Is Your Lazy PR Person Sabotaging Your Business?

I regularly rub shoulders with public relations (PR) folks who seem willing to send to me their latest press releases in hopes that I’ll take their stories and run with them. I manage several blogs covering a variety of subjects, but when it comes to getting the news out my The Auto Writer blog trumps them all.

It is also the site which draws the most attention from said PR folks.

Disseminating News, 21st Century Style

I had an experience two weeks ago that should grab the attention of corporate executives who understand the importance of disseminating news, perhaps in ways they aren’t accustomed to doing. Yes, I mean via blogs — the new media way of getting news out to people who have embraced the worldwide web, which means almost everyone.

In this particular situation I was contacted by an automotive aftermarket parts company, the type of business who develops products for passenger vehicles that are sold after the sale (e.g., sun visors, grill guards, performance exhaust systems, etc.) I’ve gotten numerous press releases from this company in the past and have, on occasion, shared their product information with my readers.

On occasion, I get to actually sample a product, but I don’t make that a condition as to whether I’ll share information on my site or not. What interests me are those products which I believe would be helpful to my readers, something they might consider buying for themselves. I don’t receive money to publish this information and, if a preview copy or product sample is offered, I’ll tell everyone when I used one.

But, it doesn’t mean that I’ll automatically write a positive review about that product either.

Why I Did Not Go With Their Story

Back to my story – when I received the company’s latest press release, I read it and discovered that they were offering a new product for pickup truck owners. I liked what I read, but I also liked what I saw – two attractive *jpg photos were included with the release, pictures showing the product installed. So, I wrote back to my contact and asked for additional information to learn which make/model trucks applied.

My contact quickly responded and noted that the company’s marketing manager was receiving a copy of her message to me. Two hours later the marketing manager emailed me directly with answers to my question. She also said that she was available to offer additional assistance.

I Was Interested And Wanted More Information

Sure enough, I decided to press the issue further, expecting that the new information needed would be enough to help me write up a story. I asked for two things: additional pictures including at least one showing how the product could be used and I also wanted to obtain a unique quote from either the person who developed the product or at least get a statement from management about the item.

The information in the press release was helpful, but I wanted to build up a story instead of regurgitating what someone else already said.

One day went by, then another one. Finally a week passed and I knew that my request fell on deaf ears. No acknowledgment of my message, no follow up on their part. I decided to ditch the story and went with something else.

Three Points To Consider

So what’s my point? I have several, actually:

• If a company is trying to get the news out, they need to be thorough. Don’t expect people to be happy with simply reposting your news without working on reporting their own angle.

• Also, keep in mind that the people you come in contact with tend to remember what you did for them, but they’ll also remember when their requests were ignored or turned down.

• Finally, can anyone really afford to lose out on a free publicity opportunity? After all, we are going through a deep recession – if you don’t know how to do the p-u-b-l-i-c part of public relations, then why bother?

Thanks for reading my rant. I’m tempted to forward this link to the marketing manager, but I’ve decided to let it (and the company’s story) go.

You may also want to read — Lessons From The Great Cuil Failure

Are You My Colleague, Competitor or Adversary?

If you consider yourself to be a freelance writer, then how well you interact with others in our craft can go a long way toward advancing your career. Granted, there isn’t some sort of certification that says you are a writer in the first place, but if you are able to regularly develop a piece that is interesting, informative and persuasive, then a compelling argument can be made that you are, indeed, a writer.

I’ve been writing as a freelancer for about three years now, having spent the previous twelve years as a technical writer, web content writer and message board administrator. As I was making the transition to the world of freelance, I began to cross paths with a variety of writers ranging from the cooperative and friendly to the downright hostile.

For sanity’s sake (and to ensure that my career path would not divert into a gully) I have neatly categorized every writer I have ever encountered into one of three categories. Yes, there is some overlap especially in the middle category, but for the most part I have you pegged in one category only. Your job is to recognize who you are and to take the appropriate action to improve your ranking, if necessary.

Without further deliberation I offer the following color-coded categories for your inspection:

Colleague – We may not regularly write on the same subject matter, but I find you to be cooperative and I am not threatened by your success. You don’t constantly brag about your achievements especially if you landed an opportunity that we were both seeking. I would have no qualms forwarding job opportunities to you and I suspect you would be comfortable doing the same for me.

Competitor — We regularly cover the same topics and we often will submit bids to the same employer. I may not be completely confident that you wouldn’t stick it to me if you had the chance, but then again I’m not too worried about that happening in the first place — the pie is big enough for everyone to have their share no matter how that piece is obtained.

Adversary — You are threatened by my very existence and have taken pains to discourage me from writing in the first place. You think that your B.A. in Journalism trumps my B.S. in Business Administration and you would be correct on that point if I were to seek a position with your dying daily. Don’t worry, I’m not interested in dead tree media — I have too much going for me thanks to the internet!

So, there you have it — three compartments for my fellow freelance writers with a handful of people straddling two. I can’t imagine that there is anyone who regularly follows this blog being my adversary, but then after reading this article and leaving a snarky comment behind, I just may have to reconsider exactly where you stand.