The pitching tactic AI can’t fake

Went to a new restaurant last weekend and the manager surprised me with a gesture connected with an overlooked media pitching technique.

Yes, I realize I’m not your ideal Friday-night hang if you don’t want dinner interrupted by observations like, “Why don’t more media relations pros do that?”

Anyway, that was just a counter-service Hawaiian burger place. The kid behind the register and the kid who brought our food out were nice enough but unremarkable. Then the manager came around and engaged sincerely with us. Still table stakes for a restaurant that cares.

But before we left, he came back with a handwritten card addressed to both of us by name.

In the moment, it really stood out. I mean, I took a picture of it:

And as I thought about it, it hit me.

If an old-school hard-copy note made that much of an impression in an IRL industry like hospitality, how much harder would it hit in a mostly digital, too-often fake space like media relations?

Journalists are now getting emails that at first seem perfectly customized – but upon closer inspection bear the telltale signs of AI.

Think how positive their whiplash will be when your postcard shows up, obviously handwritten, with a few sentences about their recent coverage and a promise to be in touch when you have something worthwhile.

Be real – if you were in their shoes, wouldn’t you search your inbox to see what this person may have sent recently?

“But lots of journalists work from home – how will I know if they even got it?”

You might never know.

Just like you sometimes never know if they get your emails. Open trackers are notoriously faulty.

What do you have to lose besides five minutes and a stamp? Mailrooms can forward to journos who work from home. Or maybe they pick up mail when they come in once every couple weeks.

Grab a stack of postcards and write three a week. In a month that’s twelve. Then start over with the same journos. I bet at least one previously silent contact engages.

Driving home from the restaurant, I suddenly remembered the closing thought I added at the last minute to my speech at the PRSA International Conference, after hearing so many AI questions in the other sessions.

In the fog of my memory, it felt somewhat recent, but when I found the deck . . . it was from 2017!

Even more applicable for you in 2026 😊: