Help Me Help You (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)

In 2012, during my first go-round as editor of Arkansas Business, I wrote a column with the same title. Several people told me they saved it and shared it inside their companies, but it’s clear to me that it’s time for a reprise.

Arkansas Business readers certainly know that stories pitched by what we affectionately call “flacks” aren’t all we write. And sending out a press release to every reporter in the state is a great way to make sure your news will be treated as a commodity. (If I’m going to engage in pack journalism, I want to be the leader of the pack. Give your business news to Arkansas Business first and let the others follow.)

But there are parts of this product — especially the Movers & Shakers feature — that depend on PR practitioners, the very ones my readers are paying. And I can tell you that some of them are wasting their time, my time and your money. Here are some tips for making your PR efforts more likely to bear the kind of fruit you want:

► Our staff watches for new hires, promotions, personal awards and officer elections wherever that news crops up, but nothing is more effective than the direct approach. Submit the news here or email me directly at gmoritz@abpg.com.

► It isn’t your job to make my life easier, but neither does it serve your interest to make it harder for me to find the news in an email that is one of hundreds I’ll receive on any given day. Press release recipients all over the globe will thank you for pasting the text in the body of the email rather than (or in addition to) attaching it to the email.

► Most press releases are much longer than they need to be. I don’t mind getting 500 words on a new bank vice president, but please understand that we’re still going to boil it down to a couple of sentences. Unless the same release is being sent to some very small newspapers that will reprint it verbatim, a lot of time and effort are being wasted.

► There is also such a thing as too little information. More is not necessarily better, but better information is better. Be sure to cover the basics — who, what, when and where. Why and how might be helpful too.

► If we’re producing a sizable story, we’re going to assign a photographer to take pictures just for our use. But on small announcements, like new hires or new products, think about providing photos or other visual elements. Professional portraits of key executives and new hires are a good business investment, while an amateur snapshot of 14 people or giant scissors cutting a ribbon is a waste of effort.

Email Gwen Moritz, interim editor of Arkansas Business, at gmoritz@abpg.com