This landed in my inbox…send by a PR firm…on behalf of some well-paying client…
“I’m passing on a press release I thought may be of interest to you.”
Lots of things are of interest to me — from the benefits and many uses of coconut oil to what @moorehn @tom_peters @ReformedBroker or @WhatIDoAllDay are tweeting about on any given day to when my god-daughter heads to summer camp in Northern Ontario to what my eldest nephew plans to study next year at university, not to mention politics, refugees, healthcare, STEM education, the latest in Korean skin care and where to find the best steak tartare in New York City.
But back to “I’m passing on a press release I thought may be of interest to you”.
Whether you’re reaching out cold, seeking an intro or passing along information, be able to answer the WHY: why should the recipient read or care or act or respond to the information you’ve decided to share?
As I share in #BYDN:
Networking is always about relationships, which means it is all about the information and experiences those particular relationships can bring to bear on your behalf….this is why you need to think about why you’re reaching out to a particular person or group for help or guidance or direction.
“I’m passing on” does not tell me WHY I need to read, absorb or care about the information being sent. I’m astute enough to know why a PR firm is sending me information (I know their WHY) however I need to hear MY WHY from sender. Have I tweeted on the subject? Does it align with something I wrote about in #BYDN? Did I say something in a recent talk that made them think “hey, she may just be interested in” whatever it is my client has going on. Personalize. Customize. Take the time to add context — it will pay off — as that WHY is the stuff of connections.
“I’m passing on” with nothing more, is a waste of an email — unless counting emails sent is your measure of success.
