Don't Contact Journalists This Way

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Hi everyone

How do you feel about WhatsApp? Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with the platform. The upshot, of course, is that it's a brilliant way to quickly chat and ping pictures to friends and family, but on the other hand who doesn't get that sinking feeling when you're added to yet another group?

I bring up WhatsApp as the other day the founder of a business I'd featured in an article WhatsApped me at 6am. Yes, that's right. 6am. I'm just very grateful (for him and me) it didn't wake me up.

The founder had originally been in touch with me over email yet he caught my number at the bottom of my signature and started WhatsApping - asking about pictures, another time asking when the article would be published. I did say to him it would be better to email but still the messages came through.

There was never any reason to bring the conversation onto another (non-work) platform. But this isn't the first time this has happened. I'll often receive WhatsApp messages from PRs when the conversation should have stayed on email. I check my emails regularly enough (probably far too much) and in none of the cases has there ever warranted an urgent need to message me.

For me, and I believe most journalists would nod their heads in agreement on this, from a PR perspective WhatsApp isn't the right platform to converse with journalists on. That is what email is there for.

So my advice is: stick to email (if that wasn't clear enough). Unless a journalist wants you to WhatsApp them, you're pals with a journalist, or you're already working with them on something urgent and it's impossible to get through to them by all other means (and you've tried their email, calling and voicemail).

I know it's not always possible, but some people try to keep their work and personal life separate and jumping into their WhatsApp messages could be overstepping boundaries.

Have a great rest of the week.

Thanks
Susie