It takes three to tango

By avoiding certain bad habits, corporate clients, PR agencies and media can work in harmony and be of use to one another

What is common between corporate communication teams of companies, public relations agencies and media houses? All three presume they have full knowledge of how the others function. Ignorance is bliss but not for long. This attitude not only comes in the way of their day-to-day operations, making it difficult to achieve targets, it also has the potential to sour professional relationships in the long run. Let us analyse how.

Since human beings are intrinsically selfish, let me begin by sharing the 'media' side of the story. Back in 2008, with no contacts in the industry, I started my career in journalism with an advertising and marketing portal. Doubling up as my own assistant, I took every call from PR people in the hope of getting a story idea out of press releases. My boss nudged me to focus on meeting people from the industry to get ideas. Soon I realised how right he was.

In no time I understood that my initial eagerness had given PR executives an excuse to carpet bomb my mail box with multiple copies of the same email, which were of no interest to me. If I didn't call back, my cell phone would ring incessantly. Five years on, things haven't changed much. Even today many PR executives seem to have no idea about which journalist covers what subject. This should not be so baffling - all it takes is reading newspapers regularly or browsing websites of the media companies.

Indeed, there is no dearth of embarrassing moments in the life of a PR guy. There are many instances when reporters get story ideas meant for rival publications. Then we have those types who start a call by saying, "Here's a story idea for you". The key lesson here is that nobody likes to be told how to do her job better, unless the speaker is her boss.

The PR industry in some of the mature markets have a few lessons for us. Armed with complete knowledge on which journalist covers what beat, the PR executive will first send an email with information and possible story angles. Since journalists reply promptly, the PR executives have no reason to make follow-up calls. In fact, if there is no response to an email sent to the journalist, it is presumed that the information in it is of no use to him or her. Interestingly, telephonic interactions between PR and media happen mostly over landlines and attempts of reaching out via mobile numbers are rare. Personal space is valued.

At the same time, it is important to understand that PR agencies are always at the receiving end of a client's towering expectations and a journalist's dissatisfaction. This makes their jobs really tough. A public relations veteran told me how during a car launch press conference, the client asked his team to ensure every auto journalist was present before the car was finally unveiled. Since some journalists reached late, the launch was held up much beyond the scheduled hour. The end result: some journalists refused to interact with the spokesperson and left the conference mid-way.

The main problem lies in the way many PR agencies are treated by their clients. Largely, organisations in India treat a PR agency as yet another outsourcing firm and not as a partner. This means they do not play any role in preparing media itinerary other than approving press release drafts. Without understanding the importance of one-on-one relationships with the media, such companies rely on their PR agencies to set the agenda. And they pressurise their agencies to ensure every meeting results in coverage. Things are further complicated when communication teams act like unyielding gatekeepers who refuse to let PR teams and journalists reach senior management directly.

Journalists are not the good samaritans in the script either. They must understand that being polite is a great virtue even in the face of tight deadlines. If a pitch note is not relevant, spend a minute in explaining the same over email or a phone call. Do not depend on PR executives for information that can be easily obtained from the company's website or annual report. Do your homework and earn the other guy's respect.