Bad Pitch Blog

DECEMBER 18, 2006

NEW YORK, NY—December 19, 2006—The Morris + King Company (MKC), one of the country’s most innovative and accomplished public relations and integrated marketing firms, today issued the first-ever “Best ProfNet Queries of the Year” list. Compiled from a collection of 52 weeks worth of email queries from PRNewswire’s ProfNet service, this list chronicles the funniest, most unique and peculiar reporter queries of 2006. Nov 17, 2006 05:00 PM 1.

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Bad Pitch Blog

JULY 4, 2006

2006 Stuttgart uploaded by magnetisch Based on the popularity of the last post , I’m linking to a presentation outlining the lifecycle of a media relations pitch. Check out the back story here. tags | public relations | PR | media relations | media | good pitch | bad pitch | bad pitch blog

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Bad Pitch Blog

SEPTEMBER 19, 2006

You have the option to download and/or stream shows from your own page and hand them out accordingly in a couple of months as “Best of…2006.” As a public (PR) service I’m suggesting an ideal tactic for CEOs of the world who do not see the value in a blog or are too good or busy for a blog, but definitely want (need) to reach online audiences. Rather than sending a bad pitch (or a good pitch that results in a bad interview), there is BlogTalkRadio.

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Bad Pitch Blog

AUGUST 15, 2006

Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 15:54:22 -0400 To: prblog@yahoo.com From: " AGENCY " AGENCY@AGENCYNAME.com > Subject: News: NAME Joins AGENCY NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: FLACK NAME FLACK PHONE FLACK EMAIL NAME Joins AGENCY BETHESDA, MD- August 15, 2006- NAME has joined Bethesda, MD-based AGENCY as an Account Executive and Copy Writer. OK folks. Those who know me personally will represent and tell you that I am not a mean-spirited person. But wtf is this crap?

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Bad Pitch Blog

DECEMBER 31, 2006

New Year’s resolutions are crap. It takes more than a new calendar and blind optimism to make a change in your life. But the Bad Pitch blog tries to provide timely, relevant content. So here are six media relations resolutions in a box—a healthy mix of doing less and doing more for better media relations in 2007. Write Less: Write what you want to say, then (to roughly quote Pulp Fiction) take your blow torch, pliers and get medieval on it. The more you edit, the better your pitches get.

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Bad Pitch Blog

DECEMBER 30, 2006

Just finished reading Peter Shankman’s book, Can We Do That?! It covers a lot of ground from PR basics, media relations and events to creative thinking, crisis communications and account management. Shankman’s conversational style makes it an easy read (no small feat for non-fiction). His hard-earned experiences recounted in the book make it credible (no small feat for a business book). The end result is an entertaining read I recommend checking out.

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Bad Pitch Blog

DECEMBER 22, 2006

Slick here. On behalf of the Bad Pitch Blog, I want to wish you and yours all the best during this holiday season. I’m all about the c-word and the 3 ho’s. These guys are a bit more politically correct. Anyways, they tell me I’ll be working over the break, but who knows. So until next time, keep those bad pitches coming. Slick’s gotta eat. tags public relations PR media relations media good pitch bad pitch bad pitch blog

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Bad Pitch Blog

DECEMBER 2, 2006

Yeah, we’ve been quiet. It’s the holiday season, get used to it. As we sift through the backlog of media relations atrocities sent to us, we submit this true story. At a recent PRSA awards dinner, Cincinnati Enquirer managing editor Hollis Towns brought a curious prop to show the crowd—a box crammed with media kits. The box did not hold stacks of folders, ready to pop like a roll of biscuit dough, or heaps of the trendier, more compact electronic media kits.

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Bad Pitch Blog

DECEMBER 2, 2006

Boy + Girls: Let’s pause from talking about Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise’s “relationship” to wonder if PR professionals have become unnecessary. Does anyone need us anymore? Keeping clients happy was once a cakewalk. PR professionals merely had to write up press releases with some good words in them, get the messages right, and pick up some ink. Then suddenly everyone became aware of the capabilities and value of so-called real PR.

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Bad Pitch Blog

AUGUST 1, 2006

BTW, this is the follow-up after I ignored his original message.” -- From: PR GUY Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 8:17 PM To: SHEL Subject: Re: CLIENT podcast Sorry. Our first episode premiered on February 15th, 2006, and was downloaded over 2000 times. Shel Holtz forwarded a blanket pitch sent to him that brings several basic lessons to mind. But before we unfold it, a word from Shel.

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Bad Pitch Blog

JULY 6, 2006

From: Dave Overton Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 12:27 PM To: Beucke, Dan Subject: [NEWMANPR] - Why the demise of Ken Lay? When we heard the unfortunate news about Ken Lay’s passing, we knew the coverage would get ugly. Visions of really bad headlines flashed into our head. This is worse. Here we have an uncouth, opportunistic “unprofessional” trying to use Lay’s death to create media attention for his client.

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Bad Pitch Blog

NOVEMBER 5, 2006

With apologies to The Bard , set your microscope on hella-small as we examine the lamest part of most any news release—the boilerplate. The Bulldog Reporter defines boilerplate as “text that is reused, as at the end of a news release or in a legal document. The fascinating origin of the word is discussed in "The Skinny" book.” Legal document? That alone should raise a red flag. The boilerplate means well.

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Bad Pitch Blog

OCTOBER 18, 2006

In a short period of time, the Bad Pitch blog has seen a lot of crappy media relations. But this is a first—a pitch so bad the reporter outed it on Flickr. Not sure what Flickr is? No cookie for you. There are plenty of ways Flickr can keep your PR skills sharp. Check it out. ROBTv’s Michael Hainsworth can be seen on The Business News. His blog has me convinced he’s equally qualified to work on The Daily Show.

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Bad Pitch Blog

OCTOBER 17, 2006

This from someone at RLM who isn’t as wily as I am. Turns out that PR folk are not the only ones who send bad pitches! As we know, our HR colleagues pitch all day, every day. When they recruit, they’re pitching. When they announce inevitably negative changes to benefits packages, they’re pitching. You get the idea. Last week, a zealous HR pro (her title is Manager, Talent Development) sent an e-mail to a former employee at my agency.

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Bad Pitch Blog

JUNE 5, 2006

available on April 7, 2006 - substantially less than other registrars. In continuing with its tradition of providing its consumers with economical and easy-to-use web, domain and marketing packages, as well as best in class customer service, Dotster will offer this discounted rate until April 13, 2006 through its 1495eu coupon code." HWH Public Relations/New Media gets the distinction of being the first agency, in its entirety, to be out-ed by the Bad Pitch blog.

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Bad Pitch Blog

OCTOBER 2, 2006

We knew Glinda would be back as soon as we glanced at this pitch from The McGinn Group’s Nellie Lide. Subject: chevy''s trying more co-creation Kevin- Some lucky (and talented) Gen Yers will create Chevy’s 2007 Super Bowl Ad. Here’s the blogger press release: [link]. Thanks, Nellie [Sig File] - In addition to the wicked-short length and link to the news release, here’s why this good pitch gets a Glinda, our badge of honor.

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Bad Pitch Blog

OCTOBER 1, 2006

Want to stay up to date on the Bad Pitch Blog but not interested in RSS? Check out the sidebar and you''ll see we now offer Feedblitz. Just enter your email, hit enter and you''ll be signed up to receive our posts in your email inbox shortly after we hit publish

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Bad Pitch Blog

OCTOBER 1, 2006

Back in May, my PRSA chapter judged another chapter’s annual awards program. Fifteen binder-stuffed boxes were sent for our review. Spending time with one of those BIG boxes inspired some ideas on how to improve award entries. Follow Directions If you’re told you’ll be judged on measurable objectives, you’d better put some in your entry. It sounds obvious, but it was amazing how many entries ignored this completely.

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Bad Pitch Blog

JULY 7, 2006

From: Charlie Bernard Sent: Friday, July 07, 2006 10:32 AM To: ANONYMOUS Subject: Story Idea Hello NAME , Are You Ready For Hot Women, Gambling, and Football?!?!?!?! We were dealt into the next bad pitch by an anonymous member of the news media. It was sent from a firm that has been outed before. So we edited the pitch to keep the media outlet’s identity anonymous instead of the person pitching it. All edits are in BOLD and CAPS. I had to forward this pitch to you.

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Bad Pitch Blog

MAY 31, 2006

This includes our signature dish: "Three Strikes and You''re Out-ed." - Date: Wed, 31 May 2006 20:04:05 -0700 (PDT) From: NAME To: BAD PITCH BLOG EMAIL Subject: live campiagn intro to bloggers Dear I just recently started a blog called the BLOG NAME. Quietly under Google’s radar, COMPANY.com launched on May 16, 2006 disrupting Google’s announcement to be the first and only company to take a slice of the pay-per-click video advertising pie. We''ve started a Bad Pitch Buffet of sorts.

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Bad Pitch Blog

SEPTEMBER 26, 2006

Nudity and liquor seem like a sure-fire combo to get the media’s attention. After all, this headline got your attention. But sometimes PR people can over share on behalf of their clients. This is one of those times. This news release posing as a pitch was forwarded by a Philadelphia-based reporter to "Trebuchet," a fan of the Bad Pitch blog. She is also the author of the wonderfully-written Legwarmers. If you think we’re funny, check out Legwarmers. Butt first… - Subject: Alert!

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Bad Pitch Blog

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

Poynter’s Amy Gahran will delete any unsolicited news releases sent to her, labeling them as spam. Techdirt also joins the discussion with reference to Valleywag’s snarky ire for Tech PR''s approach to media relations. You should read the comments at all of these posts. That is, unless you haven''t eaten breakfast yet. Are these responses to PR people harsh or too general? Does it really matter? If you''re trying to reach Amy Gahran with news, it''s her preferences that matter.

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Bad Pitch Blog

SEPTEMBER 20, 2006

OK, we have more geographic reach online than off, but Richard and I are out and about spreading the good word about bad pitches and wanted to let you know the details. Cue the ad. This morning I’m in Chicago presenting at Ragan’s 10th Annual Strategic Public Relations Conference. Richard will be conducting a “Full Frontal” seminar for Mediabistro on September 28 at their West Hollywood offices.

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Bad Pitch Blog

JUNE 19, 2006

Instead the Gold Group helped Oxfam capitalize on a unique donation from actress Keira Knightley—a Vera Wang dress she wore to the 2006 Oscars. Just when you thought we were all Bad, here''s Glinda the Good Pitch. Glinda is a badge of honor bestowed on some of the good pitches we get. This one comes from Jeff Greene and the Gold Group on behalf of global relief agency Oxfam. Oxfam brings us an interesting case study on social media relations’ ability to raise awareness.

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Bad Pitch Blog

SEPTEMBER 10, 2006

The Bad Pitch blog received its first response from someone it outed. We’ve outed eight offenders since starting this party nine months ago. MAYO is the first to engage in the conversation around their Slick-worthy pitches. We always email the guilty parties when we award them a badge of dishonor. But MAYO’s response is not exactly what I expected. You''re an idiot, but thanks for promoting our news releases! I will try to remove you.

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Bad Pitch Blog

SEPTEMBER 8, 2006

Hold the MAYO. Oh, wait. You can’t hold it, or stop it. Asking MAYO to stop sending you pitches news releases doesn’t work. After a request to stop, MAYO still sends bad pitches news releases to Blake Barbera. Barbera left the PR industry four months ago to pursue another career. Or perhaps to escape MAYO? My response to one of the five MAYOmail’s I received also went unanswered. As a result, George McQuade and Aida Mayo more than earn Slick, our badge of dishonor.

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Bad Pitch Blog

AUGUST 31, 2006

Note to Self: Find the person at Bacon’s that updates Media Map profiles. See if we can put visual aids in our profiles to clearly communicate our rules of engagement* to the learning-impaired kids that spam us with noise like this. Hello! AGENCY was honored yesterday by the NON-PROFIT for our creative work documenting the distribution of donations to Katrina victims. Below is a release detailing the ceremony and the work done. I’ve also attached a photo of AGENCY OWNER receiving the award.

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Bad Pitch Blog

AUGUST 28, 2006

We received a question from a reader we’ll refer to as Nonplussed. Nonplussed is pitching for a couple of clients to trade, business and consumer media and experiencing a dramatic dip in August coverage. He writes: “I never knew there was an official downturn (I came here from working in broadcast) and it would have been really nice to anticipate before getting bombarded by clients asking why they haven’t had any traction in a while. They’re on vacation” doesn’t seem to be working.

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Bad Pitch Blog

AUGUST 27, 2006

I knew that would get your attention. Last year the phrase was “couch jumping,” alluding to did you go off the deep end? This time it’s “Anakes On A Plane,” meaning have you hyped a new product on a blog or a vlog and did it totally screw with corporate expectations?

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Bad Pitch Blog

AUGUST 22, 2006

The Bad Pitch Blog is hitting the road and spreading the word about what NOT to do to achieve media relations success. We’re presenting at Ragan’s 10th Annual Strategic Public Relations Conference in Chicago from September 21-22. There is also a Wiki for the event, PR Rehab. Richard will be unable to join me, but you can. As a Ragan speaker, I can invite one person to the conference for half price. If you are serious about attending, let me know and I will facilitate.

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Bad Pitch Blog

MAY 9, 2006

Subject: Kiefer Sutherland foils terror plot at shopping mall From: SENIOR AE To: SENIOR AE Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2006 6:11 PM The most recent episode of "24" on FOX had terrorists releasing nerve gas into the ventilation system of a fictional shopping mall. A DC-based communications blog received the latest bad pitch. We’re calling it the Spectre of Doom pitch.

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MARCH 23, 2006

From: NAME on Behalf Of John James Nicoletti Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 2:50 PM Subject: ANAHEIM MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL URGE SUPPORT FOR LOCAL AMERICAN IDOL CONTESTANT Please contact me with further questions regarding this release. Ex-journo Gary Goldhammer sends us this waste of taxpayer dollars as the Mayor of Anaheim tries to cash in on one citizen''s 15 minutes of fame.

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Bad Pitch Blog

AUGUST 6, 2006

Pardon the pun, but the Bad Pitch blog is pleased to bring you 10 tips to improving your approach to media relations. Now let’s be clear—the biggest media relations mistake people make is not taking the time to do their homework. This list is NOT a short cut to good media relations. It is a way to work smart vs. work hard (or work stupid). All Hail Google: You should be reading everything your reporter writes. Google News Alerts bring it to you.

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Bad Pitch Blog

AUGUST 5, 2006

This was supposed to be in my book Full Frontal PR, but the vagaries of editing and layout kept it from publication. I started working on a revision and decided it goes back in. Screw the editors, I say. There’s a breed of PR people out there that can get the meeting, do the interview and chat it up all day long on the phone with journalists. They have an anemic press book, though, and the buzz meter isn’t reporting the faintest blip.

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Bad Pitch Blog

JULY 24, 2006

Pitches seem to be reaching an all-time low. It’s getting so bad that two people recently lost their jobs over pitches they distributed. Gawker tells us of a racist pitch so misguided that its sender is lucky if unemployment is the only consequence of her actions. The pitch is so negative you have to wonder if the client is considering legal action.

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Bad Pitch Blog

APRIL 26, 2006

From: NAME Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 7:09 PM To: FRIEND of BPB Subject: Long time no see Hi, I''m just getting around to organizing all of the business cards and contacts that I''ve collected since Thanksgiving 2005. This pitch might remind you of Sex in the City. It reminds the Bad Pitch blog of Clueless. Thanks to our friend for sending this along. We shall respect your request for anonymity. That said, lets do this.

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Bad Pitch Blog

JULY 6, 2006

Melinda, Bill and Warren announce to the world they are ganging up on all the vaccines in the world. It''s really pretty wonderful. You get the feeling there is no spin there and from BPB to them, we say Mazel Tov.

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Bad Pitch Blog

JULY 6, 2006

Racism is a hard one to pass up, and so the Bad Pitch Blog was taken aback by friends who sent the awful Sony PlayStation ad we can''t seem to stop looking at. Oh no. It worked. See picture.) The ad got us to stare. But then again, what do you expect? One ad (shown) is about a white lady going to town on a black one. Then there''s another, not pictured, of a black woman getting her vengeance over the white woman. It''s like "Oh, I get it.

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Bad Pitch Blog

APRIL 20, 2006

Ah congratulations, Tom Cruise. I digress. Lately I’ve seen a lot of news about the little ultrasound/sonogram machine he was carrying around for the birth of Suri (there’s a name bound to garner headlines just before a movie comes out, eh?). The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine was also talking a lot – getting press for their views that it’s kind of against the law and really bad for the inbound kid to be looked at so casually by a non-pro!

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Bad Pitch Blog

APRIL 9, 2006

From: Greg Brooks Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 10:49 AM To: ''Betsy Cummings'' Betsy, long time no talk! An all too familiar Web fever is upon us. Clients, flush with cash, are one deceptive symptom of this malady. They want instant publicity in national media outlets and are willing to pay exorbitant fees to get it. Yet we all know media coverage does not happen overnight. If you’re doing your job, there is a ramp up period.

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