Wow – we had no idea the topic of calling journalists to “pitch” a story would generate so much interest, conversation and passion! Last month, we shared our blog entry, “Why I Still Believe in Calling Reporters — and Why You Should Too.” on LinkedIn, and on two private Facebook groups – “Michael Smart’s Smart PR Inner Circle” and “PR, Marketing and Media Czars.”
I’ve been writing about this topic for a long time (In fact, this post from a while back still ranks high on search engines). So my team expected some comments, but we never imagined getting dozens, many with fierce opinions.
Between Facebook and LinkedIn, our content received 62 likes and 90 comments. Additionally, the emotions attracted the attention of PR Daily, the respected source for the PR industry. They used our blog as the starting point for their own article: “Dialing Disaster: Is Cold-Calling Journalists a Thing of the Past?”.
With so many PR pros and journalists engaging on these platforms, we decided to share some takeaways in this follow-up blog.
First, here’s our LinkedIn post, which was met with mostly positive reactions from my network:
Within my private, Facebook membership-based groups, reactions were predictable. Since you can’t see them (unless you’re a member), here’s a summary:
From the private PR & Marketing Czars Facebook group:
This group is heavily composed of freelancer journalists and the PR professionals who pitch features and lifestyle topics to those journalists (think: 5 Must-have Gadgets for Your Budding Barista or 3 New Wellness Habits to Adopt Now). They churn out multiple stories per week and clearly don’t want phone calls disrupting their writing time. Some were open to getting phone calls from PR people, but only those with whom they’ve worked.
It’s worth noting the journalists who didn’t comment – the ones who work at breaking news desks. We work with these producers, writers and editors a lot. And based on our experiences, they welcome phone tips offering expert commentary on news of the hour. We have many excellent relationships with these journalists, and many started with a cold call.
PR Pros and Journalists Sound Out About Phone Pitching
The excerpts below capture the dozens of comments on social media from PR professionals and journalists. For easy viewing, the negative sentiments – people who are against phone calls – have a red background while the positive sentiments – those who are open to calling – have a green background.
What PR Professionals Had to Say:
What Journalists Had to Say:
What We Learned From This Discussion:
The majority of positive reactions came from PR professionals or journalists who want to make genuine connections and love the efficiency of a phone call follow-up – but only if it’s welcome.
Negative reactions were mostly from journalists who prefer email to keep all their exchanges in one place and hate when cold calls interrupt them.
So what are do’s and don’ts for PR pros pitching stories to journalists?
Do your homework and ensure your news is relevant to a journalist’s beat(s) before even thinking of calling them.
Do send your pitch in an email first, even if you have a relationship and/or it’s clear that they welcome calls. They’ll appreciate having a written record of your pitch in case they forget something.
Do send a gentle follow-up email to remind reporters of a pitch they haven’t responded to. Reporters who don’t want calls often prefer this method to get their attention when your pitch is strongly aligned with their interests.
Do call reporters who have public newsroom numbers meant for calling in tips. Again, be mindful of their time and get to the point quickly – whether you get them on the phone or get sent to voicemail.
Don’t call a reporter if they make it clear they don’t want phone calls. They will likely block you.
Don’t waste a reporter’s time when granted the opportunity to call them – because it’s precious and they’re giving it to you! Skip the small talk and ensure they’re not on deadline before delivering your pitch as succinctly as possible.
Do build meaningful relationships with reporters if you want to earn calling (or even texting) privileges. Even if they want to stick to email, they’ll appreciate you taking the time to demonstrate your value as a source and may even reach out to you in the future!
Bottom Line
The insightful dialogue that came from this topic serves as a reminder that everyone has their own communication styles and preferences that they’re entitled to.
As for us, we still believe in the almighty phone call for contacting the media and asking them to cover our client’s news story.
Thank you to everyone on social media who engaged in this conversation. We appreciate all perspectives.