Who’s Pitching Who Around Here?

I cherish the “art of the pitch” – for me it is one of the most enjoyable aspects of media relations. The bread and butter of public relations is the ability to transform complicated technology concepts or multifaceted partnership announcements into two or three sentences that summarize the whole and is still captivating to a news reporter. I often lay awake at night compulsively rethinking or tweaking messages or even email subject lines in my head.

As media channels continue to evolve through new services beyond traditional reporting such as webinars, conferences and executive roundtables in order to balance lost advertising dollars, I have often found that “the pitcher” (me) – has become “the pitchee.” In the past, communication with the media was a one-way street but editors are now reaching out directly to PR agents themselves to push these new offerings (because, in essence, we are the nearest link to our clients marketing dollars).

How should PR practitioners feel about this? How should we react? Is this even ethical in terms of journalistic standards? As the media industry has evolved so too has the PR campaign. Securing “hits” has become just one aspect of the overall PR/marketing mix. Campaigns are now much more eclectic and must blend multiple touch points which, at times, involve extending marketing dollars towards conference sponsorships, hosted webinars, etc. I enjoy working with editors on these types of projects because it helps strengthen the overall relationship they have with my clients. It’s not that they ever offer “pay for play” in terms of coverage, but simply help extend overall brand or product awareness, which is always the end goal.

As a PR expert ask yourself – would you rather be the hero for securing a feature in a top-tier trade which may or may not reach that potential customer ready to make a purchase or for crafting a successful webinar that resulted in immediate sales for your client?