How not to piss off a news journalist
Have you been thinking of contacting a journalist to write an article about you? Maybe give you or your business/organization some free publicity? Here’s some simple steps you might want to follow to maximize your chances of being covered:
1. Don’t inform me that I’m going to interview you and write an article about you. You can inform me of the news tip and ask nicely if I’m interested in writing an article, but don’t call and start off your conversation with trying to set up an interview before I’ve even expressed interest in writing an article.
2. Once I’ve decided to write the article, don’t dictate to me what’s going in the article itself. Don’t say things like “make sure you put this in the article.” It’s sometimes ok to tell me not to put something in an article, just simply say that you’re going “off the record,” but other than that, I’ll put any fucking thing I please in the article.
3. Once I’ve been kind enough to write and publish an article, don’t consider that an invitation to start calling me every day to tell me every time you so much as pick your nose. Wait a good while before you call in again wanting an article written about you, and make sure it’s something significant. Otherwise, I’ll start avoiding you and your calls and will be unlikely to return your messages.
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