One of the biggest experiences I've had is dealing with PR. For the most part, I've had good experiences in dealing with PR. But I went in knowing that I wouldn't get a reply to every email I sent, and knowing that I was a small blog and I wouldn't be given a lot of attention from the big sites.
In the beginning, I talked a lot to PR from various different companies. I was trying to get access to press sites to increase the amount of news I was reporting on myself, and not news from other sites. But it took time to get access to many of these press sites, so instead I would send of email questions to various companies to create some news. More often than not I wouldn't get a reply, but companies like Zen Studios were great and answered questions I posed them. Unfortunately, as I got access to more press sites, I didn't have the time to ask other companies questions like I did In the beginning. For me that is a disappointment, I would like to ask lots of questions, but now i've signed up to many press sites, I rarely get the free time.
Out of the main 3 console makers, I have to say that Sony have been by far the most helpful because neither Microsoft or Nintendo have gotten back to me when i've asked questions. As I said before, not every question I ask gets a response, but Sony have been great in providing answers. Some times I ask questions that they don't have answers for or can't provide a answer for, for example i've asked many questions about the Motion Controller but as its still in development, Sony can't answer my questions.
Out Of The Big Publishers/Developers, i'd say that EA, Majesco, And THQ have been very helpful. Unfortunately companies like Capcom won't work with small sites, and others like Codemasters use a press site i've not been granted access to.
Press releases can be very frustrating. Rarely provided, when a new game is announced for example, is a screenshot or the games logo. I always try to have a picture of the game/company mentioned in the news, but some companies make that difficult. Other issues are that most press releases are full of filler. Sometimes the news is only 1 paragraph, yet the press release will have an additional 4+ paragraphs of filler/fluff. Some of the better Press Releases come from smaller companies, they tend to me more to the point, come with a screenshots/video/game logo, which all together makes my job easier and makes it easier to get the news across.
I have tired to get review copies of games before but as i'm a small new site, i've always been denied. There has been the rare couple of times when a PR contact has said they will send me review code, but they have never come through with it. My main issue is time. I would like to do some reviews, but some days I spend soo many hours working that I don't get a chance to play games whether they are review or for fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment