Take of the Week:
This week’s Take of the Week is less of a PR take and more of a journalist anecdote. I used to love syncing up with Phoebe Wall Howard when she covered automotive at the Detroit Free Press and I was at CarGurus. She would often tell me that she asked so many questions because she loved getting to the heart of an automotive culture story, and I used to love them because she was coming at the industry from such a unique perspective.
Anyhoo, her story is a really strong reminder about transitions and being a true source to journalists. I recently transitioned a client to an agency as they scaled their representation (and congrats to them for growing and needing more!), and I could not imagine trying something like this PR firm did with her. Not only does it negate your credibility, you’re also not honoring the question at hand.
Bonus Take of the Week:
We also have a Bonus Take of the Week, courtesy of Brandon. Putting feelers out about half-baked ideas is such a great strategy, I’m surprised more PR folks don’t experiment with it. Is there anything worse than striking out on a PR campaign with zero results? Using this approach doesn’t just help you determine if your idea has legs, it can also provide directional signals showing whether or not your media folks care about the topic.
Resource of the Week:
A common startup mistake is not providing reporters with enough time to cover funding news; and Ron suggests at least 2-3 weeks’ notice, if not more.
Chuckle of the Week:
Be honest, would any of you use this subject line for a pitch?
The Rest of the Takes:
PR industry awards
- Adam wrote about a new topic - PR industry awards, and he dives into whether or not they’re worth the time.
PR jobs/interviewing
- Brooke provided great tips on how PR people can read the room in an interview
Media Relations
- Lindsay wrote about following up within 24 hours
- Rich had a similar, but different take, on following up
That’s it for this week’s takes, thanks for reading.
-Brian
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkramer/
