PR AGENCY DIARIES: WHAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRs AND JOURNALISTS IS REALLY LIKE

Power blazers and pencil skirts, cosmos and nightly bougee events – Sex and The City’s Samantha Jones has a lot to answer for. 

And while there are some long lunches and A-list events do happen from time to time – more often than not it’s 8am long blacks and end of day sushi, making sure clients have got what they need – when they need. 

Think it’s for you and wanting to know how it works in with ‘the media’? Here’s a quick 411 for the uninitiated. 

In an ideal world all jobs are strictly 9-5 (actually, in an ideal world they’d be an hour a day at most) but the reality of working in public relations means you’re somewhat on call, all the time. You must be tenacious and willing to do what it takes to go above and beyond for your clients. If you want a job where you can go to work from 9-5 to collect a paycheck, PR probably isn’t the one for you. 

While that doesn’t mean clients will be blowing up your phone with minor press release amendments at 3am – it does mean if shit hits the fan and there’s an emergency, it’s all hands on deck.  Plus there’s an expectation you’re across all of the various pockets of news, and social, pretty much all of the time.  If it sounds exhausting, it’s because sometimes it is! 

And there’s no business like show business - and every show has deadlines, especially in the media industry. 

When the aim of the game is getting your clients in the headlines you need to work on journalism time – think stock market-esque, hectic hustling newsrooms. Especially in the current precarious landscape where these newsrooms are often operating on skeleton staff – if you want your story picked up, you need to get those journos what they need – pronto. 

You’ve got to have a nose to know what's newsworthy and what’s not and have a knack for turning lemons into lemonade, winning friends and influencing people along the way to sing from your song sheet. 

And while PRs are often dubbed truth spinners and story-twisters, that ain’t it.  

What we actually do is spring on items that could create positive news for our clients, crank out proactive news plays that demand attention (this is the strategy side of things) and jump to action when things go wrong, a story has been taken out of context or some BS has gone viral.  

We’re the gasoline for telling brands’ positive news and the fire extinguishers for when reputations are wrongly at stake – a 111 call for when clients need expert advice on keeping fake news out of the media (or at least minimising it) and getting their side front and centre. 

Because the saying “No press is bad press,” is somewhat true – with the right help. 

And back to those strung out, often overworked journalists. Every day their inboxes are utterly flooded with press releases – they’re up to their eyeballs in pitches so you can understand why most of them get flicked to the old junk folder.  

Which is why securing media coverage is comparable to what our single colleagues tell us the dire selection on dating apps is like. 

So, you could have the most perfectly crafted, enthralling and engaging press release in the world – but without good relationships with those journos who pick and choose what stories to cover – it's likely heading to the rubbish bin icon. That’s when the well-worn trope of wining and dining so you have ‘chips in the bank’ can come in handy, because nothing bonds media movers and shakers like a truffle fry and a bottle or three of rosé.  

But timing is also everything. Whether it's piggybacking on a trending news story or strategically timing a product launch, ya gotta seize – and pick - your moments. The best PR pros have their finger on the pulse, a BIG–not-little black book and know how to capitalise on the zeitgeist. 

And when those journos turn up to work on a Friday morning more than a touch dusty after that Thursday long lunch, make sure they have what they need to get your story live with minimal back and forth emails requesting Dropboxes of images or quotes.  

Just as we rely on journalists to amplify our client's message, they rely on PRs for valuable insights, access to sources, all the assets and juicy story leads - FAST.  

It's a relationship built on mutual respect and collaboration. By being responsive, reliable, and resourceful, your pitches have the best chance of being pushed to the top of their ever-piling-up lists. And for their hangover sweats – an Uber-Eated to their office featuring a sausage and egg muffin (and seven hash browns) wouldn’t go amiss. 

PR certainly ain’t for the faint of heart but for those of us who do it there’s never a dull day. Whether you're crafting the perfect pitch, brainstorming creative campaign ideas, or putting out fires in real-time, no two days are ever the same and satisfaction of the wins is next level.  

Sound like a bit of you? All our current roles on offer can be found here.