A few years ago I moved to Washington State after growing up in California. Although there are many Californians that love the great outdoors, I didn’t grow up spending excessive time in them. It’s quite a contrast living in an area where most people spend free time camping, fishing, hunting, etc.

As I was listening to a couple of friends talk about fishing the other day, I realized it’s a lot like PR. Here are a few things they have in common:

Set everything up before you start: It is common sense that you wouldn’t start casting before the fishing line is on the pole or the bait is on the hook. Similarly, make sure you have everything set up before you start reaching out to the press. Is your website is live? Anticipate items they might want – have high-res images and samples ready in case they’re requested.

The bait you use matters: While fishermen probably have favorite brands or types of bait, an advanced fisherman will tell you that fishing without the bait is a waste of time. When pitching to the press, make sure you have a hook. Without something that catches the journalists’ eye, pitching is a waste of time – like fishing without bait.

If you’re not catching anything, try a different angle or target: If the fish aren’t biting, you can try casting in a different location – whether it’s a few feet over or a different lake/river/stream entirely. If the media isn’t responding to your pitch, try approaching it from a different angle, or think about what other media targets might be interested in your story idea.

Timing is important: Experienced fisherman fish when the fish are more likely to bite. As I don’t consider myself a fishing expert, I don’t know exactly when this is, although I would guess early morning or dusk. Similarly, experienced PR professionals approach media professionals when they know they’re working on a particular story. Large magazines have about a 6-month lead time, whereas online targets have a much shorter lead time – sometimes even just a few weeks. If there’s a specific target you want your company in, think about which issue the story would be in, and when they’ll be working on it.

Listen to people that have done this before: I have no idea what to do when it comes to fishing, which is why I would ask someone that’s done this before and listen to what they say. In the PR realm, you can listen to people that have done this before by reading their blogs and/or contacting them to see if they offer consultations. Three Girls offers a variety of resources for businesses interested in DIY PR including consultations, pitch writing services and media research.

Anyone can do it, but it takes time: As with fishing, anyone can do PR. It just takes time to do it. Pitching your story or casting your line might only take a few seconds, but preparing to pitch/cast and repeating until you hook a fish or reporter can take much more time and focus.

What do you think? Can you think of additional ways fishing is like PR?

Photo Credit: New Brunswick Tourism | Tourisme Nouveau-Brunswick

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