Let’s Talk About Text

Three press releases received in the last week had me going in for a closer look – and not, I’m afraid, for the right reasons.

Yesterday came the news that a ‘hutritionist’ was offering hacks for guilt-free Easter chocolate. I did a double-take because with the proliferation of portmanteau words these days made me think that hutritionist was probably a new job (or what they call the nutritionists at Huel) and that I should brush up on my on-trend terms… but it was in fact a typo.

Last week was this: The unveiling of France’s Michelin Stars for 2024 on Monday saw Michelin Guide’s International Director Gwendal Poullennec highlight the male-heavy cohort as she questioned “Where are the women?”. 

This second occasion made me re-read the sentence several times. I’ve interviewed Gwendal Poullennec and he’s definitely a ‘he’. It’s an easy mistake because the name might look and sound like a female name to many…. but definitely worth checking.

This morning came an intriguing one about jet lag (not my beat but I’m prepping a travel special). It told me there was a new survey on this … coming tomorrow. Why not wait and send me a release when you have the info to share?!

What I’m pointing out is that – as the old saying goes – you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression in life, and certainly in dealing with journalists. It’s never guaranteed that we open an email at all (I overheard a colleague on another desk discussing their half-a-million unreads in their inbox the other day). Don’t squander your chance for the sake of a second read by a colleague.