Policies for PR Firms and Guest Lists for Bloggers

Within every press conference is the famed guest list where members of the media RSVP to attend exclusive launches run the beat. Some events are pretty much lax when it comes to press exclusivity. A guy can walk in and say he’s from “Wheelbarrow Unlimited” for a tech product launch and the guy at the registration table will let him in. Others are more stringent, seeing that the event is not covered by your niche, and you weren’t invited - they won’t let you in. But let them in they do - what have they got to lose? What’s one more guest, let alone the opportunity to top up your product’s media value if your new phone launch does appear on “Wheelbarrow Unlimited.”

PR firms always can double check anyway, and see if the guy’s legit. But what happens when you can’t verify on the spot if your journo is with a particular magazine? What if the guest is a blogger who doesn’t answer to an editor or a “higher power” save his hosting service?

I say, allow them to register. Allow them to come in. Allow them to cover the event. Take note of their blog URL and engage them in dialogue. After all, PR is all about conversation and lasting relationships. But never, ever treat them badly.

Or learn to apologize.