After The Lawyers, Can We Kill All PR People?

from the publice-service-announcement... dept

I would really like to believe that not all PR people are this bad, but I'm beginning to lose faith. Last year, I wrote up a longer piece about PR people who don't understand blogs and tried to do things like trick bloggers into writing about the companies they represented. I mentioned, in passing, that some PR people submit press releases to the site, even though we clearly say not to do so. I can certainly understand it if a PR person didn't happen to catch that post. However, if you're going to be in PR, and you're going to try to get blogs to write about the companies you represent, we should set some ground rules. First: Read the damn site. If we never talk about highly technical things like a new computer fan, do not try to get us to write about a new computer fan. You're wasting our time, your own time, as well as the money of the company you represent. Second: Read the damn submission page. If you're not going to understand what the site is about, at the very very least (we're not asking for much) you could read the page where you submit the press release, because it says (in bold) not to submit press releases. If you can't even bother to read that page, why should we bother to read your press release? Finally: If you're going to ignore both of these fairly simple rules, do not then claim on your own website that you are somehow "A High Tech PR Agency" or that you have "the broadest high tech PR experience of any Public Relations Agency." It's not true. If it were true, you would know not to do what you keep doing. Also, don't claim that you "did online PR before the Internet." You didn't. The internet was there before you were. This isn't difficult, but bloggers are not traditional press. While some of them may accept press releases, the fact that you can't bother to take the briefest amount of time to figure out what kind of publication we are suggests you're not so tech savvy after all.
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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Jul 2004 @ 11:22am

    Hey, are you talking about these guys?

    They're the only ones that show up when you google: "the broadest high tech PR experience of any Public Relations Agency."

    The S&S Edge

    ;-)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 15 Jul 2004 @ 11:36am

      Re: Hey, are you talking about these guys?

      They're not a PR agency, they're just spammers that charge more.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Someone..., 15 Jul 2004 @ 12:49pm

        Re: Hey, are you talking about these guys?

        Heh, and

        these guys

        are the only ones with "did online PR before the Internet"

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Director Mitch, 15 Jul 2004 @ 2:41pm

          You Can Kill PR Only After HR

          I don't care how much you hate PR, HR has a special ring in Hell just for them. While PR flacks are annoying, HR flacks are just evil.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2004 @ 6:59am

            Re: You Can Kill PR Only After HR

            I've just started dealing a lot of PR people. My guess is that you're getting the interns and students contact you, or the lesser agency folk.

            I recommend you BOLD IN RED the segment on your submissions page that you don't take PR releases.

            In fact, you should bullet point the whole damn list. That would help all those that submit.

            I've had to tweak my own submissions page several times to make things clearer for people - could still stand to do more of it.



            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              Clinton East, 17 Jul 2004 @ 11:49am

              Re: You Can Kill PR Only After HR

              I'm preaching to the choir here I know, but isn't it beautiful?

              It's substance, and it's beating the hell out of style and spin... Channels that promote good solid, well designed products and services, rather than well marketed ones.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Daniel, 17 Jul 2004 @ 9:37pm

    No Subject Given

    Of course if you are a PR agency that subscribes to Google Ads and the Blog author does too, piss him off and you may still come out ahead. (see below) :)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      John, 18 Jul 2004 @ 10:44am

      Re: No Subject Given

      Come out ahead? Each time someone clicks on those ads, the PR company pays the blog owner makes money... That seems like a good deal for the blog owner... :)

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Daniel, 18 Jul 2004 @ 12:35pm

        Re: No Subject Given

        You're right of course - and I guess they are an off-brand of ad, not Google. My bad.

        link to this | view in chronology ]


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