How do you source your stories?

Usually we will look at what’s going on in the news, and then we contact the press office or PR to secure interviews. Sometimes press releases are quite helpful because they give us a general idea of what’s going on in the company. They might provide specific details that we think would make a nice piece and then we can take it from there.

How do you prefer to be contacted by PR professionals?

I would say by email, just because we work on a number of newsletters and we create a monthly magazine called Quality World, so we’re mostly too busy to take calls.

Do you expect PR professionals to know your deadlines?

I’d only expect them to understand when a deadline is if I’ve already told them. If I’ve asked for something back by a certain time, I’d expect them to know that that’s not really movable.

What is the most useful service PR provides?

We’re a membership organisation for quality professionals, so we write a lot about stakeholder relations, business excellence, innovation and business improvement, so I just really expect them to know the brand. You’d be surprised how many people contact us about stories that have nothing to do with any of those topics. I’d like them to understand that when a journalist writes a story, they have to think about why their readers would read it. It would be great if they could pitch to us in a way that shows they understand that.

Which PR habit do you find most irritating?

When you get those bulk press releases that you know have been sent to 100 people, and they’re really general. There’s not much that you can get from that.

Meet the media is supported by PR Newswire. For more Meet the Media, visit www.prnewswire.co.uk/meet-the-media/