Category Archives: Common sense
Tip #167: Don’t bury the lead
Although it pains me to repeat myself, I post the beginning of an email pitch I received this morning. It’s the perfect example of why I wrote Tip #98: Make it snappy, Sweetheart. Subject: Everyone loves a good pitch in … Continue reading
Filed under Common sense, Email
Tip #164: Whiners never whin
As much as I like hearing from the people who make products directly, if you can’t use nice words, have your babysitter — sorry, I mean PR person — contact me instead. Rafe, I’ve been assuming that you didn’t cover … Continue reading
Filed under Common sense, Email
Tip #163: Smile or die
When you reach a reporter on the phone, turn on your energy. Smile. You’re selling something, remember? Act like it. Don’t be a downer. Also, take the gum out of your mouth, don’t make a PR call from a mobile … Continue reading
Filed under Common sense
Tip #162: I love the smell of press releases in the morning
Avoid carpet-bombing your press releases. That is, sending the same release to everyone in a newsroom. It just creates problems. First, it makes you look cheap. If you don’t know who to send information to, sending it to everyone is … Continue reading
Filed under Common sense, Email
Tip #157: This is not the movie I thought it was
You know when you see a preview for a movie, and then later you go see the movie, and it’s nothing like the preview? You know how annoying that is? Don’t do that with your product. Especially don’t have a … Continue reading
Filed under Common sense
Pro PR Tip #156: Out of print
I can forgive you for saying that I’m a freelance writer in your phone message to me. I have been at times in my career. But, “I understand you freelance for Byte,” is beyond amateur. I last wrote for Byte … Continue reading
Filed under Common sense, Phone
Pro PR Tip #155: Don’t ask, don’t tell
If you don’t ask me if I want to hear your pitch before you start pitching, then the answer to the unasked question is, “No.” (Yes, I spent time this week in the demonstrator pavilion at the Demo conference.)
Filed under Common sense, Meetings
Tip #150: Your bad network is not my problem
Our reporters just got back from the WWDC Stevenote. They say that when Steve Jobs said, “All you bloggers need to turn off your notebooks,” to free up WiFi bandwidth, Apple PR reps aggressively demanded that reporters comply. This is … Continue reading
Filed under Common sense
Tip #149: The beat goes on
Many journalists change their “beats,” or topic areas, frequently. It’s more frequent now than ever, with newsrooms shrinking. Editors have to constantly shuffle staff around. So when you’re pitching, do one last check to make sure the person to whom … Continue reading
Filed under Common sense
Rafe
