If you're in PR, marketing, communications...

...do yourself a favor a read PR Pro Tips. It (my job) really IS that simple.

For example:

Tip #83: Where’s the fire?

The flag on your email says, “Urgent.” My brain says, “Meh.”

Tip #82: Nag

90% of the phonecalls I get are people asking if I got the press release they emailed. Yes, I got it. Did I read it? Maybe. Do I care? You’d know already.

Oh, wait. Here’s something new and even more annoying: A phonecall from a PR person telling me she will be emailing me a press release later. Argh! Just send it!

(Bonus tip: Actually, following up on an email pitch is ok. But do it on email, ok?)

Tip #80: Brevity

If your demo tells the story in 10 minutes, don’t drag it out to 30. If your new feature can be described in a one-paragraph e-mail, don’t send two pages of fluff.

What I do really isn't that hard (I think). Yes, you have to be smart, have common sense, listen, read and be able to communicate well, but reading these tips make me laugh. Do people actually try and pitch reporters in the press room? That's a big no no. That's just as bad as calling a daily beat reporter at about 3pm to find out if he/she has received your pitch. Hello, McFly...ever hear of deadlines?