More, More, More Might Mean Less
January 16, 2009 by Mary Ellen
Do you emphasize quantity over quality in your PR efforts? You’re not alone. Just this week I heard this comment:
“I sent out 700 e-mails across the country and got no response.”
The email marked as “non-responsive” follows:
Hi,
Just passing along some info about a new dating site out there for adults with mental illness…thought you might want to pass it along.
www.trueacceptance.com
I’m also including a brief write up in a local NAMI chapter’s newsletter:
http://www.nami.org/Content/Microsites86/NAMI_Albuquerque/Home82/Newsletter3/1Q-2008.pdf
Thanks,
Mike
Like many, Mike gave little consideration to his message. His message, repeated 700 times, offered:
- No personalization. While “Hi,” although friendly, is completely generic. Instead of 700 shout-outs to people who could care, consider seven carefully crafted, personalized messages.
- No specificity. Mike had no call to action. He didn’t ask recipients to read the article, write one of their own, look at the site, call him or respond in any other way.
- No results. No kidding.
The bottom line is no, no, no. The next time you consider 700 messages, just say no. Go for quality, not quantity.
Here’s a more specific version of the same email:
Dear Bill, (or the specific name of the reporter)
In last week’s article (title and date) you mentioned the importance of relationships, (comment appropriately about a subject discussed) and I thought you might be interested in a new dating site for adults with mental illness:
Three points of interest about true acceptance:
1. The two social workers partners (name them and hotlink to an About page) who founded the site have 12 years of work with the mentally impaired, so they know and understand the potential participants.
2. In just six weeks, more than 300 profiles have been added, so we know there’s a need for the service.
3. For more information, see our Online Media Room or call me.Would you please list True Acceptance as a source in your “Websites of Interest” feature?
Stay tuned for more on what works and what doesn’t on the web and in traditional pr. Next time I’ll talk about three big myths of PR.
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[...] Related Posts: (More and More) Social Media Snake Oil Four Red Flags When Hiring A PR Firm Wasting Your Time On Thousands Why I Don’t “Do” PR. Read More: Mary Ellen Merrigan on sending out lots of emails, More, More, More Might Mean Less [...]