Over the years, I’ve received thousands of press releases and requests for coverage.

Some are really terrible.

Some result in articles and ongoing relationships.

The majority are deleted.

If you’re doing a PR push around your reopening, news in your coworking space, your virtual programming or the future of work, the best way to request press is to reach out personally.

Reach out as a human, with a relevant and interesting story angle.

An email from a real person, who either knows my work or has taken a few minutes to research what type of coworking stories I write about and why, is one million times more likely to lead to something than a cold email that starts with, “Dear journalist…”

Craft an intro email that shows you have an understanding of the publication and, when possible, the writer. Having them on your side can make the difference between getting deleted and getting forwarded to the editor.

Approach your media connection as the first step in a relationship rather than a transactional ask that you’ve cropdusted onto as many people as possible.

It’s not just me.

A survey of 500+ journalists, editors, and freelancers revealed the following worst PR tactics in 2020.

1. Hasn’t researched your work / Irrelevant to your beat
2. Hasn’t researched the publication you write for
3. Too many follow-ups
4. Self-promotional without a real story
5. Cold calling
6. Mass email blasts
7. Generic angle to a common story
8. Lack of cooperation or transparency (i.e. broken embargoes)
9. Not personalized
10. Copy of a press release

Avoid these coworking PR no-no’s.

Be strategic about your angle. Don’t send generic requests for press. Be human.

Do your research and think about building relationships rather than one-off transactions.

NEXT STEP: Consider taking my mini-course, How to Create a Press Release for Your Coworking Space. I show you everything I know and give you my press release template.