Consider This...

How to talk to media without getting hurt

Posted by WATATAWA on February 1, 2012

A recent blog, entitled “Your PR Efforts May Be Hurting You,” has sparked a   bit of a firestorm since it appeared on the Harvard Business Review website.

The writer, former Chicago Tribune columnist Alex  Goldfayn, had three basic criticisms about the type of media relations work he’s seen done by many communications consultancies.

One, that it’s a numbers game rather than a relationship initiative and that many firms think they are doing their job simply by blasting out  press releases. Two, that most press releases are terrible and should never have been written or released.  And, three, that many public relations professionals don’t   represent their clients effectively because media relations works is generally seen as thankless “arms and legs” work; hence it is often assigned to junior personnel.

Goldfayn is not alone in his views. They are frequently echoed in interviews that Gorkana, the British PR industry  website, conducts with journalists.