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Journalists call time on PRs follow-up calls

Time-stretched journalists have called for a halt to the practice of PR agencies making follow-up calls after sending emails.

Research carried out by Twelve Thirty Eight PR agency asked for views from 2,000 reporters and editors on so-called “sell-in” calls from public relations practitioners.

It asked if they had ever been talked into reporting on something that they had decided to ignore after a call from a PR person and 97.9pc of the 473 respondents said “No”.

The report by Twelve Thirty Eight comes after the agency’s Buzzword Report earlier this year revealed the PR tactics that were riling journalists, which included Americanisms, repeated phone calls and corporate jargon.

This prompted a response from a PR worker about the annoying habits of journalists, which included inaccuracy, breaking embargoes and vague requests.

Writing about the latest research, agency founder Hamish Thompson said: “I must admit that I have always been sceptical about the value of these calls.

“I worked in-house as a director of media relations for 15 years before I set up my agency six years ago. When I appointed agencies to support me, one of my main criteria was that an agency would spend as much time as possible on ideas and as little time as possible on ‘sales’.

“My rationale is that journalists are hugely over-stretched and they simply don’t have time to field calls. Each call represents a couple of minutes that the journalist won’t get back.

“In my view, it’s the quality of the story that matters and makes a difference. If you get that right, everything else falls into place.”

He added that sometimes it made sense to make a phonecall but warned fellow PR workers against just calling to check if an email had arrived, which he described as “deeply annoying”.

Among the responses from journalists were:

“I have never, ever been talked into reporting something through a follow-up call. They are utterly useless and really a bit insulting, in the sense that they imply journalists are not capable of spotting and chasing stories for ourselves.”

“I hate it when people send local and regional journalists releases which have nothing to do with their patch and make no attempt whatsoever to tailor them.”

“There is nothing that makes me click the delete button faster than when a PR phones up to ask if a story will/has been in.”

The research can be read in full here.

16 comments

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  • September 5, 2013 at 9:35 am
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    It would just be nice if the PR agencies actually took note of this….

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  • September 5, 2013 at 9:49 am
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    Bit harsh, I wouldn’t mind if a PR phoned up to ask if the story was or wasn’t going in. Seems fair enough?

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  • September 5, 2013 at 10:26 am
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    Having worked in many newsrooms, I know how annoying these calls are, especially on deadline day. However, having gone over to the dark side I can also say many PR clients request media reports so we have to give feedback on the response of targeted publications. I’ll be honest, it’s a call I hate making as I know exactly how it feels to be on the other end but it’s just something we have to do. As part of an agency of ex journalists, we tend to work with companies/charities who are sources of genuine news stories or who can provide expert comment on topical issues, and are not just promoting the latest beauty/food product. I can’t count the number of times I’ve spoken to journalists who’ve seen a release and lost it (can you send it again please), have not been passed a release from their news editors and – apologies to most of you – DON’T spot the news potential until I’ve talked it through with them or have got completely the wrong end of the stick. We never expect publication or ask ‘will it go in’ but we do try to offer an interview or photo and ensure journalists have everything they need should they decide to use the story. And as for rudeness … I know newsrooms are under pressure, I know they get zillions of emails every day – but good manners cost nothing.

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  • September 5, 2013 at 11:41 am
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    These days, with severely undermanned offices and pages to quickly fill, these wordy press releases come in handy to fill the paper fast. Years ago they would have been spiked on impact.

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  • September 5, 2013 at 11:50 am
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    As the news editor for a number of weekly papers, I work closely with local PR companies and find their help and assistance invaluable as they provide copy and photos which are accurately targeted towards my readership. The information is written in such a manner that it is not simply a free plug for their clients but rather a justified news story. Often, they call me beforehand to discuss angles and content so that time is not wasted for either party. In other words, they are often used as an extra pair of hands in a similar manner to a freelance.

    However, I do find it extremely frustrating to receive daily calls from PR companies outside my area asking if I have received press releases which have no relevance to my area – or asking if I will be attending a launch event 400 miles away.

    Even more frustrating are the PRs who ring up to ask whether something has been used when it is already on our websites.

    Then there are the endless generic press releases – and the follow up calls – about fashion, music, baby products etc which are totally unsuitable for a local newspaper.

    All in all, I would be happier if many PRs checked out papers such as mine before sending their releases to ascertain whether the information is likely to be relevant. In 90% of cases, it’s not.

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  • September 5, 2013 at 12:20 pm
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    Working in Scotland, was once called by a PR company offering a Charlton Athletic football shirt to give away as a competition prize… Fantastic….

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  • September 5, 2013 at 1:00 pm
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    Local PR companies who send us decent press releases with relevant material can call me all day long if they like. The are invaluable these days. They also never ask if something has gone in or not because they read the paper so already know.

    National PR agencies very rarely have anything decent to offer and are the worst culprits for annoying phone calls.

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  • September 5, 2013 at 1:44 pm
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    I hear you onefineday. Remember repeatedly getting emails about a ‘local’ rally driver who hailed from Dumfries. They didn’t seem to twig that Tayside was on the opposite side of the country. Even worse, it wasn’t a London-based PR with no knowledge of Scotland (of which there are copious amounts), but a Glasgow-based one instead. They should really have known better.

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  • September 5, 2013 at 1:44 pm
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    Glad to see some support! Of course, I should have said that we spend considerable time drawing up suitable media lists for every release, thus ensuring we target the right publication, geographically and/or subject wise

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  • September 5, 2013 at 1:59 pm
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    As others have said I don’t mind calls about relevant items but ones where the PR must know we would not touch it are annoying.

    Especially when they try to convince you by saying “but it will be relevant to your readers.”

    Worst is when the refer to someone as “local” to your area in a press release to get you to cover them. Worst offender was a company that thought “within 90 miles” was local when they eventually gave me the person’s address

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  • September 5, 2013 at 2:39 pm
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    hacksthewaytodoit – love the bit where you say they don’t realise the news potential until you point it out. Either implying you think news staff are cretins or you see yourself as some father figure tutoring them in the ways of righteousness. There was NOTHING worse than dealing with PR people. Annoying calls, annoyingly chipper people, calling at annoying times. The stock answer was always ‘send it again’ just to get them off your back and hope they wouldn’t call back. Sorry, but I’m fully supportive. If you’ve done your job properly you don’t need follow up calls anyway!

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  • September 5, 2013 at 3:11 pm
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    Too many PR companies appear to be clueless about the way newspapers work. I get fed up with follow-up calls and emails from people asking me if I’m enjoying the sunshine/had a nice weekend etc. before abruptly ending the call when they discover that the totally irrelevant press-release they sent yesterday went straight to trash. I’ll happily deal with matters that interest my readers but too many PR firms use a scattershot approach.

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  • September 5, 2013 at 5:19 pm
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    PR people calling me up with surveys seem to annoy me most. I have started being a lot less polite to some of these companies, as I really don’t think my readers care about 56% of Welsh household pets having abandonment issues when their owners go on holiday.

    If these people make follow up calls about said nonsense, I will often put the phone down mid-call.

    Working in north Wales (admittedly on a paper with a misleading name) I have received hundreds of calls from people who have no idea of my patch.

    On the other hand, you do find many helpful and competent media relations folks who give you everything you need to get a story done.

    Pity there aren’t more of them.

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  • September 6, 2013 at 9:42 am
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    Scoop – I’m sorry you feel I’ve taken a lofty stance, that was never my intention. Furthermore I would never think of anybody as a cretin, journalists or otherwise. As a journalist I was taught to report the facts and, again I’m sorry if you disagree – there have been instances where I HAVE had to point out news aspects to others. Whether that’s an inadvertent leftover from my days assessing NCTJ candidates I don’t know but I certainly don’t see it as instructing others down the path of righteousness as a father figure – or otherwise ….
    I was also taught as a journalist to never assume…

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  • September 6, 2013 at 4:23 pm
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    PR Bods! Save yourself the hassle of annoying local newspaper journalists with my handy 12-step guide.

    1) Do some homework and find out when the paper goes to press. Don’t call up on deadline day.

    2) Do some homework and find out what area the paper covers. It will report on that area. It will not report on areas 30 miles away.

    3) Do some homework and find out whether the paper has more than one edition. Try to get hold of the person/people responsible for the edition that is relevant. Don’t send two identical emails to two different people when the information is only relevant for one of them.

    4) How many local newspapers have beauty editors? How about precisely none of them.

    5) Jesus is iconic. Rolls-Royce is Iconic. Elvis is Iconic. The telephone box is iconic. Toilet roll isn’t. Also, the words ‘sustainable’ and ‘quirky’ are utterly meaningless, and -unless the hack getting the release is a wannabe PR type themselves, or works for a certain bi-weekly paper whose name I shall not be mentioning which seems to put bicycles and grow-your-own as the splash with annoying regularity – will cause your email to be ignored.

    6) You’re almost certainly going to be dealing with an over-worked, underpaid hack. Please don’t sound like you’ve shoved the entire national product of Ecuador up your hooter.

    7) Don’t shove the entire national product of Ecuador up your hooter.

    8) Surveys are rarely interesting. Unless you can prove a specific area (no, not the south-west, not Norfolk, a specific town/city/borough) is the actual genuine leader in a physical, tangible thing, you’re wasting your time. If you can prove it, you might just get a nib.

    9) Is your name Charlotte, Arabella, Olivia, Oliver, Henry, Archibald, or another name that makes you sound verrrrr public schoo;? Change it to something normal.

    10) If you have something about an actual person, give the reporter their contact details, and don’t get shirty when they want them. We might want to actually talk to them/organise a picture of our own.

    11) Learn how to pronounce the areas you’re talking about correctly. I’m sure 1808 State has heard some nightmare pronunciations of Welsh place names. Even though I’ve spent most of my career in London and the Home Counties, I’ve encountered more than my fair share of clueless PR bods mangle the names of places they really, really ought to say properly.

    12) If you’re marking something for a particular person’s attention, for the love of God, spell their name right. If a PR bod couldn’t spell my name, they got deleted. If they can’t bother to do that (after I’ve told them my spelling), then I doubt they can bother to come up with something that’s worth looking at.

    There you are – all for free. Or, as you’d no doubt would put it ‘Iconic Part-time Hick’s quirky guide to sustainable PR (FAO the beauty editor, a town in the next county)’.

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  • September 9, 2013 at 10:24 am
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    I would add a thirteenth point to Part-time Hack’s list – make sure you get it right before you click send.

    The number of press releases that are fired into our newsdesk email account, then ten minutes later are followed up with another recalling the first, is staggering.

    I suppose that could also be good advice for under pressure journos, before we hit ‘send to web’.

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