How to make your call to the media count

by Sophia Dass

When making a call to a journalist, the first thing to do is expel the idea of ‘us and them’ entirely from your mind. If you are approaching with a well-targeted pitch that can bring an exciting story/add value to their publication, or that can add a new dimension to a story they’re already working on, then picking up the phone is nearly always a wise move.

Here are our top tips for making your call count:

• It might sound obvious, but whatever you do, do not call a journalist without understanding their area(s) of interest or the publication’s target audience. Check out their existing articles online to get an idea of tone and readership, and have a scroll through their twitter (or other appropriate social media platform) to see what’s hot on their agenda.
  
  
• Calling a journalist to enquire if they’ve received your press release is widely considered to be the ultimate PR sin. If you are planning to follow up in regards to an emailed release, ensure that you are able to propose something further – for example, you could offer a briefing to discuss the subject at hand. It’s also a good idea to wait at least 24 hours before an over-the-phone follow up. It’s hardly breaking news, but journalists are incredibly busy and are bombarded with hundreds of emails daily.
  
  
• Perhaps a little controversial, but don’t always be put off by notes on media databases, which state that the journalist only wishes to be contacted via email. It is true that this might be their preference, but if you have already emailed across a pitch that is particularly pertinent to their publication and haven’t received a response within a day or two, a phone call is worth a shot. Assuming that the story is time sensitive, you can politely express that this is the reason for a call and that you will happily reach out via email in the future. 
      
• If possible, try to call when journalists aren’t so busy – they’re much more likely to listen to your pitch when they’re not under mounting deadlines. If you’re reaching out to someone new, you can ask them on the first call if they have preferred days/times to speak over the phone.

 
Ultimately, a well-targeted pitch is most likely to be of interest to a journalist - if not now, then maybe you can be of help in the future. Picking up the phone can be a great way to establish relationships – as long as you’re not going in blind, it certainly shouldn’t be avoided!