Common mistakes companies and agencies make when contacting journalists

The activity of journalists has a series of singularities that the communication departments of organizations and public relations agencies cannot ignore. Otherwise, they take the risk of working in vain by not taking these particularities into account, since they will end up straining the bond with these professionals. Or even worse: they will end up generating irrelevant content, with press releases that are marked as spam, and whose telephone numbers telephones turn out being blocked for being so insistent.

 It should always be remembered that journalists tend to have very busy schedules, so it is extremely intrusive for them to be contacted through, for example, WhatsApp to send them unsolicited information or voice messages to offer an interview.

The abuse in the use of instant messaging is a practice that has gained popularity among news agencies, but should be avoided at all costs, as it irritates most journalists.

The issue of respecting deadlines is another key factor since media professionals handle deadlines that must be strictly respected. Taking too long to answer to a journalist's request "dooms" the agency (and its source) to be left out of the story and, probably, also out of future articles.

A matter of image

Sending unprofessional photos is another mistake that often earns journalists’ annoyance. It is quite typical of agencies and communication departments to send images with the executives next to the company’s logo in a huge size, or with a decorative plant on the side. This practice does not recognize something basic, which is that journalists are not there to advertise or take care of the branding of any company, but to delve into the issues that make up the news. For this reason, sobriety in pictures like avoiding self-promotion is always welcome.

Along these lines, it is also recommended to avoid another very common practice: abusing references to the company itself and its history. What journalists really need are testimonials about the issues they are dealing with; they have no special interest in narrating the background of the company or person. For example, the reference to a specific success story that illustrates the topic in question can be useful, but only if it adds value to their article or report.

Focus, focus, focus

In the world of journalism there are specialties. In general, professionals work on certain topics that respond to very specific sections within the media in which they work, such as politics, society, sports and technology. There are even subspecialties such as international politics specialized in the Middle East, or B2B Technology journalism, but not B2C. That is why it is so necessary to be clear about the profile of the themes handled by each journalist: sending materials that have nothing to do with their areas of interest is another mistake that can be detrimental to the journalist-agency relationship.

Journalists are not here to do favors for companies or their press agencies. They are sustained by their audience and need to maintain their reputation. For this reason, you have to "put yourself in their shoes" and see how you can provide them with materials that generate interest in their readers or serve as triggers for future notes. In this sense, it is very important that the press releases have a clear focus, are written in a professional way and that the content is relevant to the issues that the journalist deals with in their daily work. It is essential to know which journalist covers which topic and from what perspective.

In addition, it must be considered that journalists do not have time to read very long communications. It is essential to summarize the main ideas and not send press releases longer than two pages.

 To achieve a spot in the media outlets, companies and press agencies have to take into account these details of the daily activity of jourmalists that can really make a difference.