Media Advisory--PR girls don't eat dessert!

So a couple of months back I attended a Publicity Club of NY luncheon and "jokingly" poked fun at the crowd of coiffed, predominantly female attendees. Well yesterday, I revisited the scene and quickly saw that I wasn't the only one who observed the unusual habits of the "NYC PR girl."

Generally at these types of luncheons, you get served a nice chicken dish, maybe even a steak if you're lucky, and usually some sort of generic cake/pie/ice cream type desert. Not gonna lie, I always eat the desert! Interestingly, I believe I might be the only one in PR that does. This month's luncheon served up possibly the most healthy meal ever placed in front of me. Appetizer--lettuce with possibly a dash of some sort of vinaigrette, Main Course--steamed veggies, boiled potatoes and what I guess was poached salmon? (PS, I loathe salmon...), "Desert" (And I use that term loosely)--3 blueberries and a strawberry. Oh yeah, and the Diet Coke was in full effect, but regular Coke had been pulled from the table all together!

Now don't get me wrong, I fully attended this luncheon for the panelists and networking, and very much enjoyed their discussion and helpful hints, and as a former waitress, I am grateful for any nice meal that is prepared and served to me, but I just had to comment on the hilarity of the menu and beverage choice for the crowd of nearly all young women with "small appetites." I bet the few men in the room left there hungry!

This got me wondering why there are so few men in the business. Even in my own office, the women outnumber the men by a lot (A LOT!) It doesn't seem like a girly profession to me, anyone have any thoughts on this?

Oh yeah, and once again, even though I was furiously taking notes about potential blog topics during the luncheon, I was also gaining valuable insight into the pitching preferences of journalists. One thing was clear, phone calls are out, emails are in. All five editors and writers on the panel agreed that they rarely even answer their office phones and never listen to voicemails. I guess the days of call sheets and rehearsed pitches are over. In this digital world, a short, compelling email that positions your client as a "gotta have it" story seems like the way to go. One thing that was interest to me though, was that most of the panelists DID NOT enjoy the follow up email. My colleagues and I have always thought this was a great way to stay fresh in a writers mind and to give them a gentle reminder to get in touch. So now I'm torn, to follow up or not to follow up, that is the question...