As part of being a flack, I've reached out to different reporters and analysts about a story they've written, whether it be to suggest a follow up piece or to (respectively) point out something that I think they may have missed. That's not to say I am the flack who would argue with a reporter or send the scathing e-mail that @bmorrissey would berate. It's most often with one of 2 aims:
1- to introduce a reporter/analyst to a company they may not have heard of
2- to find out, based on the fact that they haven't written about the subject before, if this is a new beat they'll be looking at, or if this is a one-off piece based on no one else being available to cover it, and not something they'll be looking at again. (i.e. I am not going to pester this person forever because they wrote a one-off... and I hope most reporters/analysts appreciate this).
That said, I've had quite a few Hacks respond to me with some variation of the following response:
Hey, thanks for the feedback. Please feel free to post a note along these lines in the comments.
So... here's my questions (and gut feelings on how I would answer below in italics).
-To Hacks (analysts, bloggers and reporters)- Should a PR person respond in the comments to something you've written, even if it's counter to your view or says "hey, you missed it"? Is it better said from someone at the company that the PR person represents?
-To Flacks - Do you respond in comments to Hacks? Have you recommended that your clients do the same (either in addition to your comment or in lieu of it)? If so, what has the feedback been?
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
My take: A PR person shouldn't be the one doing the commenting. It isn't hard to trace an IP address. Also, it just plain looks tacky... even if the flack discloses the fact that they are a flack. If a company's CEO wants to respond, I think that carries a LOT more weight... but also caution the CEO's that I work with that a response could spark additional conversation, and that they should be prepared for an open, and honest dialogue... not a one-off response
6 comments:
In extreme cases I have recommended to clients that they respond to stories in the comments. If I write the comment myself I will definitely suggest they post it under their name.
If it is a writer I know well (and therefore have a valid personal opinion) I will comment myself.
This is completely different to PR pitching, however. That is something that should be done in a more private forum...
Thanks Jon,
Really appreciate the feedback. I tend to agree. From the PR perspective though, I always feel obligated to make sure the respondent from the company I represent should know that one post can lead to a long conversation (and encourage that type of interaction)... and will also recommend against it if the company's respondent doesn't have the ability to continue that discussion.
I agree. But then I generally tend to be able to keep the discussion up for them if necessary :-)
I see no problem with ghost writing/making suggestions, as long as the answers actually mirror what the respondent would say.
Jon, out of curiosity, what type of work do you do?
PR geek by trade :-)
Join the club :-)
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