Annabel Sampson, editorial assistant, the Oldie magazine

How do you choose which stories to write-up?

Most relevant to the publication and its readership. There’s no point choosing a story that is not going to get past the editor unless it’s a story of particular personal interest and you’re able to find an angle on it that could work. It’s also helpful to work with a few different publications because you can try and get a variety of different stories on a mixture of topics through.

What PR habit do you find most irritating or unhelpful?

When PRs cold-call the office and pitch a story interrupting your flow of work. It’s more effective to first send a press release and then invite the journalist to follow up if the information and story is relevant. The entire nature of a cold call is uncomfortable and makes you less inclined to work with a PR in future.

Do you think strong, ongoing relationships with PRs are helpful?

Yes, definitely. There is a particular PR (a one-man-band freelancer) whose taste I trust implicitly and know that when I receive an email from him it will be the kind of story I want to know about and will try to use in some way. Some stories I am able to use, others are just of great interest to me personally (the latter is not of use to the PR, but is ‘relationship- building’ I suppose). Worth noting, that this PR never calls the office, it is always information send through via e-mail, which is more respectful.

Do you think people who have trained as journalists make good PRs?

Yes, I believe so. Because they understand a journalist’s working environment and can therefore relate to their experiences, understand times of the month that might be more hectic, and as a result, be more respectful.