Remember face-to-face meetings?

I barely do. I think I managed one last year with two hardy souls from a publishing house who came to the office and went through their catalogue, flagging up food titles which they thought could be useful.

As spring’s editorial pages stretch out ahead, ready to be filled, I think about that meeting and wish (not for the first time) that we were in a steady enough position to have more catch-ups with PRs. Yes, supposedly alluring invitations for “deskside appointments” are often not worthwhile, but when there is a range of subjects to catch up on (rather than one niche product I am very unlikely to feature), one half-hour coffee is worth a thousand disparate, easily forgotten emails.

It also allows for targeted nudges and follow-ups (“I remember you said this might work later in the season”) instead of the blunt instrument “just thought I’d float this to the top of your inbox” emails which grind the gears of so many journos.

I realise in saying all this I might be inviting a lot of, er, invitations, but for those editors with more than one person on their team, it’s also a good way to share info at once and then efficiently delegate – on both sides. See you PRs soon, I hope… and mine’s a white Americano.