Straight from the Source - Reporters Respond to PR Survey

We sent the following questionnaire to 150 reporters in the Phoenix Metro area. We asked them about their preferred practices and pet peeves in working with PR professionals. They had strong opinions about what they liked, disliked, and downright hated. Their responses can help the PR-minded learn to build more positive relationships with the media.

Questions:

1. How do you prefer to hear about a company's news? (i.e. pitch, release, phone message etc.)

Email, please. 92% prefer to receive a pitch or news release via email. 16% preferred phone messages to alert them to breaking news. 16% favored faxes-a dying breed, but not dead, yet.

2. What can a public relations person do to increase their chances of getting a story covered?

Study the target publication. Reporters responded overwhelmingly (66%) that knowing the publication, its reporters and features is the best thing a PR person can do to get a story covered. After you've done your homework, make your case outlining how the story is a good fit and relevant for readers.

Make sure it's newsworthy. The remaining 34% advised PR people to gain a nose for news. Only pitch stories that have real news value and keep pitches short and concise. Press releases should be written in AP style.

Other tips from reporters: be creative, but don't stretch it; don't use high-tech jargon; when appropriate, list several angles; and be sensitive to deadlines-don't scoop your reporters.

3. Should a press release be sent to more than one member of your editorial staff?

What part of "No" don't you understand? Reporters hate this. 75% responded that sending releases to multiple reporters causes irritation and duplication of effort. Some thought that sending the release to one reporter and his/her editor was just fine (%16). TV reporters are a notable exception. In their hectic world, sending a release to multiple reporters is the way to go.

4. Do you mind when a PR person follows up by phone?

The majority of reporters (66%) hate to be called. 33% don't mind a call, but ask first if they're busy. If they are, call them back later.

a) How many days after a PR person sends a pitch should they 
    wait to follow-up?

    · 16% Don't follow-up ever
    · 33% Next day - by email if it's a worthwhile pitch
    · 33% Two to three days
    · 16% 1-2 weeks

b) What is the best day to follow-up with you? Are mornings or afternoons 
    better?

Responses were all over the map, but here are a couple of tips. For newspapers and TV, find out if your reporter works on the morning or afternoon news. Call the morning reporter in the morning and afternoon reporters in the afternoon. Easy enough. Other responses included additional pleas for email over phone calls, and the reminder to respond ASAP to a reporter's call.

5. What makes a story idea compelling?

Reporters each had their own take on what makes a story compelling. Here a few common answers ranked by number of responses:

1. Relevance to readers
2. Breaking news
3. Something unexpected, unique or a first
4. Something that is part of a larger trend
5. Compelling experts

6. How do you like story ideas to be pitched?

Again, email is king. 92% want pitches emailed to them. Only 8% preferred to have pitches faxed.

7. What is the smartest thing a PR person can do to get their pitch noticed?

The top response: "Put news at the top of the release and get immediately and specifically to the point" (45%). Other reporters asked that pitches be relevant to their audience and publication (27%), to please study editorial calendars and pitch with plenty of lead-time (18%). Another 10% asked that pitches be kept short and that we avoid useless detail or hyperbole.

8. What is your biggest pet peeve with PR people?

We got an earful. Reporters' biggest pet peeve was bad news judgment, PR people trying to sell non-stories about clients that are clearly neither exciting nor interesting (33%). Tied for a close second (each with 25%) are PR people who don't know the reporter's publication and who try to get in news too close to deadline. Rounding out our list are PR people who are not knowledgeable about their client or story (17%).

9. What do you wish every PR person knew?

Take a walk in my shoes. 40% wished the PR people knew what it was like to work as a reporter. 30% wished that PR people understood what makes a good story. Other responses included:

· "How much poorly written, poorly conceived and poorly pitched stuff 
    editors get from PR people every day."
· "That reporters don't hate them. We want to work with them, not against 
    them."
· "Our deadline"
· "TV is visual-we need exciting pictures"
· "Daily newspapers are hard-news focused"

10. How can a PR person make your job easier?

The number one way PR people can make a reporter's job easier is to give them real news with a good hook. Vying for the number two slot are pleas to "know my audience and publication" and to "keep pitches short, concise and coherent." Reporters also asked PR folks to respect deadlines, use AP or accepted style, and to send emails whenever possible.

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