoned due to lack of time, but it’s still out there). Nomnomist averages about 10 pitches per day. Absolutely not out of control.

But you know what turns me into a POO FLINGING MONKEY!?!?!?!  Getting automotive pitches. I write wrote about food. Seriously. It isn’t that hard. My logo is a spork.

Please, PR peers. Slow it down. Do it right. You’re making the rest of us look bad.