Is calling an editor really that bad?

I was shocked to see “never ever call an editor” at the top of the list.

Really? A publicist isn’t allowed to call anyone anymore? Ever? Nevah evah? Wow. That is so incredibly sad.

Before you begin the lecture of “editors get thousands of emails and calls every day…” I know. I get it. PR these days is a new ballgame. The landscape has shifted dramatically over the last 10 (even five) years. But what has this world (and this business) come to if you are never allowed to have that verbal connection with your people?!

Yes, there are crappy publicists out there who will call a journalist and not even bother to ask, “Are you on deadline?” or, “Is this a good time to talk?” And yes, there are publicists who don’t prepare the pitch, and once they get on the horn they freeze up or forget what they were going to say.

I used to teach PR, and I would hammer this into my students’ heads: “Never pick up that phone to call a media professional if you are not going to show them that you are respectful of their deadline or if you’re not prepared to deliver a short, concise, and compelling pitch.”