Well, it is official, Kristine Simpson has been overuled in the handshake debate in episode 8. The results are back in from our Facebook question asking “Do you judge people on their handshake?”
The verdict: 3/4 of people said yes.
The lesson learned: a good handshake is important.
Julia Kent and I then switch over to a topic not spoken about often enough, PR ethics. We discuss the ethics behind the story about OK! Magazine Editor Accepts Thousands of Dollars From PR People After Her Dog Dies. A debate started in the #PRintern | #EntryPR LinkedIn group. We give our two cents on the subject, but here is a hint: we think it is bad PR.
The debate quickly moves in to the ethics behind pitching. We discuss how it can be hard to pitch journalists as young professionals, but we must not fear the silence and ensure to always pitch using quality stories and not just aim for the most amount of hits. It is always quality over quantity. We mention Jeannie Clary’s article called The Sound of Silence on PitchingNotes.com to give some tips on how to properly pitch.
We want to hear from you. What is your opinion on the OK! Magazine story? What are your tips to pitching ethically?
Leave us a comment below, or on our Facebook Page, or on our Google+ page, or send us an email at youngprpros@gmail.com, or send us a message on Twitter @youngprpros, @kristinesimpson or @kentjulia.
I am not a young PR pro, I am just a Dad blogger but that OK magazine story is all kinds of wrong. I think the line about what she’d do with the leftover money is the craziest part. Shouldn’t that go to a dog shelter or charity at least? It would still be wrong but at least there would be a shred of good in it.
And as for the Handshaking, I’m still with Kristine!
HAHA yeah Chris!!
What I think surprises me the most about the OK Magazine story is not that it is unethical, it is the fact that this stuff still happens. I guess that is why my cohost and I try to help young professionals build a better tomorrow for public relations and communications.