Have we moved away from using the telephone, sending letters and meeting face to face? Is our only means of communicating via instant message, Facebook or email?
The other day I was talking with one of my publicists and I asked him if he followed up with someone via telephone.
“You know Hilary,” he said. “We’re living in a digital age and reporters and producers only use email!”
Oh really? Hmmmm. Interesting. I don’t agree. Yes, we are living in the digital age and more and more people are using email, instant message and Facebook, but there is still a need and a use for the old fashioned telephone!
As a matter of fact, I was even thinking that we should change up the way we disseminate pitch letters and from time to time consider mailing them.
Years ago, your mail needed to stand out in order for a reporter or editor to open the content. I remember my first letterhead at HJMT COMMUNICATIONS, LLC. It was bright green, then it was brown and eventually I went to a four-color letterhead. When reporters opened HJMT press releases, pitch letters and feature stories, they knew it was coming from HJMT because of the color!
But follow up only via email? Email is easily deletable! How many times have you sent emails out to people and didn’t get a response? You have to use the phone to follow up! If people are hard to get, try different times of the day – 8 am, 5 pm, 7 pm. If you really try hard enough, you will get them on the phone.
There are still so many reporters, editors and producers who only use the phone to arrange for interviews.
Monday night, Allie Herzog and I went to the New York Press Club. They were having their gala honoring reporters, editors and producers who have written or produced outstanding news stories throughout the year. It was held at the Waterclub on 23rd Street and FDR Drive. I looked around and I noted to Allie that if there were a handful of people between the ages of 25 and 35, it was a lot! Most of the folks were in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. “Do you really think that everyone here is solely digital?” I asked Allie. She looked at me and smiled. She knew I was right…
Why can’t people see the big picture when it comes to the digital age? The digital age has helped us all expand our resources and open our minds but the old fashioned way of communicating will never die, especially in my lifetime!
