After learning that my general vocabulary and laid back style of writing has become such a great interest to the public, I just wondered how making your emails stand out to a collection of PR’s can be bad?
Granted, my approach is not the same as everyone else, or how so many of you believe it should be, but who can say what’s right and wrong when it comes to writing, I write in a way that makes people talk and which makes people remember me, and it seems to work…
Anyone who knows me, works with me via email or reads my content on FemaleFirst, will know my writing style, and the many catchphrases that I use in order to stand out from the very beige crowd.
The fact that an email which was meant only for the eyes of the recipients has become such an talking point is very flattering, considering that people didn’t censor any of the names, or have the decency link back to anyone involved; I wonder if the email you got forwarded had the email address intact or did you at least remove that?
In all, there are three very important lessons I’ve taken from this,
1; How to publish an email not sent to me (maybe there are no laws against it… but it’s still low)
2; How to publicly disrespect a fellow journalist
3; How to jump to conclusions – the tone of the comments surrounding the email implies that I am unsuccessful or lacking in some way
However, in regards to point three, this laid back and comical approach in my writing works very well for me, and has secured me over 1 million readers every month who enjoy the way in which I write.
Fair enough it may not be to everyone’s taste, but if that’s you… then perhaps you should be doing something more constructive with your time.
But it’s like as Jeff said to me yesterday, “At least you have a catchphrase now. I don’t have a catchphrase.â€Â
So yes sexy faces…. I’ll see you at Leeds. I’ll be the one having fun… I’ve even got a range of T-Shirts made… what do you think?
Ruth. xxx
UPDATE! T Shirts now available!
Available is guys & girls, and 4 colours 
Ruth!
We love your writing!
Don’t change for anyone… they’re just jealous that they don’t have a catchphrase
xx
I can see the point they’re making. I work in PR and marketing, having formerly paid my dues as a journalist on The Sunday Times and various local papers. All of the industries we operate in as writers have these kind of ‘constraints’ when it comes to professionalism.
While the readers of FemaleFirst might enjoy your very subjective and ‘chatty’ writing formula, I wouldn’t suggest communicating with PR representatives in the same way. The chances are, most of them will simply not take you seriously. There are better ways to stand out from the crowd – like just being the very best at what you do.
If I were to suggest one other thing, it would be more thorough sub-editing of what you write. Your articles are uniformly littered with grammatical mistakes and typos.
I’ll be first in line for a Sexy Faces t-shirt.
Yours, apologetically, Jeff
Don’t flatter yourself, darling. You’re a very bad journalist and you clearly know nothing about PR. Journalism is a delicate and precise artform – what you do is, like you say yourself, ‘ramble’ incoherently and give real journalist a poor reputation. You need to clean up your act if you’re ever going to make it off that bottom rung of the ladder.
Added by Admin:
We might not be CNN, but I hardly think a site with consistently Millions of visitors counts as bottom rung!
what’s wrong with sexy faces? we love sexy faces!
Ignore ‘em all – let’s no start condemning someone for having a personality, least of all a music and travel jouurno!
Oh, I see my constructive advice in the form of a comment on this blog post has been removed. That must be how things work at FemaleFirst.
If that’s the case… We LOVE you Ruth, please don’t start checking what you write or adopting accuracy and objectivity in your “journalism”. They’re all just jealous because you’re SO successful.
You do realise that PR people are some of the most influential in the business though? They know EVERYONE. They’re really the people you should try to impress.
This little embarrassment may well have cost you more than you think.
@Paul – “Oh, I see my constructive advice in the form of a comment on this blog post has been removed. That must be how things work at FemaleFirst.”
The way it works at FemaleFirst is that posts are approved manually! ( I have it on good authority that Jeff’s blog works the same way
)
I love your catchphrase, and enjoy getting your emails. If everyone could be told that their faces are sexy on a more regular basis the world would be a happier place.
You keep doing what you’re doing. xxx
I’m very angry. I thought I was the only sexy face. Turns out there are hundreds of ‘Sexy Face’ PR’s. I feel so silly.
As a PR, I’m all for bubbly, chatty, friendly emails! Makes my job far nicer. Ruth can call me monkey chops for all I care – she gets her job done, I get my job done – both of us efficiently, and if there’s a bit of fun and a smile involved at the same time, so much the better.
Whoever said music & entertainment had to be boring and stuffy? It’s your work (and getting a reply in the first place!) that shows your professionalism for me, not whether your email calls me sexy face… or monkey chops!
An entire day – every day – of practically copy & paste template “professional” emails would be so dull. Give me someone with a bit of personality any day!
If I wanted to read something po-faced and ultra serious, I wouldn’t come to this site – that’s not it’s style – and that’s fine. Plenty of other places cater for that. And plenty of folks like this site and how Ruth chooses to write things just fine. Long may BOTH types survive.
Dear Ruth,
I first saw your email in a Twitter link from @badjournalism with the text “is this the most cringeworthy email ever?”.
I have to say I’ve no idea what the fuss is about. Emails aren’t formal correspondence, there aren’t rules about what you can and can’t say, they’re EMAILS.
And your email was about arranging interviews with celebrities at a festival. If you’d sent that mail to Buckingham Palace or Downing Street, maybe someone would have a point. But they’re only celebs and it’s only a festival.
Besides, anyone suggesting that journalists have a reputation which could in some way be soiled by your email has clearly never met one.
yours sincerely (ha!)
Fraser McAlpine
If only more people in editorial positions could be as communicative and friendly as Ruth. You’d have to be incredibly over-serious and self-important as a PR to take offense to Ruth’s email style. I thought people get into this line of work to enjoy their lives and have some fun. not act like a teacher and complain about informal styles of writing.
a key to communication is an understanding of context.
Shouting “fire” in a burning building has a dramatically different effect to shouting it on a front line of a battlefield.
With regards to “sexyfaces” chatty banter, i presume the email was sent to a relatively select group of working associates and PRs working in the entertainment / music field where most communication is quite informal.
I would deem the language appropriate for the context. It might not work as an introductory email or when as a preamble to an obituary – but then that’s not what it was.
Personally i like someone conveying personality through writing.
Those that have issues should probably cut and paste sentences from pre-approved templates and talk in platitudes and corporate robot chat – and to stay away from me please
Ruth we love your style of writing. Don’t change a thing!
Nat x
@Carla – “You’re a very bad journalist and you clearly know nothing about PR”
based on what? a single email?
“Journalism is a delicate and precise artform”
maybe when interviewing the parents of a missing child or covering war crimes… With due respect to Leeds festival I don’t think it counts! pretentious much? sheesh
Ruth, the only things that make your writing stand out from the “beige crowd” are the poor grammar and childish clichés.
To call it “journalism” is an insult to journalists.
You don’t need a “very important lesson” in disrespecting other journalists. You need to learn lessons in grammar, taste, tact and response to criticism.
Oh, and if this is a cheap stunt to promote “Female First†then it has royally backfired as noone wants to read a magazine that’s written by chumps!
some people have too much time on their hands….Journalists like nothing more then ripping people to shreds, it just so happens you are in the firing line for your unconvential communication methods. Don’t pay much heed to the stiff upper lipped elders – kill them with kindness and a sexy face.
on a similar note:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/aug/18/out-of-office-email-viral
Is anyone else thinking b*ll*x to the regular PR/Journo cat & mouse game? It’s getting very tiresome. Shall we just start fighting it out in the ring or engaging in some sort of Gladiator-esque joust? Just a suggestion, spice things up etc…
@ bob… haha, that’s brilliant! Crikey, I feel for the bloke…
xx
Far too much time on your hands people. Why not concentrate on doing something productive like um…. I dunno, how about YOUR FRICKIN JOB!???
With all due respect, Ruth runs an entertainment site, not the website for Number 10 Downing Street
Journalists I’d read this if I were you and make a note of the ”DONT BE A TWAT” advice: http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4137357-to-think-i-could-have-got-a-proper-job?most-read
”You are only a music journalist; in the grand scheme of things, you are nothing. Nothing. You help make fish and chip wrappers, that’s all. You are glorified manufacturer of toilet paper.”
You know what gives journalists a bad name? It’s not informal chat in an email, it’s everyone who thinks they’re the single most important person on Earth, yet somehow still has the time to tell others how awful they are.
Ruth, what a wonderful contributor to society. We’re proud to have you all aboard.
@Chris Beach – I hope that you are not a journalist, as you criticising Ruth for alleged poor journalism and then saying that noone [sic] (no one!
) will want to read femalefirst after this is impressive use of hyperbole! No one? really? One leaked email shuts down an entire site? ha!
..and all this time i thought ‘sexyface’ was your pet name for me… gutted(!)
Keep it up Ruth!
@Paul – must say, you think a lot of yourself as a PR don’t you?
‘Some of the most important people in the business, they know EVERYONE’
Knowing everyone does not make you important, especially when they don’t give a shit who you are or what you’re flinging!
And as for un-professional take a look at Peter Robinson, arguably one of the most successful and influential entertainment writers of the decade – there’s a man with no regard for the ‘normal rules of conduct’ and he’s all the more popular and appreciated because of it. It’s more fun pitching to a journalist who might send an email saying, simply, ‘no’ than getting a formatted, ‘dear ___, thankyou for your submission…’
Get your head out of your arse and enjoy life a bit – cocking about is half the fun and if 1/10 journalists communicated with me with as much excitement about their work that Ruth does; my professional life would be a whole lot more fun!
I love how people have enough free time on their hands to contribute lengthy messages that begin: “Far too much time on your hands people.”
Hypocrisy, much?!
@Chris Beach – lengthy messages don’t necessarily take a long time to write, and nice messages are a better use of time than the people who wrote vague and nit picking bile.
Very little of what I have seen flying around various sites has been especially constructive
Hey Ruth, I feel I have to chip in on this. While it is nice to have an informal approach to writing emails, starting your email with ‘Hey Tiger Nose…’ really will not get people taking you seriously.
I’d say you could only really be using that kind of informality with someone you have worked with for a while or have actually met. Not PRs or people you are sourcing interviews from.
Remember there are a lot of psycho fans posing as journos who will do anything to meet their idols. PRs get a lot of these every day. Sometimes the psycho fans become journalists and it’s all a big mess. I’m not saying you are like this at all. But a big part of PR (it is for me at least) is keeping the loony journos away from the bands, while still sorting good press.
It’s very hard to tell who is genuine or not in the world of modern press (with online zines becoming influential and the standard press format becoming more and more redundant).
So I’m sure your readers love up the informal approach but it’s really not going to win you many big interviews with PRs who tend to be a cynical bunch! I’d keep the super informal emails (hey sexy face, hey tiger nose) to the people you know really well, otherwise it looks a bit unhinged.
Hope this helps – don’t worry too much about it – i’m sure you’ve got a lot more readers this week!
Ruth
By promoting these T-Shirts you are basically saying what Jeff et al did was ok. Don’t take the piss out of yourself. Why are you Tweeting him? You don’t need his, or anyone elses, approval.
If you look at Jeff’s work you will find some pretty cringe-worthy bits. He is the Jamie Oliver of journalism, successful but so god-damn irritating.
The man is plain cheese.