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Describe
your job.
As a freelance journalist, I work for a number of publications
in the real estate, travel, healthcare, business and features
arenas. Mostly I write by assignment; other times I pitch stories
to my publications’ editors and write once the story idea
is accepted. Most people in Atlanta know me as a public relations
person, but as times change, I’ve returned to my journalism
roots. My PR business has always been conducted like a news
operation, focusing on media relations. This is a natural transition
for me and I still maintain a handful of PR clients.
What
time/day is best to call?
Like many freelancers, I maintain a separate home office and
keep regular business hours, usually working any 24 hours
a day and seven days a week I choose! But seriously, even
freelancers try to maintain regular hours like the rest of
the working world, so telephone calls between 8:30 and 5:30
are most welcome. Also, please leave complete telephone messages
with details and repeat phone numbers slowly. Many times,
I check my messages from remote locations while I’m
traveling and return calls from the road.
How
do you prefer to be contacted? (e-mail, phone, fax, mail)
With all the spam out there, e-mail can be tricky. Unless
I know the source of the e-mail, I won’t open it, so
a phone call with details is the best way to start. Then,
I really like it when someone sends me snail-mail or electronic
follow-up materials pertinent to the story. To me, one of
the worst things someone can do is to tell me to check out
their website for background information, unless they send
me a direct link. I really like when public relations people
send me the exact documents, not just refer me to a website.
As a freelancer, time is short and I rely on PR people to
assist me in knowing the most important information instead
of leaving it to me to research. I still get lost on the Internet!
There’s so much good information out there.
Which
topics are hot right now? Which are not?
Travel and tourism are very hot topics as we approach the
summer. With skyrocketing gas prices, people are looking for
ways to have inexpensive vacations. However, think about it.
Even if gas prices increase by $1.50 per gallon, a driving
vacation up to 500 miles away with a car that averages 20
miles a gallon will only cost $150 more than it did last summer.
Driving transportation for a family is still less expensive
than air fare. It’s a reporter’s job to keep things
in perspective.
What's
your most memorable experience with a PR person?
I really love the hospital and healthcare public relations
folks that I work with because they understand the sense of
urgency in connecting me with a good and articulate source
when I need it. As a freelancer, as with any journalist, I’m
often on deadline and may need just one more piece of information
– right then. The PR people who understand this and
help me get what I need are the ones I’ll come back
to again and again.
Anything
else you'd like Atlanta's Public Relations industry to know?
Think of press releases as “bait” to lure a reporter
into doing a story about your client. Create a good pitch
and the stories will come. If your press release doesn’t
sell the story in the headline and the first paragraph, you’ve
wasted your time and your client’s money.
Also, remember
that good writing is the best tool a PR professional has.
Second-best is organization and attention to details. The
old staying goes, it’s not the elephants … it’s
the mosquitoes that will get you every time.
Thank
you to our Media Pro Guest Columnist:
Pam Keene
Freelance Journalist
Pamela A. Keene Public
Relations Inc.
770-965-3340
fax: 770-965-3634
pam@pamelakeene.com
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