10 RULES FOR SAFE PUBLIC RELATIONS

1) EDITORS and reporters have very little time, and very little patience.

They also receive, on average, over 200 releases a day from companies all over the world.
CONCLUSION: They will probably not read your release

2) EDITORS are very specialized, and they change their specialty quite often
CONCLUSION: My job is to make sure that each editor receives the information that relates to his specialty

3) EDITORS, REPORTERS, THE PRESS IN GENERAL know their jobs.

They do not need to submit their stories to you, they do not need your help in writing them, and they will not give you a preview of the story.
CONCLUSION: Either take over the publication, or don’t ask to help.

4) EDITORS are human, and have a need to get their job done quickly and efficiently.
CONCLUSION: The quicker we meet their needs, the quicker we get into print. My job consists in ensuring that we know those needs before we meet, and make sure that we can satisfy them.

5) EDITORS are not interested in advertising.
CONCLUSION: Do not mention advertising

6) STORIES are whatever the editor chooses to make out of your information.
CONCLUSION: Once the story is written, there is no call back, no complaining and no post editorializing.

7) STORIES can be placed into very simple categories, but the editor does the placing.
CONCLUSION: Determine what type of story you are presenting, and accept that the editor will do the categorizing.

8) STORIES are, by order of interest,

fast breaking disasters, slow breaking disasters, people of importance doing important things, new breakthrough products in new categories, older products doing new things, new versions of old products, then the trash news stories that will only be placed by being a nuisance. These include: Strategic alliances between two unimportant companies, me too stories, design wins, personnel changes (Unless the president shoots a VP), following major trends, obscure technical factoids etc…
CONCLUSION: Be realistic when requesting coverage, and place your story in its true category, if you don’t the editor will.

9) STORIES become obsolete the moment they appear anywhere.
CONCLUSION: For maximum effect, do not leak your story to a favorite editor; keep it for a complete roll out.
10) OFF THE RECORD never is.
CONCLUSION: Don’t ask, and never, ever assume.


Peter Brown, Principal
Euro-Marketing Tools