How To Avoid the Media’s Naughty List
‘Tis the season for Top 10 lists! Here is a valuable one for all the marketing communications folks out there who work with media, focused on how to avoid getting on their naughty list both during the holiday season and all year long:
- Do not provide abbreviated names or shorthand, especially for formal brand names or titles. Use full names for everything on first reference.
- Do not use jargon in a pitch, bylined article submission, or other written materials. And work with the brand spokespeople to avoid jargon in interviews.
- Do not submit an op-ed or bylined article that was generated by AI. Then it is not an op-ed or byline at all!
- Do not send a media advisory without the cell phone number of a confirmed on-site contact.
- Do not pitch a story without triple confirming that the spokespeople have availability for interviews.
- Do not send low-res images to media. Just do not do it. Know what hi-res means, and please do not ask the media to check on 20 images for you to see “if they might work” just in case.
- Do not assume you will be given stories in advance of publishing to review. Offer your availability to fact check if appropriate, but that is all.
- Do not send a pitch or news release in any other format than copied into the body of the email.
- Do not ask for your client to be added to a story that is already published.
- Do not request changes just because you or your client want things written a certain way. Only request factual errors be changed.
