No matter how closely you work with a reporter, don't abandon
all formalities. Seth Arenstein, VP and editorial director of the
broadband group at PR NEWS parent company PBI Media, recently
received a package from the PR folks at ESPN. He opened the
envelope, expecting a video on planned programming for Black
History Month and some collateral materials. Arenstein had
discussed those materials with one of his contacts at ESPN.
Instead, he found a blank tape. No label. No collateral
materials. No press release. Not even a sticky note explaining the
contents of the envelope. An understandably perplexed Arenstein
discovered that the contents of the video were in fact not in any
way related to Black History Month. He's still trying to figure out
why he received the tape without any explanation. Although he works
closely with sources at ESPN, he says he still expects some
explanatory documents when he receives a videotape - and given that
he receives hundreds of videotapes from the cable nets he covers, a
label on the video itself would be helpful.
Regardless of how closely you work with a journalist, don't
expect your return address to do the talking for you. Especially if
you work for a large organization, other contacts may be working
with the same journalist (as is the case with Arenstein). And even
if you've discussed a package with a reporter, a note is always
worthwhile.
The same goes for other forms of communication. Don't send an
email with those survey results attached and no explanation in the
body of the message. Most journalists, even if they know you, head
straight for the delete key, either out of fear of viruses or
frustration with the ambiguous "press release" heading that gives
little clue as to whether the contents of the attachment are worth
the time to open it. Hold on to some of the formalities to ensure
that communications don't break down and to demonstrate your
respect for the reporter's time.