🥞 How NOT to Be a Tosser: PR Tips to Keep Your Media Coverage from Falling Flat

It’s Pancake Day, which means two things:

1) An alarming number of people will claim to be ‘flipping experts’ despite burning half their batter, and

2) We’ve got the perfect excuse for a PR-themed food metaphor.

Now, when it comes to media relations, you don’t want to be a tosser—not in the pancake-flipping sense, and certainly not in the irritating PR person who journalists avoid sense.

So, here’s how to keep your press coverage golden and not end up splattered on the newsroom floor.

1️⃣ Don’t Overhype—You’re Not Selling the Cure for Baldness

Look, we all love a good story, but if your press release makes Love Island sound like a documentary, you’ve gone too far. Journalists are allergic to spin, so ditch the fluff and get to the point. If your news isn’t actually news, no amount of adjectives will save it.

2️⃣ Timing Is Everything (and No, Journalists Don’t Work to Your Schedule)

Like flipping a pancake, if you mistime your pitch, it’s game over. Too early? It’ll be ignored. Too late? Someone else got there first. And if you think sending an embargoed release at 4:55 PM on a Friday is clever, congratulations—you’ve just won the ‘Most Deleted Email of the Week’ award.

3️⃣ Make It Easy for Journalists (They’re Busy, Not Psychic)

You wouldn’t serve up a pancake and forget the toppings, so don’t send a press release without the crucial details—facts, quotes, high-res images, and a contact who actually answers the phone. If a journalist has to hunt for missing info, they won’t bother. They’re not MI5.

4️⃣ Know Your Audience (and Stop Mass-Pitching Like It’s 2005)

Would you serve a bacon-stuffed pancake to a vegan? No? Then why are you pitching your fintech startup to a fashion journalist?
Spray-and-pray PR doesn’t work. Do your research, tailor your pitch, and actually read the publication before hitting send. Otherwise, you’re just clogging inboxes and annoying people.

5️⃣ Follow Up Without Being a Clingy Ex

One polite follow-up? Fine.
Two? Borderline.
Three? Congratulations, you’ve officially become The Person Journalists Now Ghost.

If they’re interested, they’ll get back to you. If they’re not, move on. Desperation isn’t a good look on anyone.

6️⃣ Don’t Flip Out Under Pressure (Even When Things Get Messy)

Crisis comms? Media inquiries? A rogue CEO who insists on ‘going off script’? Keep your cool.
Flapping like a contestant on The Apprentice won’t help. Stay professional, handle the media with care, and for the love of all things PR, never say “no comment.”

🥞 Final Flip: Don’t Be a Tosser—Be a Pro

The best PR is like the perfect pancake—smooth, well-timed, and leaves people wanting more. Avoid the classic mistakes, stay off the journalist blacklist, and you’ll be flipping fantastic.

Want more PR wisdom (or just fancy a rant about bad media pitches)? Let’s chat.