*This post was originally titled: “Practicing how to get lucky” but the more smutty minded among you have kindly informed me that the title may have suggested content unlikely to be found on a part-time Public Relations blog! 🙂
Success takes time, planning and effort.
Success rarely falls into your lap. In the oft-quoted words of Gary Player, “the more I practice, the luckier I get”.
Take Todd Andrlik‘s Power 150 list which has now been adopted by Advertising Age. To make the top 150 you need to be relevant, well read and be willing to invest your time in your blog.
That’s what the folks at the top 150 places have done and those who will hold those placings in the future are doing now.
I come in at #172 and I’ve no quibbles with that – in fact I’m secretly impressed – though obviously that’s less of a secret as of about eleven words ago.
Over the past five years, my blog authorship has gone from manic, to dormant, to “managed” – this is what managed looks like.
The same can be said of good communications.
Good, breakthrough, communication demands effort, planning, time and application.
It’s not easy. It typically involves effort, time and yes sometimes some luck.
We all know that information volumes are continuing to grow. We all know that PR people are struggling to balance traditional communications activities with new online channels. But that can’t be an excuse for shoddy pitching to blogs or journalists.
Let’s be honest here, it’s not just about the brave new online world. This was an issue long before the Internet.
We need to think about our pitching habits.
If, and it’s a big if, the rise of social networking starts to see good professionals being favoured (more than they are already) by bloggers and media, where does it leave you? Is it worth that badly written, badly targeted, irrelevant e-mail to the journalist or blogger?
Which is worse: not pitching or pitching badly?
As we move online, I think the latter is probably more damaging.
Think before you press send.
Murphy's Law 