Keeping up with press preferences

It always perplexed me how PRs kept up with all the various lead times of publications and journalists’ contact preferences. And now with factors such as merged print and digital teams, hubbed editorial departments and hybrid working policies, it’s mindboggling. How do you ensure your contact with press is as targeted as possible? 

The comms team for iconic cosmetics brand MAC had a bright idea. This week they sent round a SurveyMonkey to beauty press (and influencers, presumably) requesting current details and preferences. Now, I’m not in the habit of filling in surveys for fun, but as promised it took three mins max, and seemed like a win-win.

It raised the questions you all want to know (and the answers we all want you to have): How far in advance do you like to know about new launches? What kind of news are you most interested in? Who needs to receive samples in your team? Where is the best address to send to?

I’m not saying every company could do this. Nor would they be wise to – a brand of MAC’s size can rely on its clout to get a decent response while others might not get the return on investment. 

But I always think that an unambiguous PR approach, like this, is effective. Asking our preferences shows you’re invested in enhancing ways of working together. And with the press landscape moving as fast as Twitter’s #trending topics, we’re all wise to question if we’re up to date.