By Jeanne O’Keefe SVP, The Lippin Group
The Lippin Group (www.lippingroup.com, https://linktr.ee/thelippingroup)
“AI is taking over the world! Go with it or be left behind!” That’s what my cousin keeps drilling into my head, not to mention the trades, the doomsdayers, the news, and the fake spammers that somehow continue to slip past my inbox filters.
I get it, in the PR world, like any industry, we ignore advances in technology,including AI, at our own peril. If you aren’t yet familiar with how to use AI to save time, research, and so on – tools that give you more time back to think strategically and creatively for your clients – then you can be certain someone else is mastering them.
But like anything in public relations, no one can truly connect by handing over your job to tech - whether it’s ChatGPT or incessant Zoom calls. As much as those with the most to financially gain may want it to be so, AI isn’t human — but remembering that journalists are, will help you chart a successful path in this business.
If you’re just entering the wonderful world of PR, you won’t cut your teeth on mistakes you made zoning out on your computer screen. You won’t fully realize your potential with the latest version of Claude. The journalists you work with every day have real lives on top of those real deadlines, and they - like most humans - yearn for relationships that are genuine and long-lasting.
I work with one journalist who’s been in the business for decades with many national media outlets and she’s had the joy of overseeing a lot of foster dogs. I know their names; I keep track. This is not as silly as it seems - I only know them because I care, and I’ve taken the time to ask. Journalists have long memories. They take notice. They remember your name too.
When I was just starting out, I was once promised a major break in a national women’s magazine but then I found out the reporter I was working with died suddenly. Wanting to be respectful, but also under pressure to deliver, I waited a few days and called to remind the magazine about the piece and ask who the alternate contact would be. I quickly found out I hadn’t waited long enough. I got a personal, very angry phone call from the editor that etched in me a lesson in human relationships that will last from here to eternity. A great reminder that in a world of stress and deadlines, media - we all - deserve careful, thoughtful kindnesses and tactics.
The media landscape is changing, and how we ingest and use the tools at our disposal will morph, but people will always be the same. They expect positive working relationships that last beyond your latest (greatest) pet project.
Here are some tips I’ve learned over the years for maintaining and growing media relationships.
A thank you is like the golden ticket - Much like the weary airline flight attendant who perks up at the unusual hint of kindness, the media are tattered and torn. When is the last time you used those two magic words after a story has broken? Do you thank them for responding when they say no? Take a second to voice appreciation for the minor and major collaborations you’re shared with a journalist. They need it, and later you’ll find out you did too.
Remember the little things – Besides knowing their beats and latest bylines, paying attention, when possible, to the things that give you a connection with the reporters are key. Where they grew up; What their pet peeves are; How they started and how far they’ve come. Knowing these things will give you a valuable frame of reference and make them feel less like a checkmark in your daily to do list.
Value their time – I always joke that I’ll never be the ‘pesky publicist.’ Make sure you’re less of a nag and more of a careful arbiter of your craft at the right times, which could lead to the right results. Be persistent without getting blocked!
Be Positive – I also like to joke that the hardest part of my job isn’t the celebrities, managers, or agents. It’s the publicists (not all) that can’t see the joy in this work, and too often take it out on the press who are also just trying to do their jobs. No matter how big the name, how shiny the project, determine to never lose your sense of humanity when working with the media. It’s a small world and I’ve seen the “bosses” become the “beggars” many times.
Believe in the Unexpected – Nothing puts wind in your sails like that story you’ve kept trying to land, so even when it’s hard, keep going with determination. That strong worth ethic can lead to surprising stories and relationships that can then produce happy clients and a bolder confidence to venture out into the harder waters of bigger and better successes to build upon.
Focusing on the relationships part of public relations is something that was taught to me from the first day I started working at The Lippin Group. We could ask an AI chatbot to give us tips on creating relationships, but without the human touch, and shared experience of being human to tap into, a career in PR can only go so far.
Jeanne O’Keefe is a Senior Vice President of The Lippin Group and while she doesn’t have a pet, if she did it would be dog and his name would be Hutch.