Phone Call: The Scariest Thing in PR

It has been 15 minutes now, and the anticipation of the inevitable is becoming a little uncomfortable. I have been holding my phone in my hand for 15 minutes as I prepare to call an editor. No scrolling. Just staring and rehearsing in my mind how I would greet the editor and state my case in a small amount of time.

When did phone calls get so hard? I’m from Generation X. Two- hour marathon calls were my normal. Under the pressure of seven pairs of preteen girls at a slumber party, I would call up my crush and hang up. I am a phone call champion. I can do this…but, after minutes passed, I was still just holding the phone.

I realized the ease of which I talked to someone over the phone had diminished some, as we embrace the years of emails and short texts. There was an added pressure here. In the time when news travels at a lightning speed (partly due to social media and creator content), and deadlines were tight, I was afraid of wasting the editor’s time. I kept asking the questions, was my story a right fit for this outlet? Did I make sure to make it newsworthy? Do I have the right contact? In my second month as a professional public relations practitioner, it was pivotal that I sent the right first impression to the media. I need to let them know, I’ve done the work and made (literally) the right call.

This might be the scariest thing for a newly minted PR pro. A good deal of research should go into this decision. Why is this particular outlet a good contact? Why am I reaching to this particular editor? Is there someone more appropriate I should reach? The biggest question, is this newsworthy? To answer the last one, yes. My story is newsworthy. Every story can be. It just really matters how you tell it. This is where I rely on my colleagues once again. In the sea of news releases and story pitches an editor receives daily, mine must not be a throw-away. It must be uniquely personalized, and short. Keep it short.

We enter media relations to be the link between the story source and the attention it receives. This is my job to call outlets. It may be the hardest part for me, but it’s the most necessary. Growth in jobs happens when you do hard things. Challenging yourself grows character. The proverbial Band-Aid must come off…and fast.

Here I go. Deep breath, and dial.