We’re all busy right? And when that e-mail comes through asking about a brand that is no longer your client, it’s mighty tempting to just ignore it.
After all maybe they still haven’t paid their last invoice. Maybe they demanded weekly five-hour update calls that caused you to lose the will to live. Or ate with their mouth open. The reasons (and excuses) are endless
A few weeks ago I e-mailed a PR about covering a hotel for The Telegraph (La Folie Douce and it was Lynsey at Heaven Publicity).
I got an e-mail straight back from her saying they were not a client, but here were the contact details of the in house PR.This opened up a conversation between us.
Lynsey then pitched some of her clients. Which were right for the story and so which will result for a chunk of coverage.
(The PR for La Folie Douce never did get back to me. My ego likes to think my e-mail must have been stopped by a firewall or similar).
So I guess I’m saying politeness often pays.
I realise that as a journalist whose inbox often overwhelms her, and therefore fails to get back to people, this advice is somewhat (okay totally) hypocritical.
Which brings us on to a whole new subject. How do you deal with a journalist that doesn’t reply?
That’s next weeks subject…