PRs, Don't Fall at the First Hurdle
Clare Press
Sustainable fashion communicator, writer of books, presenter of the Wardrobe Crisis podcast
Who else is confused by impersonal email pitches and how anyone thinks they're a good strategy?
At least once a week, an external PR sends me a cut-and-paste podcast guest pitch where they've forgotten to remove the details of the previous show they sent the exact same email to. Today I got two: one began, "Dear Kestrel..." and the other went in hard with what an amazingly perfect fit a founder was for a talk show I'd never heard of.
Daily, I get scores of blast emails from publicists and agents who've clearly never listened to Wardrobe Crisis, or even taken a minute to check if previous guests are in any way similar to their clients. I get pitches from random entrepreneurs with no interest in sustainability, and specialists in topics that are the opposite of what we cover.
More than half of those I ignore then resend demanding my attention. No! Attention should go both ways. Taking a few extra moments to consider who you are approaching and why is totally worth it in the long run.
Conversely, when I receive personal thoughtful emails from listeners - who also happen to be PRs - I always respond, and sometimes end up booking their suggested guest.
Here's what David Mack, then dep. ed. of Buzzfeed News, told Muck Rack in 2020:
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"I get roughly 300 emails a day. Most of the time, I read a subject line and that's it. There's just simply too many emails every day from publicists to be replying to each one. I can probably count on one hand the amount of general PR pitches I've responded to over the past few years. What they all have in common is they were targeted at BuzzFeed and me specifically. The publicist knew who I was, what kind of stories I write and was able to speak to this and why their pitch fit in line with that. They also know what BuzzFeed News is ... and why their story was of interest to our readers. It's all obvious stuff, but you have to tailor your pitch like you would a cover letter for a job application."
I cheered when I read Jasmin Malik Chua 's recent post about deleting her unread emails on returning from her holiday. She said, if people really wanted to reach her, they'd try again. This is my dream! My inbox groans with tens of thousands of old emails and I'm daunted by the task of going through them to delete what's not needed.
We're all feeling the inbox overwhelm - planet included; Mike Berners-Lee estimates that emails could account for 0.3% of the world’s carbon footprint- so PRs, please think before you add to it.
Everyone makes mistakes, we've all pressed send on an email too quickly - I know I've done it - but this impersonal onslaught feels different, more like a trend. Is it a strategy to cover as much ground as possible with the least effort? Blast then see who bites? A reflection on our ever shortening attention spans? Or maybe it's about staff cuts, and putting those left under unsustainable pressure? IDK but it feels wrong.
Clients beware - if your agency is doing this, it defeats your purpose - first impressions count.
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Writer. Content Wrangler. Maker. I help brands tell their authentic story. In their content, on their websites and, for makers, through their stitches.
3 个月I’ve tried new things and failed a lot on this front, to varying (and at times humorous!) results. But going with old standard tactics keeps proliferating precisely because they’re standard and normal and ‘what people do.’ Talking about what does work, like in this post, can help people see why it’s worth a change in tactics.
Sourcing and Labor Editor at Sourcing Journal
3 个月Yes, yes and yes!