Know who you’re pitching to – or else

As a public relations professional, I see the mistake start up owners make when trying to get their own publicity.

They blanket press releases to any and every email address they find. It’s a bad idea for several reasons, including not focusing in on your target market.

But even professionals have been known to do this. And now, one editor is outing – and banning those professionals.

The editor at Wired couldn’t take the more than 300 spam releases he got and decided to tell the world. You can also read more about this mess over at business channel sister blog Common Sense PR.

As I scanned the list (biting my nails, hoping this was the ONE list I DIDN’T make – which I didn’t, BTW), I noticed some of the biggest PR firms in worldwide on the list.

The story has gotten so big, that it’s also hit the New York Times.

But if you think this is just a tale of warning for PR professionals, take heed.

I recently conducted a survey of more than 800 journalists across the country, and they told me they hate unsolicited, unfocused releases and pitches from ANYONE.

And even if you aren’t WIRED’s hit list, I have a hunch you’ve made the same mistake to some journalist somewhere.

Now’s the time to stop. Learn to target the media carefully – and build relationships with them. After all, public relations is about building relationships.

And if you need help, check out my program The Inside Scoop, which shares all the survey results, interviews with journalists from CNN, CNBC, Entrepreneur, Rachael Ray & more. Go to http://www.InsideScoopPublicity.com.