Picture this. A publicist wakes up at 6:00 a.m. and grabs their phone from the bedside table. Instinctively, they open the Outlook app first. A hotshot reporter’s name is at the top of their inbox.
The publicist offered this reporter a 30-minute interview with a CEO. In the pitch, they shared details about the CEO’s background, metrics on the company’s growth and forthcoming projects, five bulleted topics the CEO could discuss, and the CEO’s exact availability for the next two weeks. In the pitch, they asked the reporter to confirm whether they would like an interview, when they are available and which topic(s) they would like to cover.
The publicist clicks on the reporter’s email, and it reads: “Yes, I’m in.”
No context, but they kick their feet with giddiness about this potential win.
The publicist crafts their response, which says, “Sounds excellent. I am deeply appreciative of the response. Can you confirm which day and time you are available? And which topics would you like to discuss? Let me know if there’s anything I can answer or provide.”
Seventeen minutes or so pass, and the reporter responds: “I can do the interview next week.”
The publicist realizes this reporter’s communication style will require a lot of patience.
An Ideal Publicist
The publicist considers themself a relatively mellow PR person. Their pitches include all the information a reporter may need in one attractive email. They check Muck Rack weekly to see if a reporter has special requests in their bio, like that they only want to be pitched between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. EST. The publicist reads a reporter’s coverage and their LinkedIn posts to understand what they cover and how their mind operates. They never assume a reporter will let them review a story. They educate their clients that their PR team should not follow up with reporters a fourth and fifth time. In summation, the publicist understands the job and what boundaries to uphold when engaging with reporters.
The Most Common Publicists' Commentary
After over a decade in PR, with a particular focus on media relations, here are the three most common tropes I have overheard PR people say about what they wish reporters knew about communications jobs.
- If a reporter answers the questions in full, it will reduce the number of follow-up emails publicists send. Publicists are juggling 22 diverse hot asks, and a vast majority simply want a reporter’s answers from the outset so they can move on to preparing their spokespeople. Of course, there are those publicists who will keep asking for more, even after the reporter has responded thoughtfully, but the savvy publicists understand how to get their must-know answers and keep it moving.
- Even a simple “No, thanks” to an initial pitch is a complete answer, and countless publicists will appreciate it. If I had a penny for every time my team and I have appreciated this straightforward answer, I could repurchase my Taylor Swift Eras Tour ticket. Many publicists are grateful for any response at all, and it gives us hope that a reporter may open a future pitch. Historically, my favorite response to a “No, thanks” email is something like: “Thank you for the consideration. I will not follow up again on this pitch, and if you ever want to speak with this exec or company, I can support you.” Many publicists may argue with this take and suggest that it’s best to dig further and ask for details on why a story was declined, but sometimes the best thing to do for a budding media relationship is just to let things be and appreciate the honest decline. So, send those “No, thanks” emails.
- Not every publicist’s outreach approach is “spray-and-pray.” Imagine how frustrating it is for a reporter to receive a janky pitch that looks like it was distributed to 400-plus contacts. Over time, this may cause many reporters to lump all publicists together. Countless accomplished PR folks care about their craft, read coverage daily and build impactful media lists. In fact, publicists often defend their “light” media lists because they cherry-picked only the most appropriate contacts. However, publicists who pitch to every reporter under the sun do exist, and those are the ones who get the cold shoulder.
While the above is not a comprehensive list, voicing these shared frustrations in the PR industry can help both publicists and journalists meet in the middle.
Jasmin Hartmeier is Founder at Golden State Media Relations.