Bad PR

I recently read this post on Second City Style and thought it was quite interesting. Lately it seems there has been a lot of bad PR being practiced. Maybe I’m just noticing it more or maybe due to the Internet and blogging it is becoming more publicized, but it seems that everywhere I look PR professionals are doing something wrong.

Granted, we do have to pitch stories, news and products. We have to call magazines and newspapers and send samples, but people do this every day and it’s no big deal. Obviously it’s not an easy job. I know this. I have had to call the newspapers, T.V. stations and magazines. I have had to field phone calls and deal with unhappy people; I know that this world can be brutal. People make mistakes in their jobs every day. Doctors make mistakes in life and death situations. I think it’s understandable if a PR person makes a mistake every now and again. We’re all human.

The problem with the PR pros I’m seeing is that they are making errors that are 100 percent avoidable. It does not take a degree to realize that when someone says they don’t want what you are sending or it is not going to work at that time, you should say okay and leave them alone. You shouldn’t harass them in hopes of changing their mind. It’s never good when a PR pro has their e-mail address blocked or when one person’s mistakes lose a client for a firm.

The thing is, is that while most PR pros are out there working hard and doing a great job, some are out there undoing all the work that others have done. There are people like this everywhere giving their field a bad reputation. But, when it is your job to be a communicator, a representative or a person who builds up reputations and trust, you can’t be a person who people can’t trust.