Keeping In Touch... Not Such A Simple Concept

A large part of my everyday job is very simple… it is basically to keep in touch with people, clients and reporters, and make sure that they know everything that is going on. Some call it pitching and for the sake of making it easy I do to but it really is a matter of keeping communication going and talking to people. After all, there is only so much selling that you can do before someone just tunes you out and starts thinking about how they can get you off the phone.

However, as I previously mentioned in my blog yesterday, while I am constantly talking and writing while at work, some of the other connections that I have most importantly friends, have suffered a bit in my desire to keep working and pushing myself harder and harder. While I have made a little bit of progress as of late in getting in touch with friends whenever I have a minute or two here or there, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. If only I had more hours in the day.

The way that I approach my job is not really a common practice for most people in the industry (at least most people that I have met over the years) but it has been working for me. I enjoy talking to people, getting to know them, and seeing if there are commonalities we share beyond the work that we do with a given company. I try to do the same thing with clients when given the opportunity as well. After all, success in this business is reliant upon the relationships that you form with people.

By approaching my job in such a way there are moments when I get a call or an email from reporters and editors and before we delve into business we see how the other is doing, any plans, and anything that may have happened since the last time we spoke. Without a doubt, talking to the media is my job but it is also the job of every other PR person out there. By treating the media as people and not publications or positions, there is a greater possibility of them actually talking to you and you looking forward to reaching out to them. Do that enough times and you have made a professional friend.

As has been a common thread in many of the posts since I began this blog, this is another instance where I need to keep seeking the middle ground. I can’t have work completely dominate my ability to keep in touch with people… there are many friends that I haven’t spoken to in some time. Actually, sitting and thinking for a few minutes, there are many that I can’t remember the last time that I actually heard their voice. Keeping in touch seems so simple until the day you come to the realization that you are only using ten percent of the numbers in your cell phone. Time to get that percentage up.

Hello Vocus!

Photo taken in Jim Thorpe, PA by my wife during our trip in June.

Today I made a decision that could change the future of this blog. You could say it was a “through the looking glass” kind of day when I decided to get this blog listed on Vocus. The hope is that I might be able to introduce a whole different world of opportunities because of it. When writing and posting every day it all comes down to having something to write about. This is one way to have some stories come to me which is why I might be able to expand upon the subject matter and maybe introduce some new topics.

I have worked with this service for a number of years now and the lists that it provides are an excellent way to find new reporters and bloggers. However, this is my first foray being on the other side of the screen. The years that I have used the site have been while working in public relations (which I still do) and now I am the one, potentially, being pitched. Actually, I am kind of on both sides of the equation.

For those of you unfamiliar with Vocus here is the basic summary from the company’s about page:

Vocus (NASDAQ: VOCS) provides leading cloud-based marketing and PR software plus consulting services enabling companies to acquire and retain customers. The company offers an all-in-one suite of applications and consulting services to help clients attract and engage prospects, capture and keep customers, and measure and improve marketing effectiveness. More than 17,000 annual subscription customers across a wide variety of industries use Vocus software. The company is headquartered in Beltsville, MD with offices in North America, Europe and Asia. 

Furthermore, the reason public relations professional use the service is because it allows them to “Connect with journalists and bloggers, send press releases, monitor news, reach influencers, and measure and share your results. Vocus PR Suite is designed to help marketing and PR pros increase their influence and tell their story online, across social networks and through the media.” While most PR/media interactions are relationship based (or should be) there is no getting around the fact that sometimes cold pitching has to be done. That is the nature of the business.

Moving forward this will certainly be a balancing act between my professional life and my personal writing life. I will be sending pitches and, hopefully, fielding them as well. Fortunately, the topics that I have covered thus far in the blog and topics I hope to introduce are completely different from the ones that I represent when on the other side of the mirror.

However, I think the most interesting, important, and beneficial thing that could, in theory, come from this development is the fact that being able to see a story from both sides can only help me both in my writing and with my professional career. Knowing how people on both sides of the pitch feel about the process is something that too few people understand and I am looking forward to experiencing that interplay. I am hoping for an interesting ride.

Back To Basics

It had been a long time since I wrote a pitch and dialed reporters and heading into this week my nerves were making themselves known. I don’t know why it is. I guess it is just a simple fact of time off playing with my mind and the trials of the last year swimming in the shallow end of the gray matter.

While it took me a few minutes to collect the words and summarize the press release into the pitch after that it was second nature to me. Some things you just don’t forget how to do. I even felt more comfortable than in previous experiences in just talking to editors and reporters rather than trying to pitch them.

I think that, in the end, the time off was good for me. Time away from the industry spent in various other sales and customer service roles has made me better at what I love to do. Those jobs have enhanced my passion for my career and they have helped me to hone the lesser of my skills to the point that I am able to feel an instant confidence in the office.

I still question things from time to time but that is simply a matter of getting back into a routine and learning a new process of how things are preferred at my new company.  It is much like someone who knows how to write but has to adjust to using AP rather than MLA. You get the gist of it right away but sometimes you find yourself falling into an old pattern.

The main thing however is that I am happy to work on things and adjust my approach. There will always be things that I can improve upon but nothing I can’t work on. In fact, I am looking forward to long days at the office. It is amazing the things that you miss when you have been away for so long.

A week into the new job and despite the transition period I am in at the moment as I finish up my nights at the front desk I am excited to stay up and go to the office. I gladly sacrifice sleep for the feeling of comfort and belonging that I experience doing the work. Speaking of work, it is now time to walk around the corner and knock out another shift. Only four to go but I’m not counting.