How To Get Media To Say Yes To Your Deskside Request

Feel like you are banging your head against the wall? This may help.

The concept of a deskside goes way back. Years ago, it literally meant coming to someone's office and sitting by their desk. It was a way for publicists and brand representatives to come and introduce themselves and their product to a writer or editor and hopefully build a relationship in the process.

Of course, with time, that concept has evolved and became more of a social thing. Often desksides, rather than happening by the side of said desk happen over coffee or a glass of wine. Making it more informal (and, honestly, a bit more fun and social) is a way to build an in-person connection with someone you may previously have known only over email over the years.

Now all that background said and done, times have changed. Between the pandemic and changing priorities, desksides (both in practice and interest) are not what they once were, and as with everything else, we need to learn to evolve.

In the past, I was most often asked to do a deskside when a PR contact or their client was in town, perhaps doing a media tour and arranging a series of meetings with writers and editors. In the past, I said yes to a fair degree of coffee and drink meetings. Not so much traditional desksides since that would not really work that well - my desk is inside my studio apartment. They'd maybe have to sit on my bed!

Awkarddddddd....

(true story...)

In the current era of my life and times, I say yes to far less of these types of meetings and I thought it might be helpful to share what it is that makes me say yes to a deskside invite.

See below!