I have been reading a lot of tweets and blog posts recently about PR Pitches and how to deal with the good, bad and the ugly. I have had many, many years of experience dealing with PR pitches, not necessarily with products but with story and expert pitches.
I find it interesting how some decide to deal with the bad and the ugly. There are many who lash out online, tweeting up a firestorm about how offended they are about a certain PR pitch. To be honest I think that is as unprofessional as the bad PR pitch. Neither is productive, effective or professional. PR types need to know who they are pitching, why they are pitching to them and what both sides should get out of the relationship. Blogger types need to remember it is business and they should act that way; be professional, be clear and direct about who you are, what you do and what kind of professional relationship you expect. Lashing out in any way benefits no one, especially not you!
I think it is important to remember you never know when a great story or product will come along. Sometimes those opportunities come to you hidden, a gem buried under a pile of crap. The pro looks past the imperfections to see the jewel hidden underneath.
One rule I ALWAYS use in my career is never burn bridges and that applies to PR peeps as well as work peeps. You never know what will come in the future and when someone will have a great gig for you, or a great product or service, or when that person moves on to a great PR agency, or company.
Be professional and that will come back to you two fold!
