How the F@$K Do I Get Press to Notice Me?!? PR For Dummies

by Lily Gribbel

DISCLAIMER: I have only worked in the PR world for roughly 8 months now, but have learned a ton about the industry, especially in the food world. I am not an expert, even though sometimes you have to fake it until you make it. Fellow publicists, please, don’t come for me.

During the peak of COVID lockdown, I began working for a small PR & integrated marketing firm in the city. Working directly for 10+ lifestyle clients, many of whom are restaurants you’ve enjoyed after-work drinks at, or fan-girled over their chicken and waffles brunch special, I’ve begun to gain a better understanding of how public relations works during such a strange time for the restaurant world. Here are a few tips & tricks of the trade I’ve learned, as a dummy trying to make her way in Boston’s PR world (shoutout Alana for making me seem like a pro, I appreciate the plug).

How does the press even work?

There are essentially three main ways a publicist interacts with the press/various media outlets. You either pitch ideas to the press yourself (ex. My client is hosting a hot pepper eating contest on Cinco de Mayo and this is why it’s going to be awesome — true story, everyone. Go book your reservations at Cósmica, everyone.), the press reaches out to you looking for specific details for a story they’re in the process of writing (ex. My name is Susie Sandwich and I’m writing an article about the best places to go when you’re tripping on acid. Do you have anything that would fit this story? Ok this one’s not true, but I’d probably be inclined to read it if it were?), or you “newsjack” (a hybrid of the two) where you reach out to a specific media contact about an article they recently published and try to get them to add your idea to it, or consider your idea based on relevance to their recent post. All three forms of communication between a client and media contacts is a form of public relations work! However, to make it even more complicated, the ways in which you choose to communicate to a specific contact can take different forms.

But wait, what are the different forms of press outreach?

Very broadly speaking, publicists can submit ideas to the press via four main forms: press releases, media advisories, round ups, and pitch letters. The first, and most commonly known, is through a press release. A press release is used when your client has a larger business development, such as a new partnership, reopening, closure, etc. that can speak to a larger theme or can be its own standalone news story if a media contact were to pick it up. These types of press outreach tend to be the most business-y formal, so to speak.

A media advisory is a more “dumbed down” version of a press release that details the 5 Ws of the story you’re pitching (who, what, when, where, and why). Similar in format to a press release, an advisory also needs a catchy header and sub-header that will grab the attention of the media contacts with whom you conduct outreach . The main goal of a media advisory is to alert the press of a specific event/promotion/partnership at a given company. Sometimes this can mean exclusive, pre-opening access to an event/space, or attendance to something that is not yet public as a way to get the media to eventually write about your ideas.

Born out of Covid, the round up is essentially a collection of short entries from different clients that all pertain to a common theme. Mother’s Day, for example, is usually a date that multiple clients would be interested in highlighting specific events for. A round up is usually only used at PR firms and agencies that represent a larger array of clients, rather than an in-house PR team that is only dealing with one company.

Finally, we have a pitch, or a pitch letter. These are less rigidly formatted ways to get the word out to a few select people in a more casual way — you’re essentially just sending a targeted email to someone in the hopes that they’ll want to write about the story idea you have. These work well if you are trying to build out your media contact list or if you already have a personal relationship with a specific contact that you think would be interested.

Write in a way that is exciting, relevant, newsworthy.

Before writing anything for the PR world, first ask yourself:

• What would you want to read? (or conversely, what about the topic/event/subject your writing about is interesting to you in particular?) You’ll be shocked at how much easier it is both to write & to write well when you identify aspects of the subject that are particularly fascinating to you.
• Would you hear this headline on the news? Since the purpose of PR is to gain attraction from the press, watching the news and looking at what different outlets are producing will give you a good idea about what type of language is engaging and ‘newsworthy.’
• What would stand out in an inbox? Don’t be afraid to use bold, out-of-the-box phrasing. In general, PR documents are meant to capture the attention of writers & press, so you shouldn’t worry too much about the way you’re presenting the ideas versus how someone you’re writing to would present it.
• Is this PR talk or marketing talk? Contrary to popular opinion, marketing and public relations are two very different things. While the two fields are constantly working in tandem with each other, anyone in a PR role must always remember that they are acting as the connection between a client and the media, and are not supposed to be acting as the client in any way. To put it another way, PR experts’ main role is to pitch cool, inventive ideas to the press in hopes of getting media pick-ups, NOT to market the product/company they are writing for. It’s the job of people in the world of PR to learn how to market the story behind a company’s marketing goal. For example, a client may want to increase revenue on their lobster roll kits that ship nationwide and feels that Mother’s Day would be a great time to capitalize on spending opportunities. While this may be true, it is not the publicist’s job to directly market the product to the media contacts. (I learned on the job today that you can get blacklisted for doing this — yikes.) Instead, what PR experts do is find the story behind the product — maybe the lobster rolls are a great opportunity for families to celebrate virtually or in person! Being able to distinguish between marketing language and public relations’ larger goals is oftentimes forgotten.

Being able to answer those four questions as specifically as possible prior to writing will help your pitch stand out. Above all, always keep in mind that PR stands for public relations — so make sure what you’re writing is relatable, even within the formal formatting boundaries!

Media contacts are people, but also professionals.

While sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the formatting and formality of the whole PR world, it’s also refreshing to remember that the contacts you’re sending information to are just people too. We are all human, and incorporating that into outreach is an important part of building connections within the media landscape. However, you also need to remember that they are professionals. While you may build friendly rapport with some media professionals, it’s important to always let them move the conversation in a more casual direction first. You may be building connections, but you’re also representing clients and need to be cognizant of both sides.

Sometimes luck does have something to do with it.

Unfortunately, the PR world can be brutal. You could write an amazing release (I’m talking Joan Didion level masterpiece), but get no hits. And honestly, that’s just the nature of the game. Sometimes the right people for your piece already have stories lined up, or aren’t yet looking for stories like yours. Don’t take it personally. Just start brainstorming new ideas and continue to work the story angles — your time will come.

Add me on LinkedIn. Your network is everything, and 90% of PR is just knowing the right people.

While I’d like to pretend media pickups are due solely to my exquisite writing capabilities, there’s honesty in recognizing the power of your network. For much of my work, I’ve received pickups by the same core 5 group of journalists. Building out your media relationships and constantly reaching out to new people is the key to the whole game. It is called public relations, after all.