5 things PR pros do that journalists love

When you’re dealing with a reporter, are you flexible about a story your client wants handled in a certain way? Are you honest about your clients? If so, you’re warming journalists’ hearts.

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As media industry folks are well aware, journalists sometimes take it upon themselves to serve as PR vigilantes. It’s nothing personal. Bad tactics are bad tactics, and we sometimes feel the need to (anonymously) call them out on social media. It’s not always the nicest thing to do, but hey. Everyone needs to blow off steam sometimes.

Judging by journalists’ Twitter rants, it might seem like we’re all full-on PR haters. I promise we’re not. In fact, my team and I have good relationships with many PR professionals.

Here are a few of the wonderful things my favorite contacts do. I dedicate this article to the PR people who do their jobs exceptionally well and always go the extra mile for both their clients and journalists.

1. They’re flexible with story topics.

Clients have a story to tell, and they’re excited about telling it a certain way. But the angle they pitch may not be what a publication looks for.

When a reporter says, “I don’t think we can do this, but I have another story your client could contribute to,” good PR pros will think quickly and convince their client that any press, even if not the kind they planned, is good press.

2. They ask us what we’re working on.

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