One Small Piece of Advice for B2B Marketers on Getting Coverage

Dear B2B Marketers,

You create research reports, eBooks, whitepapers, and the like and then gate them for lead gen. Often, you also aim to get the findings you've highlighted in that content covered by industry publications. That's cool. But, please, give your PR or comms folks the actual PDF to share with the reporters who ask for it--not a link to the reg form. 

No, it's not that big of a deal to complete the form. I do it all the time. Having reporters complete a form to download the PDF themselves does, however, lead to several less-than-ideal outcomes:

1. It mucks up your lead-gen efforts and reporting. We're not your prospects.

2. It wastes your sales team's time. Consider: On many occasions, after downloading a PDF I've received emails, calls, and follow-ups from salespeople who think I'm a prospective customer. I take the time to let them know that I'm not (saves my sanity as much as it saves theirs). Most reporters don't; they just get annoyed.

3. It lowers the likelihood that the writer will actually download the report and cover it. Many reporters are swamped with story pitches from PR folks and rushed to write and post content, to the point where, if you don't make access easy for them, they're simply going to move on.

4. It opts reporters in to lists they don't usually belong on and often aren't interested in. Sure, we can just opt out; but let's just say, it's not the best "constituent experience."

5. It frustrates the people you're trying to engage. Picture this: A reporter clicks the link expecting to dive into data that could be a killer story, only to have to waste time completing a form knowing that he's about to be opted in to a list to receive promotional emails he doesn't want and called on by salespeople who think he's a prospect when he's not.

I feel fortunate to have worked with some terrific PR folks over the years. I still do. I know their jobs can be tough. Please don't make it harder for them to get you coverage. Just give them the PDF.

Thank you. Sincerely.