5 behaviors that ruin media relationships

This article originally appeared on PR Daily in April of 2018.

The inbox and the telephone are tools of the trade for a journalist. They can be useful platforms that deliver the next exceptional story or be the bane of their existence.

While it’s their job to be open to unsolicited pitches, journalists draw the line at certain tactics that they will not tolerate. Do one of them even once, and you could get blacklisted forever.

While PR pros should know better, it’s worth revisiting these basic rules for successful pitching. Bad behavior, just like bad pitches, can come from individuals, PR professionals, corporate staff, influencers or bloggers. Don’t be that person.

Here are the top five things that will get you banned by journalists:

1. Lying

Never lie to a reporter. They are smart, trained professionals who will find out the truth eventually. Any of these behaviors will portray you as less than truthful to veteran journalists:

Journalists never appreciate being blindsided or embarrassed when information “they should have known about” comes to light after they have pitched a story to their editor—or even worse—after it has been published.