A PR pro answers 9 questions from reporters

In light of that, here are my answers to a handful of questions—submitted by reporters—about the day-to-day working in public relations.

1. Why do PR pros follow up so adamantly to pitches?

The answer varies, but consider the following:

One of my clients is in town (or has availability), and I’m seeing if you want to meet them that day. The executive’s schedule is probably filling up fast, and I want to make sure you have enough time for a conversation instead of rushing him or her out the door after 10 minutes.

I’ve received plenty of confirmations after a follow-up email and have also missed plenty of opportunities. I’d like to avoid the latter as much as possible.

Here’s another example:

A reporter says they’re interested in talking to someone for a story “sometime tomorrow,” but they don’t confirm a time. If I pitch a reporter during a particularly crazy day, they probably won’t see my email—it might even take days. In that case, I’d follow up to see if they accidentally missed my pitch.

There is, however, following up for the sake of following up. Here are a few ways to avoid that.