Why do you do these things to me?

For some reason, it's been a bumper morning for PR nonsense. Is there a full moon? Or are these people just DUMB? 

This morning, I needed to find a contact for an analyst firm in the UK. The website has a generic email address for PR enquiries, but no name or phone number. I'm on a deadline, so I want to speak to someone and know the enquiry is being dealt with, rather than sending an email into the unknown abyss. Not having a press contact on your website? Dumb. 

Next, I do a search of my emails for the analyst firm's name. I turn up two press releases sent in the last month - NO PHONE NUMBER on either press release. Seriously, a major UK PR agency issued a press release without a phone number. That is also dumb.

I find another email from one of the PR execs concerned, this time it has a number. She's on voicemail. Go back to my inbox, search again. Second PR exec on the account also on voicemail. And the third. There's no option to press zero to get reception. So I have to Google the agency name, ring the front desk and ask to be put through to someone on the account. I get put through to the first girl, who is still on voicemail. I decide to give up on that analyst firm.

I phone the press officer in-house at another analyst firm, to find he's on holiday but his voicemail at least says if I have an urgent press enquiry, press 0 now and ask for a colleague. I press 0 and get through to the receptionist who tells me there is nobody else in the UK or even Europe handling press enquiries, and I need to call the US. This is dumb because the US HQ is on West Coast time, so there won't be anybody taking calls until at least 5pm my time. What's even dumber is the receptionist doesn't know the name or number of the US press office, and suggests I look on the website for the generic office number. Gah.

So, if you're hoping journalists will actually, you know, interview your client, here's some tips:

• Have a phone number on the press release. Every time.
• Have a direct contact on the website, not a generic email with no name attached.
• Answer your phone.
• If you can't answer your phone, divert it to a colleague's phone.
• Don't have everyone on an account leave the office at the same time.
• If everyone leaves, divert someone's phone to a mobile.
• If everyone leaves or is in a meeting, let the receptionist know what's going on and when you'll be back.

That'd be great. Thanks.

Comments

[Craig McGill]

That is shocking behaviour. I get the piss ripped out of me by some for being almost obsessive about Out of Offices and trying to have things like twitter (twitter.com/craigmcgill) on but this is why - you never know when and at what time someone will be trying to reach you, so you have to provide alternative forms of contact. Not just for you, but also for others in your team.

Having said that, journalists are amongst the worst I know of for providing useful details when they aren't about...

[Jennifer]

Good post -- I'm AMAZED at how often I receive a press release, phone up the person listed as the contact only to be told s/he's on holiday.

[Rob Artisan]

Sally,

you shouldn't even need to complain about this, it should be common sense

Rob

[Jed Hallam]

I just don't get PR people and agencies that don't want to be contacted. I'm with Craig, I obsess over being permanently available, mobile number, office number, home number, work email, personal email, twitter, IM, my doctors name, my postcode...