By now, Chris Anderson’s story is old news. Earlier this week, the editor of Wired, denounced and published the names and email addresses of pr professionals who send him unsolicited flack. The news erupted in the blogosphere and started many thought provoking conversations.
I looked through the list of names, which are from some of the top agencies like Edelman, Ogilvy and Weber Shandwick. And despite, Bad Pitch Blog’s recommendations to take Anderson’s words to heart and Common Sense PR two cents, I have a hard time believing that every person on that list sent Anderson shotty material.
As a pr profession, we get a bad rap. People don’t trust us and often think we don’t know how to do our job. I spend a lot of time on the phone calling a lot of different reporters. I used to be a newspaper reporter so I like to think that I know what they are looking for, and I still have reporters and editors who are rude, or too busy, or holler as they’re hanging up, ’send me an email.’
My pitch may be perfect, specially tailored to that publication. But if I don’t get the chance to tell it to you, then it doesn’t matter how good it is.
I don’t agree with Anderson’s decision to ostracize these professionals. I think it’s rash. And I think it jaded him toward our profession as a whole. But rest assured the next time I send a pitch to Wired, it will be superb.
Michele, great observations on another angle of this story.
Unbelievably, it has started more than just thought-provoking conversations: http://www.alleyinsider.com/2007/11/pr-shops-in-flame-war.html (H/T to kflaherty’s twitter stream). This certainly won’t help the industry reputation, will it? Embarrassing.
As the line between journalism and blogs continues to blur with more and more mainstream media reporters having blogs, this will become–I’m afraid–an even bigger problem. PR pros need to start pushing the “quality not quantity” angle now, and repeatedly, to clients. Unfortuantely, the urge to report impressions as ROI fuels the fire of the mass-email approach.
Jen
Michele – great points. Then again, when you say, “rest assured the next time I send a pitch to Wired, it will be superb,” you’ve proven that Chris’ tactic worked! ;)
Hey guys, Michele posted and went on vacation so I’m filling in as the thank you commenter.
Todd: How true. It put us all on alert not to get lazy with our pitches.
Jen: Just shows how pathetic our business really is.