Six ways to annoy a journalist in the digital age

October 2, 2024

One of the most notable changes to the news and publishing world is that there are fewer journalists to cover the same amount of stories, writes Osborn director Chris Leggett.

Reporters and editorial staff are often doing multiple tasks at once, feeding digital channels, social, broadcast, print, the list goes on. With everything they produce driven by tight deadlines, it is increasingly challenging for PR colleagues to earn news coverage.

The 1990s are gone, despite Oasis being back in the news, so there is no point looking back to a time when those of us who started out then (see above – photo by David Poultney) were making our way.

If we had been asked to gather stories on social media as well as in person while publishing updates in real time, there is no guarantee we would have had the same success.

Today there is greater competition between publications and more demand from readers for a constant stream of engaging content.

The journalists working today deserve respect for negotiating the many pulls on their time to deliver news which continues to change life in the UK.

Having worked in national newsrooms for the BBC, ITV and leading daily news brands, I can vouch that we all valued companies and PR contacts who made our jobs easier, not harder.

The people who took the time to understand what we were producing and regularly sent concise, timely, relevant and well-thought-out stories saved hours of sourcing content each week.

So here are the top six ways to annoy a journalist. Avoiding these mistakes will help you build stronger, more fruitful relationships with the media and make your future pitches more likely to be seen – and featured.

  • Send them overtly promotional content

If there’s something you want to promote directly like a product, a service or a new launch, it doesn’t belong in a press release. Readers expect high-quality content that informs and engages them, and journalists have editorial standards to maintain. They’ll rightfully ignore anything that sounds like an advertisement, however subtle the messaging.

  1. Pitch them something totally irrelevant

Researching a publication’s subject matter, style, tone and audience demographics is important if you want to pitch something they’re likely to consider. If you’re sending a story to a local newspaper, for example, make sure it’s highly focussed and tailored to that town or city. If it’s a trade piece, read up on the kind of stories they cover and make sure your content is aligned.

  1. Harass them with follow-ups

Nothing will land you in a journalist’s ‘blocked sender’ box faster than someone who spams them with relentless follow-up calls (never advised!) or emails to check they’ve received the article. One timely follow-up a week or so after the initial pitch is OK, but any more than that shows a lack of respect for their time and workload.

  1. Let them down at the last minute

Whether you’ve promised a quote, statement, image, 800-word article or anything else, it’s essential to deliver. There’s nothing more frustrating to a journalist than planning in an article for a page or double-page spread, only to be ghosted. If a journalist is on a tight deadline, it also puts them in a precarious situation of having to fill that space with something out of thin air.

  1. Expect them to attend your event

Despite how stretched journalists are, many companies still believe in the old-fashioned idea of having a ‘press launch’ for every single product or service they come up with, or office they refurbish. So they are surprised when journalists decline or ignore their invitations. It takes a lot for journalists to break away from the demands of their desk, like a genuinely newsworthy and unmissable event, and while that isn’t to say that press launches don’t still play an important role, it’s really a question of scale and relevance.

  1. Take too long to respond

Every journalist works to deadlines. Sometimes they have a month to turn something in while other times they need to publish within a matter of hours. It all depends on the type of publication. But one thing’s for sure. If you don’t respond promptly to questions and the journalist ends up missing a deadline, they’ll overlook any future pitches from you.

Like all the best advice, I cannot say hand on heart that I have lived by all of them but they may help you with your own plans.

And the best PR I ever came across? The Gifts they were developing would be put to very good use with award-winning writing later on.

Working with an experienced PR agency – especially one with former journalists on their team – will help you navigate the challenges of pitching stories to the media. Osborn has built excellent relationships over the years with regional and national publications, and we can help you get your story heard – drop us a line to book in a chat.

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