Who Speaks For You? Perhaps You Should Ask Your 'Secret Journalist'
There is an author who I want to interview for an upcoming edition of Newsroom Confidential. The author is well known and her insights on the media world would be of true interest to the journalists and communications executives who listen to my program.
The author and her latest book are being represented by a boutique PR agency. I don’t know if the author hired the agency herself or was assigned to the agency by the book’s publisher.
I recently received an email from the PR agency informing me of the author’s availability for interviews and the contact person at the agency who will be making all such arrangements.
I phoned immediately and left a message for the agent. I got no return call. I emailed. I got no return email. I waited. Then I called again.
The male phone receptionist asked me who I am and what business I have with the agent. I can understand why he might want to make sure I wasn’t some salesperson promoting new janitorial services.
I explained that I’m the host and executive producer of a show on KRLA in Los Angeles and I hoped to speak with the agent. “About what,” he asked. “About lining up a guest for the program,” I replied.
“What’s your name again?”
“Dean Rotbart”
“Just a minute.”
It was more like two minutes until he returned. “She’s not available, would you like her voice mail.”
“Sure”
So I left a message on the agent’s voice mail. No return call.
That evening I thought to myself, “This is ridiculous. The author is trying to promote her book and her agent is harder to reach than she is.” So I emailed the author directly and copied her PR Agent.
The subject line of my email was: What’s Is With [The Agent’s Name]?
I then explained that “I've left multiple messages for [Agent’s Name] trying to book you as a guest on my KRLA program and she hasn't bothered to return one of my calls. Seems rude to me, especially since she pitched us in the first place.”
Sure enough, first thing the next morning her time I got a call from the agent. Since I’m on the West Coast, I wasn’t in and she left me a message. She also emailed me telling me to call her anytime today to book the author.
So I called.
This time I got a female phone receptionist. I asked to speak with the agent.
“Who’s calling?”
Okay, fair question. “This is Dean Rotbart with KRLA radio in Los Angeles.”
“What’s this about?” the reception asked.
I replied that if the receptionist would give me her email address, I’d gladly send her my entire correspondence with the agency so that she could be fully up to speed. I would, after all, hate it if the receptionist was left out of the loop.
When I finally did get the agent on the phone, I explained frankly and without emotion that if I didn’t really want the author as a guest on Newsroom Confidential, I’d have nothing further to do with her agency.
Not only did I have a difficult time getting the agent to be responsive, I had to woo her phone receptionists, too.
I told the agent that I am somewhat new to the book promotion business, but I wondered if they had so many reporters and producers knocking at their door that they could afford to be so aloof?
The agent did attempt to explain the receptionists’ cross examinations by saying they needed to know more from me so that they could make sure I was asking for the correct agent and inform the agent about which client I was calling. I’ll accept that explanation on face value, although it still doesn’t explain why they asked me all those questions only to put me into the agent’s voice mail where I had to explain myself all over again.
In the end I recount this experience not so much because I want to expose the agent – if I did, I’d have named her and her client – but because I wonder if the author/client has any idea who is speaking to the media on her behalf?
In my case, it wasn’t the agent – who didn’t return my calls. It was the agent’s receptionists, who were haughty in their handling of my query.
Perhaps, just as large retail stores use secret shoppers, popular authors and others who hire PR agents should use secret journalists. These undercover operatives could call the PR agents claiming to be real journalists and see how their calls are handled.
Remember, it is your reputation and book (or product or service or company) for whom the agency speaks. Do you really want to leave that task to a nosy receptionist and a non-responsive agent?
Since G_d is regathering Isreal to the promised land, I see very difficult times ahead for Isreal; but I cannot believe that G_d will allow Isreal to be destroyed or dispersed again. G_d will act to preserve Isreal.
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