Show Glamorous Passion: A Thought for Today

Always be gutsy. Yes, “always” doing anything is hard to imagine, but dealing with press people is a game, and it’s a two-way street that never ends. Be out there with your heart in it, don’t take no or maybe for an answer, show glamorous passion, and just, well … go for it. You’d be surprised at how many reporters or producers will stop what they’re doing, sit up, and pay attention, because these people darn well respect your gumption.

Stay informed about the world. I can’t say this enough! Any reporter will tell you to tie your idea to a trend. Sharpen … sharpen … sharpen! Smart PR pros need to make trend watching a 24/7 habit. Only then will you be sharp enough to spot the fresh ideas that make your company a natural tie-in to the news.



Take the words “I don’t care” out of your mouth forever. Do you hate sports? Well, before you paper your bird cage with the sports section, at least skim through it. You may find a tie-in to your company that you would never have dreamed of if you’d considered it fit only for canary carpet. By the same token, if you don’t normally talk to people who are interested in arts and culture—maybe you’re a techie who lives and breathes routers and switches and VPNs— start hanging out with a cultural crowd in your workplace. Or just go to a new play or art exhibit once in a while.

Everyone in the biz will tell you that reporters like to talk to well-rounded people. Plus, you’ll be much more fun at parties. But if you talk nothing but gobbledygook, journalists will get bored even if their job is to cover your industry.

I also suggest identifying some well-known trend watchers whose ideas you respect and trust. Perhaps it’s a pundit with political leanings similar to your own, or a writer for the New Yorker or the Economist whose work you find insightful. Or, better yet, start reading the work of writers with whom you don’t agree, for a different perspective and a better shot at seeing the whole picture. Whomever you choose, follow their work as often as you can. Seek out their books, their articles, and their broadcast appearances. This knowledge gives you grist for all of your dealings with the media.

Here’s one piece of advice that PR pros know but won’t tell people: Think kindly toward the media! Journalists aren’t as jaded as you’ve been told or led to imagine. That “I’ve-heard-it-all-before” attitude doesn’t exist, at least not among journalists of any repute. Faced with shrinking newsroom staffs and resources, plus far heavier workloads, journalists today can’t afford that brand of cynicism.

No, they want help from good sources.

Thankfully, in-the-know types are pushing for change. What’s the media of the future going to be like, then? Interactive news means a broader world, allowing us to see much more than ever before. According to veteran news guys, networks will one day put up a “barker channel” that will steer you to interactive applications. If you want to get more information on a current event, you’d simply click on a certain spot on your screen. The result looks like Headline News, except that you’ll be able to click on the little paragraphs to get in-depth information on the story in broadcast-quality video. Dreams like that bode well for us in the news gathering and information industry, which is exactly what PR people must match and compete with daily.

The people who make news are coming to grips with a news flash:

Digital doesn’t have to mean trivial. Matt Drudge, master of all things light and airy, said a few years ago: “Sure it will be digital, but it will be larger, more gorgeous than ever before, and completely and utterly fascinating, in order to grab [the] attention of an ingrained, thrill-seeking world.” …And a super well-informed one at that, right?

One of the coolest things about being a really informed person is that you’ll be brimming with fresh ideas, from fashion to corporate management. You then become one of those sources reporters love: a PR pro who tosses out interesting ideas and trends, even if they’re not always linked to a story about your company or product. And voilà! You will soon become an expert in the “thought-you’d-be-interested-in-this” e-mail subject, one of our favorite things to do (except, of course, in 2001, when it became the header of an e-mail containing a huge virus).

This way, next time you call with a pitch, you’ve already built up a reservoir of honest respect.