The volume game: Relationship b/w journalists and PRs

Let's endeavour to understand a key reason behind the growing imbalances between PR and journalist relations over the last few years.

If we look back even 10-15 years, conditions were considerably better. Journalists used to perceive most external PR professionals as an integral part of the brand itself. However, with the passage of time, numerous new PR agencies have launched across various scales, driven by an increasing demand for PR services as more brands opt for them. With this surge in volume, the number of pitches has skyrocketed, especially to select publications. This makes it exceedingly difficult for them to even begin the first-level filtering process.

Frustration in the journalism community is understandable as they juggle multiple deadlines, contend with newsroom pressures, and engage in a constant search for quality inputs that bring value to their readers. In such a scenario, anyone could become frustrated when bombarded with irrelevant pitches followed by phone calls and messages.

Key Learnings for Brands:

• Understand Public Relations from a reputation-building perspective backed by facts, rather than viewing it as just another marketing tool. Reputation isn't built overnight by issuing a couple of force-fit press releases, pushing generic by-line articles written by ghostwriters, and bombarding journalists in the name of media relations. It's a time-consuming process that progresses gradually.
• You need to collaboratively work with your agency to grasp the requirements of the editorial columns, what they are seeking, how you can extract such information from business statistics, and how your experts can provide unique and insightful value to their stories.
• Seek consultancy from your communication consultants and ask them to give you honest feedback rather than setting wrong expectations. You or your brand might end up in a crisis due to pushing the boundaries in the wrong direction.

Key Learnings for PR Professionals:

• First and foremost, research! Before pitching any story, event, news announcement, etc., to any single or multiple journalists, make sure you're satisfied that you have all the necessary elements to get your story covered.
• Keep consulting with your seniors or your clients until you're confident that this pitch will be relevant.
• Instead of asking to have your story covered, ask the journalist to help you understand what they need to build an impactful story and what will align with their editorial guidelines.
• Experienced PR professionals should mentor their teams and work harder to align client expectations with the current market circumstances. Find the best possible way to communicate their story through different mediums and news publications. Stop relying on the hit-and-trial method in every case.
• Understand the writing style of a journalist by reading at least five of their recent stories.

Key Learnings for Journalists:

• Be a little more open about your specific beat on your social profiles. If your focus is on technology, specify what types of brands under tech interest you. Are there any specific angles you prefer, such as Tech policy or new business developments, etc.
• Provide a clear brief on how PR professionals should reach out to you, whether via email, messages, calls, SMS, or a combination of these methods. Be patient and empathetic, especially when dealing with a newcomer who is putting in their best effort to gain confidence and pitch a story to you. If possible, offer guidance. Trust me, I've seen many successful senior journalists who have effectively managed their relationships with PR and communication professionals, ultimately benefiting from these connections. Trust me again, you won't find more supportive and humble professionals than PRs.

From this point forward, let's aim to improve things from both ends. I'm confident that in the next 2-3 years, relationships between PRs and journalists will be healthier.

Cheers!