Relationships Talk

In banking, it’s important to “know your customer” in order to reduce fraud and risk of money laundering and other financial crime. However, in marketing, it’s important for public relations (PR) professionals to “know your journalist” in order to do your job right.

The field of media relations is changing. News is no longer only spread through institutional channels like newspapers and radio. Now, almost anyone with internet access can have their voice heard by the internet population. It’s no secret that print media and traditional news outlets are suffering, maybe even dying.

Believe it or not, PR professionals can learn a lot from the dog-eat-dog world of online dating. It can be a minefield of potential faux pas. Here are some tips to convince that special journalist in your life that you are “the one”:

Know Your Journalist (KYJ)

Online stalking gets a bad rap. If you learn how to strike the right balance, it can be an invaluable tool in relationship-building. Take the time to read journalists’ work. This doesn’t just mean their bylined articles. Instead, delve into their personal blog and website, and uncover their rants and raves on social media.

Forget The Cold Open

Based on my experience, emails that come out of the blue are more likely to be ignored. Find some common ground to establish a virtual relationship so that, when they receive an email from you, they are familiar with your name and more likely to open your email.

Usually, journalists will be open about what channels they want to be contacted through for pitches, and some are not shy about specifying where you should not pitch them. You’re more likely to overstep their boundaries by reaching out to their personal Facebook page or sliding in a direct message on Instagram. Identify their preferred channels, like Twitter or LinkedIn, and engage with care and thoughtfulness. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine how, where and when you would like to receive pitches from PR professionals.

Ditch The Spray-And-Pray Strategy

Sending blanket emails with 50 journalists on a bcc list or choosing to “copy and paste” canned pitches won’t get you very far. In the dating world, a screenshot of messages exchanged could ruin someone’s life if shared in a group chat — or worse, make it onto the evening news.

In PR, you can’t afford to be careless or sloppy with your pitch. If you accidentally refer to a journalist by the wrong name or mention the wrong publication, simply because you were messaging multiple journalists with the same pitch, they might shame you online with a screenshot of your pitch, which could potentially damage your online reputation. These are clear indicators of a canned pitch that was sent to dozens or hundreds of journalists.

Instead, do your due diligence and make sure the reporter covers the right beat, that they haven’t already covered your story and that your pitch doesn’t include self-serving rhetoric. Invest time to tailor a custom pitch to demonstrate that you respect their time and have done your homework in advance. And do not — I repeat, do not — send the same email to a bunch of their colleagues. Often, journalists will forward pitches to their colleagues in case it’s better suited for them. So, if they see that you have spammed their entire team, you could be blacklisted forever.

Avoid Too Much Information (TMI)

Journalists are busy, working to meet tight deadlines. The last thing they want to see is an email that contains a sea of text. They just do not have the time to sift through paragraph after paragraph of industry jargon.

Keep your language plain and conversational. There’s no need to show off. Make sure they can get to the heart of the story without having to dig. If they want more information, they will ask you.

LTRs Only 

In the online dating world, LTR stands for long-term relationship. For both sides to get what they need out of it, the collaboration can’t be just a “one and done.”

All relationships — be it personal or professional — require nurturing to strengthen over time. This is done by demonstrating reliability, honesty and respect. Offer to help them, even when it doesn’t directly benefit you. Refer them to other professionals and sources. Engage, share and highlight their content online.

Don’t Let Your Type A Personality Get The Best Of You

Carefully crafting a personalized pitch to a journalist only to get “OK. — Sent from my iPhone” in response can be frustrating. But then again, any response versus no response is a success in my book.

Journalists have a lot on their plates: swathes of PR emails, strict deadlines, a heavy workload and enormous pressure. Patience is the most valuable virtue. You can’t control what a journalist does with their time. You can, however, control the way you respond to it. Avoid coming off as a spurned lover. Your understanding will get you further than anger. If they have a whole folder of unread emails from you that keeps growing, prepare to be ghosted. Let it go, and grow other relationships.

Even a great pitch can fall flat if it lacks the one magic element: heart. We all think our story is the most important story. Stories that resonate, that stand out in publications, matter to people. Before signing off, let the journalist know how this story will impact people’s lives. But maybe leave out the “XOXO.”

Shah Rukh Khan has completed more than 25 years in the film industry. In these 25 years, the superstar has played different characters. He started off his film journey by playing negative roles; however, after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, his image completely changed and he got termed as the romantic actor of Bollywood. With time and the kind of films he did, SRK got the title of ‘King of Romance’ from the audience.

With films like DDLJ, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Veer-Zaara, Mohabbatein, Dil Se, Dil Toh Pagal Hai and many others, he proved that no one can romance on screen the way he does. He has given people their Rahul and Raj who are the epitome of romantic characters in Hindi films. While the audience loves how Shah Rukh opens his arms and makes one feel special just with one glance through his romantic eyes, the actor feels otherwise.

In an interview with Indian Express, SRK was asked if he behaves the way his characters does in film or if his daughter ever meets a guy like Rahul, what they exactly mean to him.

Khan said, “What is the essence of romance? To make somebody feel it at a particular moment in time. Personally, I’m not like that. If I stood with my arms open and sang a song in front of my wife, probably she’d throw me out of the house. I told my daughter, that if a guy meets you and says, ‘Rahul, naam toh suna hoga’, he’s a stalker. If a boy looks at you across a room at a party and says, ‘Aur paas, aur paas’, go kick him in the shins. But in the film, if I’m able to activate an element of innocence and make it attractive, the role gets reinvented by itself.”

In his recently released film ZERO, Shah Rukh Khan has taken romance to another level. The film also stars Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif.