When PR execs contact Crain's BtoB senior reporter Carol Krol, they better make sure their pitches are straight and on the inside -- lest they get a dose of their own
medicine. That's because Krol covers the direct marketing/e-mail marketing companies that contact people either via the phone or online with the hope that they'll sign on for XYZ
product and/or service but more often get an unruly hang-up or a zapped e-mail. It's not unlike PR folks contacting reporters with the hope that they'll show interest in their
pitches. Krol has a few recommendations for PR people looking to get ink in the monthly BtoB:
Krol's PR Bugaboos:
- She's not a mind reader. Krol often gets press releases without any indication of whether the content in the release is embargoed and, if so, for how long. "Every PR
person is different," Krol says. "Some want to tease you with a little bit of information but others just keep you in the dark about the news, but I don't know [the PR execs']
M.O." Krol stresses that PR people have a better shot of getting their stories covered in BtoB if they clearly communicate whether any of the information she's receiving is
embargoed. "If it is, say so," she advises. "If it's not, say so." - News she could use. Although it's hard to get any more specific than naming the publication BtoB, Krol says she still gets plenty of consumer targeted story pitches. "If I had
a nickel for every consumer marketing pitch I got," she says, wistfully, adding that she thinks too many PR people take the path of least resistance by sending out as many e-mails
as possible without putting much thought into it. - Snail mail. Krol writes several stories a month for the print issue of BtoB but also contributes to the publication's daily e-mail news alert. "I want news in a timely fashion
and I think the only way to do that is through e-mail," she says. "If I get a release [through regular mail] three days later, it's not news anymore." For the same reason, Krol
discourages contacts from faxing press releases. "I seldom check the fax," she says. "E-mail me in all cases or e-mail me and then follow up with a phone call."
What Works: Short and sweet. If you're pitching news or a feature article, "get to the point quickly and make it dynamic," Krol says. Also, avoid using words in the release
that to most reporters mean, well, nothing, such as "synergy," "leading," "unique" or, "anything with the word 'leveraging,'" Krol says. On the other hand, if you're pitching,
say, a new study, don't just send a few bullet points but the whole megillah.
Contact: Carol Krol, BtoB, [email protected]