These things happen occasionally (who hasn’t done a ‘reply all’ in error?), inducing inevitable cringe for the person who pressed send too early. It made me consider other common clangers worth flagging to you all. I hope this is useful:
Typos (as above): From incorrect names – of an individual or publication – to spelling mistakes in a topic you wish to appear authoritative in, it doesn’t give a great impression if the basics aren’t right. Typos are easily made, and not everyone has a sub editor to correct them. But often it’s clear when these are due to laziness.
Assuming informal address is okay: Casual correspondence is the norm in the beauty and fashion worlds, which I’m on board with, but I know plenty of journos who object to being addressed as ‘lovely’/‘babe’/‘hun’/‘darling’/‘mate’. It can bring an unearned sense of familiarity and risks vexing someone at first sight of your contact.
SHOUTY CAPITALS and hyperbolic punctuation!!! Instead of conveying importance, or a sense of fun, these can sometimes come across as intense or unprofessional.
Using ‘high priority’ inappropriately: The red exclamation mark means your message requires urgent attention, which the Valentine’s Day press release I received this week marked ‘high priority’ simply did not. When used out of place, it tends to inspire unnecessary mild panic, not a feature idea.
Indulgent storytelling: Yes, we want a story, but we need the facts. The best pitches and press releases are clear, concise, and compelling. Plus, they’re packed with practical assets (images, prices, launch dates, retail links etc).
Formatting that reveals a copy and paste job: We know you send the same email to numerous journalists and only personalise certain sections. It’s fine. But very often the bespoke bits appear in different fonts to the rest, which I imagine isn’t intentional. I find the trusty ‘format painter’ (on Outlook and Word) helps avoid this.
