Freelancing - Dealing with Pushy PR's

So, have I got this right?
The general consensus is that a public relations consultant or firm or flack or PR or whatever we call them, looks after a product, person or service and is out to get maximum press coverage and that’s where we come in. Freelance writers, who want new stories and new ideas to fill pages to entertain readers. So, why is it like grinding teeth when you come across the pushy ones?

Know the ones I mean? They put you onto a great bit of news and you love them for it. They know which publications you write for. They say they’d be delighted if it got into the paper or magazine (got published) and then it starts. An onslaught of calls, press releases, emails; suddenly you have your very own shadow, a new best friend. Mind you, a best friend who will dump you quicker than a full diaper if things don’t go their way, will try and intimidate you into conceding (I say try, we’re tougher than that) and if that’s not enough, will steal your soul and dance on your grave. Okay, maybe not the last bit, but you get the picture. Great for clients - hideous for freelancers.

Please. We can work together. Point taken that there are journalists who abuse their position by demanding too many freebies – things they can get for free by promising to write about them and not delivering. That drives everyone mad and if you’re doing it – STOP - you’re spoiling it for the rest of us.

That said, it’s the pushy PR’s, any new writer needs to identify, understand and tame. You might not think it now, but let one of them charm you into thinking you’re the hottest writer in town and you're doomed. They’ll haunt your every working hour; they’ll haunt your friends and anyone who has ever shared a bus seat with you. Believe me – it’s true. Show an interest; write for their taget publication and the games over. Your number one fan will shower you with compliments, hint at future stories they’ve been saving just for you; anything for you to take an interest and get that damn spot cream, Z-list celeb or trash bin liner into print and in front of their publicity hungry clients.

A note to clients – we are NOT best friends with these people, however many names they drop into their initial pitch to you. We co-exist. Most PR’s we love, like the one who spins an angle worthy of an Olympic gold – we like you. Or the one who has researched their target paper or magazine and understands why Vogue won’t be doing a double-page spread on remedies for overweight budgerigars any time soon - we like you too. (Actually, if you have that story...?)

I’m talking about the pushy ones, the ones who push and plug like someone with a severe case of product Tourettes. Maybe they don’t know they’re doing it? But I suspect they do. It’s their master plan and once you’re on their call sheet – expect their call.

What do we do about them? First off, we need to identify Ms. / Mr. P. R. Pushy. They’re invariably the ones who call you from a referral from someone you have never heard of, who they met in a bar, at a press launch or shopping aisle.

Next, they will blather on about how wonderful you are, although they’ll be hard pushed to name a single publication you write for. Then they’ll want you to agree to write about their fab client within seconds of speaking to you. Now - if you haven't already made your excuses and got off the line - this is when you need to check their response. If you say you’ll get back to them and they begin to sound even the slightest bit annoyed – you’ve got one. You’ve got a Pushy on the phone.

What if you like the sound of whatever it is they’re offering you? Great. Go for your life, but beware. Do not over promise anything and expect them to hound you until your piece is in print and they have their client’s name tattooed onto your forehead. God help you if you’ve missed a detail they wanted in, when your piece is out. That’s when Ms. / Mr. P. R. Pushy really gets started.

My advice – hold strong. Whatever you do, don’t let them sideswipe you into an apology or worse let them bamboozle you into thinking you deserve a ticking off from the editor of the magazine or paper. They are wrong and you are right.

And to any Pushies reading this, if we like something you mention and it fits with the types of things we want to write about – we’ll write about it. No amount of pressure will get your product into print if it’s not what we want to write about. If a freelance writer is commissioned to write about your client – be grateful. They know what they’re doing and the editor knows they do or else the freelance writer wouldn’t be writing for them – you would.

Get it? We know you are only doing your jobs, but please let us do ours. Stop shoving and you'll get more phone time with us, more publicity and more clients.

So, dear freelancers, next time Pushy comes along, be polite, but firm. Limit their calls, alert your writing friends and if you’re brave, you’ll get the stories you want, a happy editor and a Pushy who knows her place.

It’s your duty to re-educate them, so, get started!