PR and your business...the don'ts

Five Things You Should Not Do

1. Don’t pitch a non story. An easy trap to fall into. If you have a story that you find very interesting it is easy to convince yourself that others – editors, customers, and distributors will be equally enthralled. Take a walk in their shoes for a while, look at your story from their perspective. This may bring new insights so that you can rewrite and make the content more appealing to you editor and audience.
2. Don’t pitch the wrong story. Another deadly sin is to fail to customise the message to the audience. It happens in pitching stories to editors and it happens in more personalised micro PR. Unless the recipient has a direct and relevant interest in the story, then do not put it forward. Better to do this than cause offence or become identified as someone who sends irrelevant information.
3. Don’t forget the pictures. A picture is worth how many words? Everyone knows the answer, but ask any picture editor how often they get poor, bland, clichéd images and it is clear that not many people really take the message on board. Send in a really good picture, not just a happy snap. If you need more help with this the following checklist may help: Digital Photography for PR.
4. Don’t forget to say thank you. It’s back to micro PR again. If an editor accepts you piece, sends a reporter round to take details and a picture, then gives you a good write-up, it is only polite and professional to say thank you. Small tokens of appreciation can build strong relationships over time.
5. Don’t spin. When you are really, really enthusiastic about something – like your new venture – the enthusiasm spills out. That’s fine, that’s human. However there is always a temptation to go into overdrive and then it becomes spin. So stick to the facts, don’t exaggerate, stay credible and you will win more respect for your message and your business.