PR-compatible is not a salesman – cz. II. How journalists perceive the role of PR? We talk to Kamila Cichocka, Agnieszka Pulikowska, Oscar Dąbkowski and Magdalena Błaszczak

In the first part of the material, we gave the voice to the PRO to answer questions about what is their main tasks, whether their work translates into the sale of the product and how to measure the results of such work. However, the material would not be complete without the statements of journalists. That’s why I decided to ask a few of them how they perceive the profession of PR today and whether they feel that PR people know how to cooperate with them?

They share their couplings with us Kamila Cichocka, Presented in more detail in Part I, leading the independent magazine Issue27.pl, Agnieszka Pulikowska – Editor -in -chief of the Rocketpace magazine and portal, and in recent years a journalist developing a beauty service for many years.pl. He also presents his opinion Oscar Dąbkowski – Currently VIVA publisher.PL, but also a journalist, editor, interviewer. He wrote for such titles as high heels, Gazeta Wyborcza, SO Magazyn, WP.pl. In previous years he ran the Gala services.PL and Ellleman.pl. Specializes in broadly understood lifestyle ’ u. The statements closes Magdalena Błaszczak, editor -in -chief “ aesthetic magazine ” and www.aesthetic interpretal.PL, a beauty journalist with 13 years of experience in the media. Here are what journalists think about whether in everyday contacts PR speaks them in the language of the PR or rather salesman:

Kamila: It depends on the person who turns to me. I often get an avalanche of emails about press releases. In this situation, I know that a person or company sending such messages does not try to make contact with me personally. Later, I receive a similar e -mail asking when the publication appears. For me, it is a way of communication of a commercial nature, showing that someone for some reason sees no sense in developing relationships, but demands the publication which will then be proof of the effectiveness of his work. Sometimes this approach surprises me, considering the fact that the number of portals with similar topics is really small, and the service as mine also has its readers and is less commercial than publishing titles. I have to indicate that there is also a large group of people who understand that good relationships with smaller titles are also important. I am happy to work with them and support them in case they ask for such help. Most often they are representatives of brands with whom I have been cooperating for many years. Such people understand that running a website is also associated with work and costs, so they try to invest in paid cooperation or propose a barter, which both sides consider satisfactory. In my opinion, this is a good PR approach, because – As I mentioned earlier – The result is long -lasting relationships.

Agnes: I have been working in the media for 9 years. Over this time, I met many PR people. Among them, it is certainly easy to distinguish people who actually feel “ ” The product they take care. On the other hand, there are also people for whom information about the publication of recently sent press release is the most important thing during the first contact, preferably with a specific date. Then in the journalist there is sometimes an association with a conversation with a salesman. It is worth remembering that journalists of such requests and questions get even a dozen every day and the lack of publication often does not result from bad will. However, if I am generally assessing the work of PR, I was lucky to meet mainly people approaching working with passion and commitment.

Oscar: The issue of conducting a good PR, despite many available tools and research, is still great art. PRses must remember that public relations are not only promoting the product, services or people for whom they work, but also, and perhaps above all-relations, i.e. building effective and long-term relationships with journalists and publishers. And these in PR-do cannot be overestimated. I have the impression that it is difficult to distinguish the language of the PR language from the language that salesmen use the language of the language nowadays. Both groups are designed to advertise, promote and ultimately sell a given product. An effective PR, however, must be able to do it much more subtly, after all, his task is to charm his recipient (journalist) enough to not only be interested in the product, but also write about him without advertising context.

A good PR-so should therefore focus on good relationships: he must care about it and maintain them, regardless of the agency or medium in which he works at the moment. Currently, it sometimes requires a combination of the professional sphere with private – after all, most of the one -on -one meetings (or even in a larger group) is a presentation of a product or service, but also a exchange of comments, observations and experiences from everyday life, including stories about private events, sometimes even family. It is important, however, as long as we stay in the professional relationship so as not to exceed this thin line.

It is also worth remembering not to talk to us, journalists. Endless glorious stories can be editors more than a given product than to interest it. And although in this relationship, PR is a kind of “peacock” or “beaten”, it is always worth leaving the journalist space for his individual questions.

Last but notse, in the era of the reservoir of PR messages coming to us from all sides, it is worth that PR had a chance to “work on the product”, which really interests and curious about him. Dry, learned phrases with the advantages of a given company can be felt quickly. An efficient PR man knows that in addition to knowledge of the product and good preparation for meetings, passion and ordinary “liking people” are also increasingly valued on the market. Without these features in the long run there is no chance of success in this industry.

Magda: I work with DS specialists. PR since 2008. At this time, a lot has changed in the PR industry, but I feel that she unfortunately shrinks. More and more brands are giving up this type of actions, considering them as unnecessary expense. A pity. I see how it translates into my daily work and directly to the number of publications for the brands. The work of a PR for me is, above all, a huge help in obtaining materials that I use for publication. People from this industry who work great are above all heavily educated by customers. They know brands, products, services, and people who represent. That is why I often ask them for my opinion and they are inspired to choose the subject of the publication. Of course, at the end I verify all this information myself. But it is from them that I get the most valuable content from which I can change and choose.

Times, unfortunately, it happens that PRs (especially those very young ones) behave a bit like traders. They want to work on the exchanges – “You write about it and I will give you it”. I also heard about the actions of detailed replacement, e.g.handing over three perfume bottles for the publication of 1/4 of the page. For me, as an independent editor, such behaviors are out of place. Testify to the lack of professionalism. Journalism is not a field related to trade in any way. I think, and I even know from observation, that such actions also have short legs, because the publications created in this way do not have a professional tone. They become somehow artificially created, and this intelligent recipient is striking. In addition, such a PR-compare that trades products in exchange for publications, and he does not care about building relationships, sooner or later he will be forgotten. What I remember from my daily work with PR, it’s not things and gifts, but what a man is, how to talk to him, whether I can count on his help, or makes my work easier, what are the effects our joint activities. In the journalistic industry, the most important thing is to build relationships with PRs. This means that by creating material on a selected topic, we immediately associate a topic with people to whom it is worth calling or writing, and ask for information or photos. The most valuable is not the product, but detailed information about it. Information that is still updated. Prist. It is not a product supplier in any way, although we all know how nice creative shipments can be, which we often receive from PR.

When in 2008 I started working in the “Beauty” magazine, the number of creative shipments that came to every journalist every day made dizzy. My then editor -in -chief has always repeated that they are not our private property, but the property of the publishing house. Yes, we can test them, but no one sent them Magda Blaszczak because he likes her. Magda Blaszczak sent them because she works in a women’s warehouse and would like her to test the product and publish information about it. And as a young journalist, I also got the guidelines from the chief – that I don’t have to do it. It depends on me whether I evaluate the product well or in my opinion it deserves publication. And here it must be admitted that the established relationships of PR. If you just like someone, you work with him professionally – You will remember him in the case of publication. Of course, there are also cases that you can make friends with PR – But this is a topic for a different story 🙂

Reading the statements of journalists, we can decide to state that the relationships developed by PR people are crucial, and their skillful building is the priority of each of us. Despite having the latest tools, these relationships are still crucial and give fantastic results in our work. Practice shows that representatives of journalists and PR in combine similar education, groups of friends or interests. PR-thesis definitely “plays for one goal” with journalists, because each page is aimed at creating a good material that will be interesting for readers. Only people open to people who can not only tell, but also listen, but also truly interested in the brand they look after, can get the attention of journalists. Professional experience should also be added to this set of personal features, which is also key. The work of a PR, of course, is sales, but above all interesting stories.

>>> Also read: PR-compatible is not a salesman-cz.AND. What is the work of the province? We talk to Helena Korniejew, Karolina Gadzimska and Kamila Cichocka

Author: Justyna Majka -has over 6 years of experience in public relations. She looked after brands such as Many Mornings, Foreo Sweden, Weleda, Catrice, Essence and Deborah Milano, as well as one of the Warsaw clinics of aesthetic medicine and dentistry. Earlier she gained experience as editor of the fashion department on Fashion Post.