Have you ever e-mailed a reporter trying to get coverage for your business? Do you pay a Public Relations firm a healthy retainer to seek out opportunities for you? I can relate. But after a few months on the other side of the table, I’ll never think about press in the same way again.
The Big Break
Last year, I hit the jackpot. After years of writing on the RJMetrics blog about everything from lawn signs to underpants, I started receiving offers to freelance for larger publications like Forbes and The New York Times. These opportunities have taught me a lot about writing for a wider audience. They’ve also taught me a valuable lesson: when you have a shiny new megaphone, suddenly everyone wants to be your friend.
For some of these publications, I was required to provide an e-mail address that would be published alongside every post. I created a special address just for that purpose and nothing else.
Within a few days of my first post going live, that inbox began to light up. Unfortunately, the e-mails weren’t from fans, commenters, or critics. They were from PR professionals. Lots of them.
Living On the Long Tail
Before I share the data about my inbox, I want you to keep something in mind: pitching me a story could not be more of a long-shot. For one thing, I’m a CEO, not a reporter. That means I don't report on tech news or review products. As my bio and posts make clear, my content is autobiographical.
Even if I strayed from this norm, however, my reach would be orders of magnitude smaller than that of a heavy-hitter like Tim Ferriss or Walt Mossberg. I'm the journalistic equivalent of two kids in a trenchcoat trying to sneak into the bar.
In other words, I am way, way down the long tail of bloggers. Anyone e-mailing me to pitch a generic story has to be either desperate, dumb, or a robot. Unfortunately, in studying this data, it was often hard to tell the difference.
The Data
Over four month period, I received 141 pitch e-mails from 65 distinct organizations seeking press coverage.
76% of these e-mails came from PR firms, with the remainder coming from individuals or in-house company PR teams. The most prolific PR firm e-mailed me 37 separate pitches, few of which were even remotely relevant to my blog.
Among all e-mails, most (81%) were pitching products or books. Much to my surprise and frustration, however, few of these were related to my focus areas of data and entrepreneurship. These pitches included things like:
- A new line of LED lighting
- A Twitter campaign to support Boston-Area restaurants (I’m from Philly, by the way)
- Online Piano Courses
Some days, I felt like I was reading Buzzfeed or watching Fox News. E-Mails from legitimate PR firms had subject lines like:
- "21 Year Old Creates All-Natural Acne Treatment!!"
- "Looking For This?? :)"
- "Is your home safe for children?"
- "A Natural Alternative to Treating Back and Neck Pain and Posture!"
38% of the e-mails contained no personalization whatsoever. Not the name of my blog, a reference to my previous posts, or even my name! Yep, nearly 4 out of 10 pitch e-mails sent directly to my e-mail address couldn’t even muster a “Hi Bob."
Also, despite the fact that these were all unrequested business solicitations, 21% of them offered no mechanism for opting out of future messages, a clear violation of the CAN-SPAM Act.
Among these 141 e-mail solicitations, I responded to a total of one. It was from a company that was offering me exclusive data on company valuations. They never sent the data.
How You Can Do Better
When I look at this inbox, I remember just how bad most inside sales organizations really are. In a lot of ways, these PR shops are following the Predictable Revenue model of low-effort, high-volume outreach that gets funneled to more seasoned professionals when someone bites. (I always imagined that if I responded to one of these e-mails, some kid from the PR firm who sent it would stand up and yell “RECO!” like in the movie Boiler Room.)
The Predictable Revenue system can work great if it’s done right. We use it to great effect at RJMetrics and I know countless other SaaS companies that do the same. The key is for those doing outreach to be creative, knowledgeable, quick on their feet, and persistent. It’s clear that most of the companies who landed in my inbox are only running half of the playbook.
There are real consequences to this kind of outreach. More than a few firms have worn out their welcome with unprofessional, off-the-mark, and haphazard communication. I feel bad for the interesting companies who hire firms like these because they acquire burnt bridges by association without even knowing it.
Whether you’re selling software or pitching a story, the slightest bit of research and personalization can and does make all the difference. It can get your message read, keep your reputation intact, and, hopefully, help you sleep better at night about how you’re doing business. When you engage a PR firm, please make sure they do the same— for the sake of my inbox if nothing else.
