Blog written by Thomas Short
There are many ways to send and receive news these days — phone calls, emails, Internet, newspapers, television, and radio, heck even a message by bottle.
If, however, the message is inundated to the point of a reporter swimming in the awareness of the story, he or she will want nothing to do with it. Spamming a reporter will not get you ahead of the game of placing a cover story. Reporters want the “good stories” and a good story in a reporter’s mind is when they receive news from a credible source. Reporters work on meeting deadlines, they don’t have the time to play Milton Bradley’s Guess Who is trying pitch me a story today.
As a PR person who believes in practicing my profession the correct way, do your homework and research a reporter that writes about your news topic. Sending out mass amount of news releases is like the commercials of people still using dial-up connections for their Internet connection. Pick up the phone and develop a relationship with a reporter, because it is only going to benefit you in the long run. Think about how enjoyable it will be the next time you have a similar story, knowing there is an excellent chance it will run based on past relationships your created.
Creating relationships is the new news!