“The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships.”
Anthony Robbins
Clients come to PR agencies for their skill, knowledge and contacts. We build our contacts by fostering strong relationships with the media, our clients, vendors and associates. In business, as in life, relationships stand on mutual respect, integrity and honesty. With that in mind, we asked our colleague Julia DiNardo, journalist and beauty expert at Fashion Pulse Daily, to share her perspective on the value of relationships between journalists and PR pros.
The importance of good PR relationships and why they matter:
For a reporter/journalist/writer/blogger, securing valuable PR relationships is everything! Being privy to important launches, events, releases, and people ahead of time and having all of the resources needed at your fingertips to do a superb job in getting the information out there in a timely, efficient manner is crucial. I think oftentimes it’s not understood or appreciated, all the work, time, and consideration that goes into building exceptionally good PR for a company, individual or brand. I actually have a special appreciation and insight into it, as not many people know, but I started off my career in PR and marketing before shifting to the editorial side.
What makes PR helpful for your stories:
Sometimes I do run dry of ideas, so receiving pitches can help to foster ideas and inspire new content. I especially love when there is an option for an exclusive on some level, be it a q&a, or information that no one has received (or published) yet.
The qualities of a great PR representative:
I think great qualities that my favorite PR reps exude is intuition, reliability, and overall being extremely genuine. For example, I know that with certain PRs if I request an image or release, before I have time to refresh my inbox I will have an email with an attachment in it waiting for me – wow! I think oftentimes it can be a tough position to be in – to please the client, but also the press/media!
I think a great PR person really humanizes and internalizes how they would like to be approached and treated and does just that – whenever I get emails that are entitled “hey there,” or merely just “hi,” and they are obviously just mass e-blasts there’s little inclination for me to read any further. The person who takes the extra step to address me (and spell my name) earns my attention by saying that they want me specifically to know about something happening, and I will be cordial enough to read and respond, and perhaps even give their client some press. Having a few of these elements in place will make me instinctually want to work with you, the excellent PR rep, at whatever company or brand you go to throughout your career, because for me, you are enthusiastic, caring, and diligent about your job and clients, and respect that and want to work with people that feel the same devotion, passion, and seriousness about their work as I do.
PR Rep Peeves:
Like any good relationship, it takes time and work to build; more often than not, I get emails peppered with informal, “girlfriend” language, xo and xx’s at the signature, and the overall message or request can sometimes be bit pushy and demanding. The kicker is that 9 times out of 10, I’ve never even heard from this person before! I think there’s a point in a relationship when things can loosen up and become more casual, but until we’ve worked together, I would suggest replacing the sugary-sweet, bubbly, bestie talk with something more professional.
About Julia DiNardo:
DiNardo, a Pittsburgh native and New York City resident, has covered New York and LA Fashion Weeks for the past nine years while penning articles for a myriad of publications, including Clear, Primo, Redbook, and GQ Magazines, AM New York, The New York Sun, BagSnob.com, CoutureSnob.com, AOL StyleList.com, RunningwithHeels.com, StyleCaster.com, BeautyHigh.com, Makeup.com and held the title of Editor at Stylenotes.com. Ms. DiNardo has appeared on New York’s WPIX 11 News as a fashion and beauty expert, has her own web series, “Street Peek” on StyleCoalition.TV, and has been recognized for her editorial work in fashion and beauty by The New York Times, Fast Company, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette amongst others. For more info or to work with Fashion Pulse, please email Julia at: julia@fashionpulsedaily.com
