Comments on: I Might Have Received Your Press Release But I’m Not Telling You

By: Ellie

Ellie — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:10:41 +0000

Yes I agree as well. Our technology is advanced and if the press release is interesting enough and viable information, then the reporter will use it. People are too busy to answer phone calls all the time to speak about a release they have received. If they want to use the information, then they will follow up with you. I would definitely be annoyed as well, especially when a follow up email would suffice. Don’t call…they will call you!

By: maria

maria — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:21:27 +0000

I did my work experience as PR in a communication agency and I had to do a lot of calls to an unfinished lists of journalists. The answers were so different, some of them only tell me “yes, I have your press release” and other “please, now I can not speak with you I am occupied”, but no one asked me about the content. So, I think that this kind of calls are useless because if the journalists want to know more about something, they are going to call you, althought at university always tell you that you should phone.

After one summer, I did another work experience in a journal and it was horrible when somebody called you when you were writing your article for this day and he started to try to convince you about his new release, they only disturbe you. When I was interesed in something I called directly. It was horrible receive more than 10 phone calls only to know if you had received a press release.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:24:52 +0000

I hesitate to make these calls after (but not right after, I usually wait a day) sending out a release, yet more often than not the editor/journalist doesn’t recall having gotten it and appreciates receiving the call. That said, I’m not sending out multitudes of releases and they are targeted and newsworthy.

By: George Mc Quade, MAYO Communications

George Mc Quade, MAYO Communications — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:30:40 +0000

Sorry,
But I disagree. News releases are not going away, they are just getting shorter, sharper and stronger, because no one has time to read anymore, which why I will keep short. New media and formats change. Relationships are built over time and phone contact is the best way to do it. As working member of the press who still writes a monthly column on media, I know I appreciate it when someone calls me and reminds about their event. George.

By: Nicole L.

Nicole L. — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:02:03 +0000

I work in PR and I completely agree – these calls are stupid. But PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE look at it from the other end: The junior staffer AND the intern knows the call is stupid. But they are under the gun from some “senior” staffer, an account supervisor or a vice president, who is forcing them to do it. THEY are the ones who should know better.

There are more effective ways to follow up. Sometimes people just don’t bother to teach junior staffers how to do it correctly.

By: John S

John S — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:48:14 +0000

Yes I agree, these calls are basically useless and more of a nuisance than anything else. If they’re really concerned about having their emails read, they could always request a read receipt.