Is the product compelling?

One of the mistakes that people make when they look to hire a pr firm, is not realizing that publicity is based upon the newworthiness of the story.  If you have a story, or a product that is not new or compelling, chances are the best publicist in the world can’t help you.  A great publicist can help get your story out there, and maximize coverage, but you need to have something that the news media is interested in talking about.  Publicists are not magicians!  This advise would be well-heeded by publicists when taking on new clients - make sure you are undertaking something that is compelling, otherwise, your client will be disappointed in the results.

Follow up!  Journalists (and all of us) get countless pitches a day via email.  Don’t think that simply blind copying a media list with your press release is all you need to do.  Craft your pitch carefully, and follow up with a phone call, as well as a personalized email. This targeted approach will be much more effective.

Know your audience!

Journalists get hundreds of unsolicited emails and phone calls every day.  Make sure you know what their publication is, and what they write up before you contact them.  Otherwise, your email will likely be deleted and that phone call will never be returned.