It is a classic dilemma – your client thinks they have a brilliant story idea, and accordingly, you apply the process of developing that angle (frequently self aggrandizing) only to learn that the news cares little about it.
The client is pissed, and you wonder what went wrong.
This happens in our business more often than we’d care to recall, but it is precisely this lesson that calls attention to, what should be, the role of a public relations professional.
1). Be in touch with the news cycle. Unless this is a stand alone product/service/mascara, every story must have some timely connection with the news cycle. This means that prior to applying long hours of development to your clients whims, you need to address how those can possibly fit in with the news’ agenda. It’s critical.
2). Pushing back on your client is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s your job, at times. They need to understand that selling widgets is incredibly interesting to them, and probably the people who buy their product, but self promotion (no matter how clever) is a difficult thing to describe, while any scent of it is odious to journalists.
3). Go the extra mile in addressing editors. This primarily means finding the right one. Do the research, read their columns, and by all means, make sure your pitch fits in with what they’re interested in. Be creative in adapting your story, and then, once you have their interest, the gift lies in reintroducing those client messages you originally intended to promote.
As PR professionals, it is our unique duty to broker content between our clients and the media. And yes, it is difficult to please both, but the more you can act as an advocate for the editorial community, the more press you will get. And the more press you get, the more you can push back on your client. It’s a nice feeling, actually.
