The biggest disconnect in the media-PR relationship is the definition of “news.” News people have a keen sense for the kind of information they want to present as “news” to their audience, while PR people unfortunately find themselves pitching all sorts of information to journalists that either isn’t news at all or isn’t the kind of information a particular journalist wants to present to their audience.
It’s one of the reasons I got into PR, actually. I have a strong background in journalism and I figured this would be one area where I’d always have a competitive advantage. Fifteen years later, it’s as much of an advantage for me as it ever was, because PR people as a group are no better at figuring out what’s news than they were before.
We trainers and do-gooders continue to try to help, however, and I’m always gratified when I see a client or seminar participant make progress.
The latest attempt to bridge the gap is an online service called Newsvetter, and I recommend you check it out. Newsvetter is set up to be a middleman between PR and the media, screening PR pitches and helping to beef them up so they will be more attractive to the media.
I’m not sure this online approach will work for what is a very hands-on task, but it’s an interesting attempt at bridging the divide.
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