spray and pray PR
n.— «The problem is the same as it has always been: spray and pray PR tactics, in which the PR person or agency floods the media with copies of their press release, hoping that someone who cares will pick it up. In the hope of increasing the odds of pick-up, cheerful-sounding PR people start smiling and dialing journalists to follow up on the release. They did this in 1981; they did it this morning, and they will do it again on Monday. It was a low road tactic then, and it’s a low road tactic now. The only reason it still exists is that it still, to some extent, works, despite the howls from journalists who get tired of the interruptions.» —“PR Pitching is Broken; Profession as a Whole is in Good Shape” by Jon Greer BNET Aug. 15, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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National Book Award winner Barry Lopez had wise advice for young writers. First, read widely and follow your curiosity. Second, travel or learn a foreign language. And third, find out what you truly believe, because if you’re not writing from...