FCP Founder and Principal Dan Cohen shares some thoughts on pitching reporters in times of crisis.
This tweet just crossed my newsfeed- Important insight disguised behind well-crafted snark. NYT reporter Katie Rosman wonders who in the world would ask her for a deskside briefing to promote bags and accessories during a public health crisis.
Here are three takeaways inspired by this tweet.
To the presumably younger PR team member who was asked to pitch this news:
Hang in there, it gets better. Take this experience and learn from it. Learn that reporters are human. Learn that they are subject to the same challenges as everyone else.. Learn that bosses are human and that sometimes you are asked to do a thankless task for a client – and it sucks – but you try anyway.
All logic says Katie would be in no position to write this piece – but is that a reason to pass? Maybe – but it would be a reason to pause and understand WHY you were pitching the piece. At FCP, I would have expected you first to push back and ask what success could look like in making this pitch at this time. We would have a conversation and ideally brainstorm a creative way to break through the noise. Then, if you did go ahead, we would relish this kind of candid feedback and learn for future pitches.
To the presumably more experienced PR boss who sent this staffer on this mission:
I would ask you to ponder the axiom that you should never ask a team member to do something that you wouldn’t personally do. Would you send that email or make that call to Katie to pitch a handbag story right now? If yes, how would you do it? How would you utilize your years of expertise?
If you can’t answer these questions, then you should not be asking a team member to do it. You also, as a leader, probably want to be having a candid conversation with your client about reasonable expectations during a public health emergency. Either way, you owe it to your staff members to put them in a position to succeed and thrive. Asking them to jump off a cliff for no reason can only lead to dissatisfaction and an erosion of confidence in your leadership.
To Katie Rosman, whom I respect and admire.
Thank you for calling this question publicly. PR practitioners are not perfect. We are subject to various client pressures and expectations. When we do our job well, ideally we help make you more effective at yours. When we do our job poorly, we deserve to be called out.
The post One Tweet, Three Thoughts on Pitching Reporters During a Time of Crisis appeared first on Full Court Press Communications.
