The Importance of Media Monitoring

Here’s a quick tip for all of you aspiring PR professionals out there:  Don’t pitch a company as a third-party source that has filed for bankruptcy and is shutting down in the near future.

Contrary to popular belief, a technology reporter will likely not want to write about a company that recently underwent a technology transition and saved thousands of dollars if that company has also indicated they can no longer compete due to various economic issues.

This drives home how important it is to stay current on your news – both for your client and their customers.

Thankfully, the reporter laughed along with me at the unintended irony of my pitch.  I had to admit I had not actively monitored the customers’ news since last week.  While you wouldn’t expect such a swift change in a company’s fortunes, it does happen.

If it were a less-sympathetic reporter, I may have ended up in the Bad Pitch Blog.

-- Brad Marley