I swear I’m not making this up.
PR people actually call newspapers and ask journalists, “Can you help me get a client into your paper?”
As in, “My butt’s in a sling, and I need a media hit—fast!”
As in, “I can’t convince anybody else to write about this guy. Do you mind if we waste your time?”
As in, “I don’t care what you write. Just write SOMETHING!”
Brandon Copple, managing editor of Crain’s Chicago Business, says that’s exactly what some PR people do.
“We won’t do your job for you if you just give us a piece of news,” he said. “You need to give us more than a client to interview. Tell me something we don’t already know to pique our interest.”
Copple and other journalists were guest speakers at a recent luncheon at The Publicity Club of Chicago. You can read about it the Media Insider blog.
His most valuable tip?
“The important thing is getting on our radar,” he said.
And how do you do that? One of the best ways is to read their articles, then comment on them. If you thought the article was slanted, say so. Did they miss an obvious source? Let them know. Do you have a different angle to offer? Suggest it.
In “Special Report #49: 17 Ways to Build Valuable Relationships with Media People,” I mention that a panel of four business journalists at the Media Relations 2005 conference in San Francisco last year all mentioned that the very best way to get their attention is to comment on something they have written or covered.
Why? Because so few Publicity Hounds bother to do that. The Number 1 thing they love to talk about is themselves. The Number 2 thing they love to talk about is their work.