When we pitch feature reporters, we often have back-up
ideas.
If the person doesn’t like the first, we offer another.
Even though he wasn’t interested in the initial
pitch, a national magazine editor recently asked for photos of a client’s work.
Since the client had been in national magazines before,
he suggested sending the photographs to the editor directly and cc’ing us.
But, his subject line had no connection to the idea or to earlier
releases.
The photos sequence didn’t tell a story and he took a jab
at the editor—even though he was offering a much bigger opportunity and had all
the power.
Luckily, the editor didn’t see the email, but was
interested enough to get back to us.
We added info about the client, wrote a relevant subject
line, put the photos into a visual story and thanked the editor for
getting back to us.
But, we learned our lesson: In future, no matter how
seemingly savvy, we won’t let clients deal with reporters until we’ve snagged an article and are ready for the interview.
For more information on public relations, please go to www.dellrichards.com.