Email And Pitches And PR

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been hanging out with the PR industry more than usual. This kicked off after I was on a panel the other week at a PR shindig talking about, well, PR and technology writing.

It’s been nice, really, as people in PR tend to be courteous, and willing to have a drink and a laugh. So there’s that.

I want to make two quick points that have come up through my recent conversations that are worth scribbling down, if you’ll allow me the moment:

1. Pitching. PR denizens always want to know what “works.” Often the answer is: Nothing. Nearly nothing that I write is based on pitches. I honestly can’t recall the last time that I wrote an article following a blind pitch that caught my eye.

   This almost surprises some people in PR, as if they thought that most of what I wrote was originally borne as the idea of someone else. No, not really, and nearly never. Just something that I felt should be said out loud.

2. alexw@techcrunch.com. When I joined TechCrunch I didn’t really announce my new email address in an enduring fashion. One tweet on the day that I joined. So, my total email inflow dramatically declined. This has been lovely, but ultimately unfair. I should be just as reachable as anyone else. Feel free to say hi.

I am bad at email. But I will do my best to read yours.