A single follow-up to a press release or invitation, via email, is sufficient. Daily reminders of an upcoming event — that does not even take place anywhere near the city where I work — are emphatically not appreciated and a good way to ensure that all future releases are ignored. Follow-up phone calls to press releases are definitely not desirable.
Now I know why it’s so difficult for PR folks to actually get someone on the phone when I’m working on a story with a tight turnaround time — they’re too busy pestering other journalists to see if they received the press release two weeks ago about the fact that Acme just hired a new Chief Marketing Officer. Ugh.
The care and feeding of the press is an excellent read for anyone working on the PR side of things and working with the press, particularly this bit, Don’t call. Really.
You should not call us to find out if we received your press release. We realize that follow-ups are part of many PR organizations’ normal operating procedure, but in many cases it’s more likely to create resentment. It is appropriate to follow up on requested information, such as a sent press kit or product, but not on a blind mailing.
If we’re interested, you’ll hear from us. If we’ve already established an ongoing relationship because I’ve covered your products earlier, it’s okay to send a follow-up e-mail a few days later to ask if I have any questions; but that’s it.
Now, I know this next point goes against a lot of your training; but take our word for it: Nothing sets a writer or editor’s teeth on edge more than an eager young voice saying, “I’m calling to see if you got the press release we sent.” (It is, alas, common practice to have follow-up calls made by the most junior [read: clueless] members of an agency.) When we’re in the middle of a tight deadline, the last thing we want is a phone call that contains no new or useful information whatsoever. Thus, by making such calls, you’re harming both clients’ and your own reputations. If you actually have something substantive to add, such as pointing out an error in a press release, that’s another story; but you’re still better off sending us an e-mail about it than calling us.
Possibly the worst phone call is when the PR person just reads from a document, and actually has no idea what he’s talking about. If you’re going to have someone just read, why not just e-mail me the information? If someone calls, it should be a person whom I can question a little bit about the news.
