Bill Hunt Public Relations

Media relations

Description:
My as yet unpatented Holy Golden B.H.A.B.P.I. Rules of media relations:

1) Be familiar with the media landscape
2) Have an idea what kind of stories will appeal to individual media
3) Appreciate different journalists' agendas
4) Be equally comfortable selling in a story to FHM as to the FT
5) Package the story to make it as appealing as a last Rolo
6) If they say no, replace receiver, alter story slightly and call again using seductive female voice

In 2004 I had one of my most enjoyable times in PR: I worked two days a week selling-in FHM's 'High Street Honeys' to the tabloids, and spent the remaining three days selling in European broadcast news interviews with TIME Magazine journalists embeded with the coalition troops in Baghdad.

I had an equally fun time hired to carry out freelance media relations in every department of Hill and Knowlton's London office over a period of two years. I worked on everything from All Bran to kangaroo meat.

I write a decent press release and if I don't think the story is strong enough I'll come up with ideas to make it so.

I'm not a fan of jargon. People who use the words 'cutting-edge' or 'global' in a press release need a slap. Anyone who attempts to 'leverage a robust solution' should desist from verbalising Armitage Shanks defecation interface scenarios.