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About the value of a personal talk
At the PR representative’s desk: The content is well formulated, the image is right, approval has been issued. Quickly send the document to the press distribution list – the job is done.
Now let us switch to the editor’s office: In the upcoming issue there is still space for one or two articles, the e-mail account is overflowing with incoming messages, but there is not enough time now to trawl through them. The telephone rings. That’s perfect, someone has just called with an interesting topic. Now there’s no more need to check incoming e-mails.
Those were the days – when one could discuss content with editors over the telephone … Nowadays, the preferred approach is to write an e-mail for every little thing, or to communicate via Facebook, WhatsApp or a chat service. So, you begin by typing, then correcting, checking and sending and … waiting for a response. Was my message well received? And its content? Did it go down well?
The secret to success? PR by telephone
I appreciate a short telephone conversation – brief and to the point – and the opportunity it provides to address additional instructions and questions. I may also be able to resolve issues of one sort or another directly during the conversation. Perhaps I can also mention another news item in passing? Or hear about an interesting rumour? A personal conversation offers abundant opportunities for PR. On occasion, I have also secured additional business over the phone - that has never happened to me in an e-mail.
Only recently, one of my contacts at a specialist magazine confirmed what I had long suspected: “If you need something, just pick up the phone! With several hundred e-mails in my inbox at any one time, it’s a far better choice.“
It might be old fashioned, but for me, personal contact involving the real-time exchange of information is fundamental to all PR.
That is why we set great store in conversations in real time with our clients and journalists. Give us a call! J +49 (0)8122/55917-0; pr@lorenzoni.de