Lazy PR People

On PR Newser today, I found an article about how PR people don't gear their stories towards their targeted reporters enough. The article criticized PR practitioners for being lazy, not keeping up with industry news (especially on the Web) and not making press releases creative enough or specific enough for the reporters they send them to. I think there are a few reasons for this:

1. A reporter who gets a release about an announcement that pertains to their beat should respond to the release sender for more information, right? Who is being lazy here, the PR people who offer the gist and more information upon request, or reporters who expect their story to be spelled out for them? A really good reporter is one a PR person wants to work with, to sit down with, to arrange interviews for. A really good reporter catches the story and even if it is so niched they could pretty much send it in as is, they will research further and add their own findings. They will get new quotes, even better angles than the release provides. A good reporter writes a great story regardless of how mundane or personalized a pitch may be.

2. It would take months to write different versions of the same story in order to make the story re-telling easier for reporters.
Example Headline: A new Bean was Discovered!
Reporter 1, food writer for the Statesman: Texas farmer discovers a new bean. It smells sweet and tastes great in soup.
Reporter 2, health columnist for Elle: New bean discovered by Texas farmer that may aid in weight loss.
Reporter 3, travel writer for Travel Mag: If you are in Texas this week, try out the newest bean. This important discover is also delicious and is served at Texas Steak House along I10.
Reporter 4, business writer for BizMag: New bean discovered and may halt the sales of the beloved pinto.

Imagine how many versions of this story may be told and twisted for different audiences. When a PR person has only so much time to construct a general release and send it out to all possible interested parties, they cannot re-write their release for every possible interested reporter.

3. Time and Money: Deadlines are crucial in the PR profession. If the launch of a new client is about to start, you must get press packages and releases ready for distribution ahead of time. Sure a PR guy can study all related industry news and have a ton of ideas on how to structure a press release but they must be as general as possible so everyone will be interested and the release will be sent out on time. Time/deadlines = money. You must perform and you are in just as much of a crunch as the reporter you pitch to. Your job is to send them the news, theirs is to adjust it for their audience.

My thoughts on the subject. It would be fantastic if we had the time to write a new release for every reporter we hoped would publish the story and sometimes we can if time and budget allow. I think I will make it my goal in the future to make stories as perfectly written for each medium as I can <-- my vow to the PR and journalism industry.

http://www.prnewsonline.com/blog/index.php/why-are-pr-people-so-lazy/