BARQ & A

Posted By: TRI

My boss and I have identified articles that are very close to our industry and written by journalists in the past month or so. Would it be a good icebreaker to contact them with positive feedback and comments on the article (my boss wants me to)? Is that common practice? How can I use one such e-mail to initiate a positive relationship with the writer? Can I routinely send feedback to these writers as a means of fostering our relationship with them?

P.S. The journalists in question are people I’d like to establish positive relationships with and pitch article ideas to.

Thanks

BARQ’s response:

TRI,

It is not uncommon for good, reliable sources of information to contact writers. HOWEVER, you and your company should be committed to maintaining that flow of information. Unless your company is a leader in the industry, building credibility is a long, tedious process. This is where a managed PR program helps.

Writers and editors are always looking for regular, accurate and reliable sources for particular disciplines of interest to their readers. But as the Godfather said, one day you may be called upon to do them a favor — you should be as ready and willing to assist them as you are in asking their help getting press for your company. If you let them down, you will lose the trust that you spent so much effort building. (You may even wake up staring at a horse’s head!)

BARQ
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