Things PRs Hate #1: Disappearing Journalists

My post from pre-hols about the invisible PR phenomenon struck a nerve with a couple of PR readers - most notably David in the original post's comments and Susannah over at Lighthouse PR.

Both responded by criticising hacks for missing scheduled phone calls with clients. I get their point, I really do (I still think David's wrong, but let's agree to differ) but I've been giving it some thought and here's an idea: don't set up interview times.

Interview times - for the most part - don't work. If your client isn't essential to my feature and something more interesting comes up at the appointed hour, I'll ditch the interview. That sounds harsh, I know, but it's a reality. If I am due to speak to your client at 11am but someone I'm desperate to speak to calls at 10.55am, I will take that call over yours, every time - because my job is to produce the best copy I can before my deadline.

Now, of course, when this happens journalists should email the PR, explain and apologise. Not doing so is both rude and unprofessional. But it's going to happen. And I'll admit I do it myself more often than I like to think about.

Perhaps I'm rude (ahem) but I think the problem is the nature of the job we do. That 10.55am call might last 30 minutes. When I put the phone down, it might ring again with the call I'd scheduled for 11.30am. At 12pm, I finish the call and see three or four urgent emails regarding interviews I've requested for another story. I reply to those and then see another email from an editor about some work - obviously I call them right away (since I know from experience, if I don't, they might commission someone else). At 12.15pm I get off the phone with my editor, send out a couple of emails about the new commission and notice a PR has sent me a story idea, which I want to try and sell in immediately, so I'm back on the phone. At 2pm, I need to start writing copy for my 5pm deadline, so I'm concentrating on that.  

Before I know it, it's 5pm and I've forgotten all about the 11am interview. You're (rightly) pissed off, the client's (even more rightly) pissed off, and I'm oblivious to the whole thing until two days later when I remember I wanted to speak to your client and send you a witless email saying something like: "Oh, sorry about that, is he around in the next couple of hours?"

Personally, I think there are two ways to get around this issue when you're dealing with a reporter who is really busy and who doesn't necessarily NEED to speak to your client to get the story:

Option A: give your client the reporter's direct line. Ask her to set aside an hour. She should call the reporter at 11am, then every 10 minutes until she reaches him. If your client is super-important, have an account exec do this for them. If you get voicemail, leave a message with a DIRECT line for the reporter to call to reach the client (seriously, I've lost count of the number of times I've been waiting for a call, missed it because I was on the phone, and got a message saying they'd call back "in a few minutes" but I've missed them again because another call came in)

Option B:give the reporter the client's direct line. Give them a 2 hour (ideally, could be less) window when the client will be in the office and available to take a call. 10 minutes before the start of that window, drop the reporter an email to remind them that Bob's going to be available this morning for that interview. 10 minutes before the end, you can drop another email asking if they got what they needed, or do they need some questions answered over email if they're too busy to make the call. This means the reporter can take an urgent call if it comes in without blowing the interview, and they're a lot more likely to make the call if they can choose a good time for them on a specific morning.

Worth a try?

Comments

[katie moffat]

Both options good, I usually go for option A but despite this, on occastion (thankfully rarely) I've arranged all with journo, had the client try again and again, throughout the day, to get in touch (left messages on direct voicemail etc) and still not have calls returned. Now that is blinkin rude.

[David Child]

Good points Sally - hope you had a lovely holiday. The challenge for PRs is to manage the often diverging interests of their clients and journalists. Handling bosses and senior professionals - even when they're paying you to get them exposure and recognition in their target media - often have little time to devote to journalist interviews. And even less to have their busy schedules rejigged constantly because a journalist hasn't managed to make an appointment.

I think the second option would absolutely be the best (where possible we give our clients' mobiles rather than office number) and I'll definitely try it. Maybe journalists and PRs should sign up to a written code of conduct to set up a protocol for situations like these.

One final point would be that no-one minds the occasional missed interview - we generally warn clients that the time is likely a moveable feast - but a simple 'sorry' wouldn't go amiss. Journalists don't hold the monopoly on a busy day - managing clients, a team and general business issues involves planning and the not so occasional multi-plate spinning - manners do maketh man after all.

[Sally Whittle]

@David - genuine question: have you ever spent a day in a newspaper office?

[David Child]

Hi Sally - no I haven't. I'm one of the few members of my team that isn't a former journalist - others have come from Mail on Sunday/Sky/BBC/Reuters and regional newspapers so I try to get as much understanding, insight and empathy from them as I can. I don't think it hinders my performance though - at least not in terms of delivering results for clients and, where I have them, my relationships with journalists are strong and positive. If you'd like to swap roles for the day then it might make an interesting experiment - certainly an entertaining blog post.

I suppose it helps both sides to see things from each other's point of view - hence me understanding when appointments aren't kept and being happy to rearrange with the client.

[Pietro Ranieri]

Hi Sally,

I think its entirely acceptable for a journalist to miss a telephone interview, especially if it isn't that important and your mega busy, but I do think its good form to email the PR and let them know the situation, this way the terrified little PR thats getting abuse from their client about them messing up their schedule and wasting their time can be handled, ie the PR can forward on your email...

However, I don't think its acceptable when a PR misses a face to face meeting with a PR and their client. This has happened a few times to me and a number of times to some of the AEs/AMs in the agency and it makes for a very uncomfortable hour until the next meeting with the client.

On the whole most journalists are gracious and let the PR know somehow on the day, but occasionally the journalist just goes AWOL! Its not so much missing the meeting, its just the waste of time, and clients don't let that go easily especially if you've taken 30 minutes to get to some cafe in the east end in a cab!

Well thats my 10 pence anyway.

Take care.

P.

[Sally Whittle]

@David - the reason I ask isn't because I don't think you know what you're on about (honest) but because I think you're not taking into account how papers work. Yes, everyone has busy days but not everyone has to get a paper out of the door at 4pm. In that environment, calls get missed and when you're in a job that basically means you always have to be prepared to drop everything for a breaking story, things will get missed. It's not about plate spinning - it's about keeping your job. I don't quibble with you on the manners thing, really I don't - I do make a point of apologising for the inconvenience if I miss an interview, but I don't apologise for the fact it happens. It's part of the job when you're a hack, and I'm simply suggesting a constructive way PRs might handle that reality.

@Pietro - I think I just remembered who you are. *waves*. Missing face to face interviews? Wow, don't think I've ever just not turned up, that's pretty bad form. However, if I was the terrified PR, I think I'd have cunning plan:

Client: Grr, where's that crap journalist, grumble, grumble, I'm a busy man, you know.
PR: Ooh, my phone is ringing, it's on vibrate, excuse me...
[puts phone to ear]
PR: What's that? John the Journalist is dead?? Oh my God, that's terrible. Right, well I can see why he isn't here, obviously, thanks for letting me know.
[turns to client]
PR: Bad news on the interview, Terry...

[Pietro Ranieri]

I obviously couldn't support that view, but like your style! very Ocean's Eleven... :-)

BTW, what does *waves* mean? Is that *hello*? Sorry, I'm crap at that texting language as well...(just wanted to make sure!)

P.

[Sally]

Basically if you put something in asterisks it's just an action* - so I was virtually waving at you. I remember now you were on my first ever (incredibly drunken) press trip to Eurodisney. I remember some SPECTACULARLY bad dancing and going on Space Mountain about ten times in a row, despite the hangover from hell.

* or so the kids tell me.

[Pietro Ranieri]

Ah, i see...

Indeed it is I from the press trip, i think it was my first as a baby PR as well...long time ago now, must be a least ten years! Can you believe that?

[Sally]

God, I feel old now.

[Pietro Ranieri]

your not alone there...

[Anne]

@ David - a written code of conduct? What on earth would be in it?

[David Child]

Anne, a written code of conduct? I'll leave that for someone else to compile - let's discuss it from someone's first draft! Sally, future blog post?!

Agreed on the missing interviews Sally - your suggestions are good. One additional point though is that not all journalists have 4pm deadlines, many on weeklies/monthlies are less frenzied and also 24-hour TV/radio journalists have to be even more frantic than daily reporters - and at Quest we ran the gamut of these on a daily basis...meaning our deadlines have to constantly meet everyone else's - and the clients - one of the most exciting parts of the job, and one which I wouldn't change for the world!
Have a good weekend

[Anne]

Ah, I was actually trying to imply that there isn't really anything that *could* go into such a code of conduct. Here's the thing: journalists are responsible to their editors and readers, whereas PRs are responsible to their clients. And so in my mind, if I signed such an agreement I would be compromising my own priorities - it just wouldn't be appropriate. Common sense dictates that it's nice to be nice, but sometimes circumstances, and deadlines, get in the way of that.