Waiting can be grating

You know the saying, “Good things come to those who wait” …

Whoever first said that (it’s been attributed to a few people) must have been enjoying some special tequila.

As a society, we hate to wait. Have you ever slipped into a drive-thru thinking, I just want to hang out? Have you ever been on hold and wish you could listen to Muzak or wait for an online chat “expert” another hour? Did you give your favorite team’s coach grace when the team lost a bunch of games in their first season? That’s what I thought.

But sometimes things work better when you wait. Not a stay-stagnant kind of wait, but time to minimize, organize, and maximize your best features wait. Even with publicity. Especially with publicity.

I’m not talking 10 years, but very few publicity pitches resonate with others right out of the gate. You’ve got to prepare then share. It’s the know, like and trust thing. People outside of your circle need time to learn about and embrace you. Furthermore, if we pitch reporters, we’re at the mercy of media schedules which can vary day to day, sometimes by the hour.

Waiting can be grating.

Why a note about grating waits now? A birthday? Nah, that was five months ago. Maybe the plant I started from seed that’s taking its sweet {bleeping} time to show anything? Not that either. It was actually a combination of a smart few of you who’ve asked why most publicity and PR plans span a minimum of six months and typically last longer.

I also thought about hasty coach firings, ill-timed dumb statements (talking to you, Diddy) and publicity pitches that lean on the media clock which more often than we’d like, make us … wait. (We know and respect the last one going in.)

For publicity partners, the wait can pay.

Watching a proverbial clock can downright stink. Sometimes, though, you’re rewarded. Ask the coach who didn’t win until his fourth season and later reeled off a few national titles and became a Hall of Famer; the person whose reputation was questioned and she waited to find out who spewed a rumor before she said something. Or the publicist who nailed a pitch after she encouraged a publicity partner to organize and prioritize messages before we ultimately darn near maxed media attention. Ahem

With that, get out and enjoy the weekend. You can start that immediately.

©Gail Sideman, gpublicity 2024

###

Work with me! Psst — you don’t have to wait. 😀