Ping. A very special offer in my inbox, just for me. If I’d be willing to take just an hour of my time to fill in a survey, complete a questionnaire and do a podcast, I’ll be entered into a prize draw that could win me £25!
The flaks asking for this sort of help, for such tiny amounts of money, are just doing their job. No offence is intended.
But there’s an awful lot of them, more than they seem to realise.
Some hacks absolutely bristle at the notion of helping flaks with perception research or the like.
Others think being paid for stuff such as this creates a conflict of interest.
My view is that if a mate, or just a flak I’ve dealt with amicably, wants a five minute chat ahead of a pitch for a new client, that’s fine.
If they want an hour of my time, well that’s surely worth more than a £25 prize draw.
Flaks sometimes seem to think hacks turning down such offers are being rude. They surely have it the wrong way around.
