Kristen Ruby CEO of Ruby Media Group

PR Don’ts: 11 Ways to Annoy a Journalist

March 29, 2017 by

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Publicity Strategist Kris Ruby

This common faux pas will ensure that you’ll get cut from their story

Congratulations! A reporter wants to include you in a story. Whether it’s because your site is optimized or you’re highly visible on social media, a journalist has finally found you and is interested in writing about your business. Hooray!  However, a journalist finding you is just the starting point.

Every word you say to a reporter from the second they reach out to you until the story goes live matters.

Media Pitching Mistakes

Here are the 11 most common ways to annoy a journalist and risk getting cut from a story.

  1. Speaking in industry jargon. There is a reason why people hire publicists: they know how to speak the same language as journalists. Publicists know what journalists are looking for, when they are looking for it, and how they want to consume it. If a reporter reaches out to you, do not start speaking in industry jargon. A reporter wants the simplest version that their readers will understand. They want you to break down the story in a way that makes sense to consumers—not to other people in your industry. They are coming to you because you’re an expert. Boil down your talking points, quotes, and sound bites so it is digestible to the masses.
  2. Answering 10 hours later. Reporters are working on hard deadlines. Typically, a reporter is working on several different stories at once, not just the one they emailed you about. The sources that get back to them the fastest are most likely to be included in their story. If you answer them 10 hours later, they might already be working on their next story. If you see an email with “Press Request” or “Jane Doe from X News,” be sure to prioritize it.
  3. Referring a reporter to your publicist who doesn’t answer.  If you hire a Publicist to handle your media relations strategy, make sure they are responsible. The worst mistake you can make as a business owner is referring a journalist to your public relations firm, only to have them answer the media request a week later. If you notice your Publicist hasn’t answered a reporter within one to two hours, it’s time to find someone new. Your publicist should be optimizing your chances for press coverage, not diminishing them.
  4. Blowing their story on social media.  If a producer or reporter invites you to the studio to film a TV segment, listen carefully to what they ask you to do. If they say, “No photos or videos from this can be leaked on social media until after the story is published,” do not post anything. Recently, I filmed a behind-the-scenes segment for a story I was working on and the source leaked the entire story on Instagram Live. I will not include them in any further stories. If you’re so impatient for a story to go live that you have to leak it on social media, you don’t deserve to be in the story.
  5. Asking reporters to pay for things. If a journalist is interested in featuring your product in a story, it’s important to pay any associated costs that go along with it. If you don’t, you make it very difficult for them to try the product and ultimately feature you. If a journalist wants to feature your product, do not ask them to pay for the product, the shipping of your product, or your travel expenses to get it in their hands. If you are lucky enough to be considered, bite the bullet and pay the associated costs.
  6. Asking multiple times when the story is coming out.  Once a story is filed, a journalist has to deal with several other departments. First, the story has to pass through their editors. Then, the story may have to go through the art department. When the story comes back to you, there may be new edits, which starts the whole process again. A journalist does not owe you an explanation of when their story will be running live. If you’re concerned, set up a Google alert for the journalist’s name and media outlet so that you receive a notification when it comes out. Don’t annoy a journalist by asking when an article is coming out. Most of the time, they don’t know.
  7. Promoting a story without tagging the journalist on social media. Journalists are competing to get eyeballs on their writing. If you’re lucky enough to be included in a story, journalists want to see that you’re promoting the link on your social media accounts. Don’t make a faux pas by promoting the link without including the journalist’s handle on Twitter or Instagram. Journalists pay attention to which sources are social media savvy. If you push their content, it doesn’t go unnoticed.
  8. Copping an attitude. If a journalist is including you in an article, do not harass them. A journalist is featuring your product and helping you increase sales, so if you cop an attitude with them, why would they ever want to include you? A journalist is not concerned with how prominently your product is featured; they’re concerned with the facts of the story. The more you make it about you, the less credibility you have.
  9. Sending PDFs.  If a journalist asks for your electronic press kit, do not send a PDF. If a journalist has to copy and paste your PDF into Microsoft Word, the characters may not show up correctly or there may be a break in the code or formatting.  You want to make their life easier, not harder. Also, be sure to include product descriptions in the press materials you give them. If you ever wonder why certain products have longer descriptions than others, this is why. If you don’t give a journalist source material to pull from, your paragraph or mention will most likely be shorter.
  10. Sending broken Dropbox links. If a journalist asks for your press kit and you send them a Dropbox link, do not deactivate the link after one day. Most of the time, the journalist may not open up the Dropbox link until the night before their deadline. If you deactivated the link, how are they supposed to pull your information for the story?
  11. Asking for changes after a story is published.  Finally, if a journalist includes you in a story, do not badger them about making changes after the story goes live. If you want to ask them to change the spelling of your company name, that’s fine. But do not ask them to change what they have written about your company. Also, do not ask them to change a website URL or descriptor/anchor text because your marketing manager said it would help you rank better on Google. This is a completely inappropriate ask. You have control of the assets on your website, not over another publications.

 

PUBLIC RELATIONS MISTAKES

What is the number one PR mistake that companies make when pitching the media?

They don’t answer the questions properly or they answer the questions that they think someone should ask rather than what the actual questions are.

When a reporter has five questions, answer all five.

That doesn’t mean answer three and drop two, it means to answer all five. It means giving complete answers to all of them.

  • Give them more, not less.
  • Give them information to pull from and make it helpful.
  • Follow instructions.

Unfortunately, most people don’t do that. Nine out of ten times people don’t get quoted in the media because they don’t follow a reporter’s instructions and they don’t answer the questions or they send a PR pitch about what they want to comment on instead of what the reporter is asking for.

You have to truly be willing to help a reporter out.

That means to drop what you’re doing now and help them. I don’t think people realize that’s how you get some of these opportunities, it doesn’t mean answer them when you feel like it next week, it means you have to do a lot of work and drop everything you are doing to give them what they want.

READ: How To Pitch A Newsworthy Story To The Media

#PRFail

When you are communicating with journalists, remember to be appreciative. Journalists work hard to put together stories. Many of the journalists today are contributing writers for publications, in addition to having full-time jobs (such as myself). Journalists are very aware of the promotion you’re getting (for free) by being included in a story. Having a basic understanding of this dichotomy will take you far. If you are lucky enough to be included in a story, follow these tips and don’t blow it! If you make these editorial mistakes, don’t be surprised if you “die on the chopping block floor” as the old saying goes.

JOURNALIST SHARES PET PEEVE: EMAILED QUOTES

“We generally don’t use quotes that are provided by PR (or try to avoid it), even by email from the source themselves. There are some examples that come to mind like Mark Cuban. Mark Cuban had a policy and wouldn’t do voice interviews, but he was willing to do it by email. So, we did it that way. But in general, no. Obviously, in person is always best, but it is not always possible. Calls are also better because it’s more authentic and usable at the end of the day because the quotes that generally get provided (just to be transparent), usually suck. The people who provide them think that they are coming off well, which must be why they do it. But the reality is readers are smarter than people think. Especially nowadays, people are pretty attuned to traditional methods of PR and traditional methods of advertising.”

 -Noah Smith, Washington Post reporter

FAQ Talking to The Media

How can you talk to the press without annoying them?

  • Respond promptly
  • Respect deadlines
  • Don’t blow up their inbox
  • Share a strong opinion
  • Add analysis to a story

What mistakes should I avoid when emailing a reporter or a journalist?

  • Writing in all caps
  • Following up 10 times in one day
  • Marking your email pitch as urgent

What should I never say to a journalist?

  • I’ll get back to you
  • Industry jargon
  • Platitudes
  • Buzzwords

What should I not tell a journalist?

  • Do not tell a journalist anything you do not want to be published on the cover of The New York Times.

What should you not say in a media interview?

6 QUESTIONS THAT ANNOY A PUBLICIST 

As a publicist, it is your job to hold a firm line between what the client asks, and what is communicated to the journalist.

Clients frequently ask publicists to email reporters with different PR questions such as:

  • When is the story coming out?
  • Can you please make sure my answers get published?
  • Can I see the story before it gets published?
  • Can I add a few snippets to my interview that I forgot to include?
  • Why did they use the wrong link? My SEO firm wants it changed.
  • Can they fix the spelling of my name?

When this happens: you have two options. You can be the type of publicist who caves under pressure to every client whim, or you can be a publicist who will stand the test of time and says no. Publicists who do not push back on constant rookie PR client demands are ultimately unsuccessful publicists.

Why? Because journalists find these requests annoying. And if journalists find you annoying, guess what happens? You risk being included in future articles.

Stop Asking Your Publicist these 6 Annoying Questions

When is the story coming out?

I don’t know. The editor most likely doesn’t know either. I set up a Google Alert and Mention alert for it. I am tracking it under pending coverage. If and when it comes out, I will send you the link. Until then, please do not ask about it. My guess is as good as yours!

Can you please make sure my answers get published?

No. How would I make sure your answers get published? By emailing a reporter 10 times to confirm receipt of interview answers? If they like what you said, they will use it. If not, they will use someone better for the story. The only want to make sure your answers get published is to buy an ad. I thought you hired me for PR. If you want to do paid media, we can have that discussion, but PR and advertising are not the same thing.

Can I see the story before it gets published?

No. The only way you can see the story before it gets published is if the editor is emailing you a copy of your quotes for a fact check. Other than that, you are not seeing the story before it gets published. Please don’t ask again.

Can I add a few snippets to my interview that I forgot to include?

You already completed the interview. I can send a few other things to consider, but the reporter may have already filed the story.

Why did they use the wrong link? My SEO firm wants it changed.

I have no idea why they used the wrong link. Maybe it is because you have 3 different websites, and they chose the link they thought was best. I don’t care if your SEO firm wants it changed. The link isn’t being changed. If you want to control the link, work with a company that specializes in backlinks. This is earned media. Not paid media.

Can they fix the spelling of my name?

I can certainly ask them to fix the spelling of your name. Every time I have ever asked this, it annoys the reporter, and I never receive a response. I suggest leaving it alone, but I can make the request.

 

TOP NEW YORK PUBLIC RELATIONS COMPANY | NYC | RUBY MEDIA GROUP 

Looking for a PR agency to handle media relations for you? We have you covered! Our public relations agency has a solid track record of securing national top-tier media coverage for our clients. Contact us today to step into the spotlight.

You work hard and deserve to get featured in the media.

Imagine being able to reach your target audience through regular media interviews on cable tv shows, blogs, magazines, newspapers, large publications and niche podcasts? At Ruby Media Group, we can make that happen!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR | PUBLIC RELATIONS EXPERT | KRIS RUBY

Kris Ruby is the CEO of Ruby Media Group, a public relations and social media agency. Ruby is a frequent on-air TV commentator and speaks on social media, tech trends, and crisis communications. For more information, visit rubymediagroup.com or krisruby.com

 

*Date last updated August 2024