Hacked Off Flack

Why that rubbish press release isn't the PRO's fault

Date: 17 May 2010 21:29

With clients who think they know more about PR than you, and journalists who think you’re a moron, it can be hard for PROs to hold on to any self esteem …

Don’t you just love it when clients listen to your recommendations and then insist on making a press release read like something out of a sales brochure!

We never cease to wonder why some corporate clients employ and pay a PR agency for professional input, strategic thinking and work, when they clearly think they know best anyway.

The "knowing best" includes: messaging; which journalists to pitch to; tone of voice; and actual wording. And then, guaranteed results are demanded! This is why payment upon performance can’t be a good idea – the hard work is done, the time is spent, but with content that you have no quality control over.

Adding insult to injury, journalists just don’t understand the notion of “having a client“ and prefer to think that you are a rubbish writer, with a complete lack of professional judgement as the release you have just sent them is badly pitched, with a wishy-washy news hook.

Journalists seem to be incapable of working out that “the client made me write this crap”, and that we would not write anything like this of our own accord. Badly and salesy written press releases are a result of having to go through the corporate channels where every little ego on the way has to have their say and make their mark. But, of course, if the results aren’t achieved, we get the blame for it.

Then there is our all-time favourite client comment: “We want to show we are thought leaders in our industry, and we want you to place white papers that we will be writing”. First of all, most of them don’t understand their own industry well enough to know what kind of cutting-edge creative thinking they need to be “thought leaders“. Second, most people don’t understand what a white paper is – no, it is not a “‘great sales idea“. Third, when did you last succeed in “placing” a white paper with one of the nationals?

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Comments

Having recently made the switch from journalism to PR, I do have some sympathy with the problems expressed in this article. Certainly I used to have distain for PROs and now am regularly getting the same treatment when I ring reporters. I guess that's my comeuppance. Regarding the point about clients having an attitude that they know best, however, if they re-write something I have written in a blatant sales way I tell them there's no way I would have used their press release when I was a business journalist, which usually does the trick. Once a client insisted, so I resorted to telling them if they didn't take my advice, I wouldn't be responsible when (not if) it got binned and refused to send it out from my own company's email address. I said it was bad for our reputation among journalists. I took this attitude because I believe I do know best. As the article points out, why pay a PR agency for input if you are going to ignore it? Clearly, this attitude may not be conjucive to a long a term relationship with a particular client, but I've only faced the problem a couple of times and taking the long term view, I would much rather build a good clientele based on a high success rate. I do understand that is an ideal however, and things don't always work out that way. With regards to No Win, No Fee, I'm still not convinced because you never know what could happen on a particular day that will knock your story off the newslist, and having sat in many news conferences, I know how fickle news editors can be. Nick Glaves www.nickglaves.com

Name: Nick Glaves
www.nickglaves.com
Date: 18 May 2010 10:32 AM

Of course we don't have any clients like that at Mulberry :-) but in other agencies that I have worked in I have run across them!

Name: Chris Klopper, Mulberry
www.mulberrymc.com
Date: 18 May 2010 12:30 PM

Another excellent from the heart article by Hacked Off Flack aka Pissed Off PR. I agree with Nick Glaves that it's best to refuse to issue poorly written or un-newsy releases. But how many of us really have that option? Clients need their egos stroking, so we have to let their terrible quotes through and their other ghastly changes to sharp copy. It's a compromise, but after all, they do pay the wages. Pass me my lotto ticket please....

Name: Neil
www.onenewspage.com
Date: 18 May 2010 01:56 PM

Neil and Nick have the right idea - I always tell a client at the outset that I am not a YES person and if they employ me as a senior independent consultant they must respect my expertise and knowledge in the work that I shall be doing for them. I too have refused to put my name to a release that the client re-wrote in a format resembling a child's school essay - and the client did come back to me with his tale between his legs when it did not get any coverage. The next time he allowed my copy to be used with the expected column inches. If a client is paying good money for an external consultancy or consultant it is because he does not have this expertise in house - he therefore should not "take over" in an area in which he does not have any knowledge. I make this clear - in the most polite way - at the outset - I think clients respect his external consultancy or consultant if they do occasionally say NO when it is felt necessary.

Name: carrie Beeson

Date: 18 May 2010 03:53 PM

If all else fails...rewrite the the main points of the story in your email pitch. Smart journalists appreciate and understand the effort.

Name: Sherrilynne Starkie
www.sherrilynnestarkie.com
Date: 19 May 2010 11:14 AM

Let's not just blame the client or the media - I've seen enough poor press releases that came hot off the PR printer in cheesy-puff style. It's all well and good for those of us who are able to make a stand with clients, but there are plenty happy to write puff, and even worse, train their young PROs to produce fluffy releases.

Name: Heather Yaxley
www.greenbanana.wordpress.com
Date: 19 May 2010 05:18 PM

Ref. 'Journalists seem to be incapable of working out that “the client made me write this crap”' Nope, I think they can figure that one out. But suspect they are annoyed because the PR person didn't have the maturity, training and clout to stop that happening (or the nouse to get your boss to do it for you). That, plus the fact that you probably earn more than they do.

Name: Andy Turner
www.twitter.com/andymturner
Date: 20 May 2010 05:47 PM

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