Melting Your Ears Off (Approaching The Press - Coming On Strong)
By Jake Kilroy
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Being a PR rep seems terrifying. Pitching ideas is hard. Pitching people is harder. However, I know what kind of PR rep makes an entrepreneurial client look bad.
A couple of weeks ago, while a meeting with me, the research editor here at Entrepreneur, James Park, had a bad phone conversation. The PR rep on the other end was pitching her entrepreneur.
"Hi, who is this?" said the high-pitched, fast-paced woman on the other end.
"This is James."
"Are you the editorial assistant?"
"Oh, no. I'm actually the-"
"Ok, well, let me just tell you about my client. He just started his company from the ground up and he's doing something totally new. Like Phillip K. Dick new. Anyway, my client sold his last company for a couple million, so he could focus on this cool new idea that's going to make your hair catch fire from sheer insanity. My client-"
"I'm sorry to cut you off, but I'm in somewhat of a meeting right now. You can send me an e-mail that I'd be more than happy to look over. I just can't talk right now. Let me give you my e-mail and-"
"Sure, but let me just tell you about my client's company, because you're going to want to write about it. I know you are. You're not going to want to wait for that e-mail. His idea is so edgy, it'll cut you! Is your face ready for this? Because I'm about to shove dynamite in your ears with what my client is doing. Your face is going to melt like that guy in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Get ready, because-"
"Again, I'm really sorry, but I have to go. If you send me that e-mail, I can look it over and forward it onto the Pitches Department."
"OK, OK, real quick though. He's starting a company so innovative that they haven't even invented the adjective to describe it. Marlifilentious? Is that a word? Ok, seriously-"
"I'm sorry, I have to go."
Here's my small piece of advice: Have you ever signed up for a gym membership? Ok, don't be that guy.
