Real Talk About PR PitchesBy Colleen T. Reese

Because, why would anyone follow the meticulously crafted talking points or important documents you’ve prepared?

Maybe I’m using the royal “we” a bit too liberally. Truth be told, I’m a marketer by trade, but, I write to PR audiences for a really specific reason: Everyone wants to play in your sandbox these days.

Remember the “content is king” mantra? That demand for content is driving more and more marketers and advertisers to get involved with practices that were historically governed entirely by public relations. They’re hot for earned media, and there’s really no end in sight.

This could mean a lot of things—namely, that pesky marketers (like myself) are going to get in your hair more often. But, more importantly, PR is going to play a much larger role in modern communications going forward.

In lieu of this, I’m opening the floodgates and inviting you to let your hair down a little and ask the questions you’re always too polite to ask. Whether you just need to dish, rant, or rave about your latest interdepartmental smashup… I’m here for you.

Real Talk About PR Pitches

Here’s a question I get from my clients all the time:

Our social media department doesn’t want PR involved in the day-to-day messaging. How can I prove to them my services are necessary?

First of all, don’t ever let the big bad social media bully push you around. You’re likely better connected with the “influencers” they’re trying to reach on Twitter than they are. Don’t quote this statistic but I’m willing to bet at least half of those influencers are journalists and digital content providers. That’s your wheelhouse. Go ahead and show off a little.

That being said, open up regular communications with your social media team. While it may seem like you can divide and conquer the world, digital marketing and PR are ultimately working towards the same goal: Attention.

Let them know it’s your job to make sure the attention they’re garnering is the right kind. It’s almost altogether too common to see brands and organizations fumbling at the helm of branded Twitter accounts and one little misguided tweet can make the difference between crisis and success. Opening regular communication and developing flexible review processes for social media content will save them (and you) a lot of heartache in the long run.

Secondly, enlist their services. Everyone loves to be a subject matter expert and everyone loves a chance to “contribute.” Ask your social media team how they can help you distribute important media or how to build your personal brand online. You have what they want (content and connections), now get something in return.

Who knows, maybe you’ll even develop some kind of freaky symbiotic relationship and rule the entire world with your super modern converged PR methods.

And, if you really get a lot of pushback, just remind them stuff like this happens all the time:

Colleen Reese

Colleen T. Reese is a content strategist, currently wreaking marketing havoc at iQ media. She also independently advises agencies, publishers, nonprofits and consumer brands on how to use their words (literally). She proudly resides in Philadelphia, likes a good gin martini and will absolutely never drop the “T."

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