One B2B trade publication news editor said: “Building strong relationships with PRs is crucial to a journalist’s role in sourcing news we might not otherwise hear about, or to get official responses from companies in a timely manner, and with help arranging interviews with senior people we might not otherwise have access to. But, no matter how strong our relationship with a PR is, we will personally not run or follow up on any release that is either not relevant or that we don’t deem interesting enough to our readers.

“On the flipside, if we receive a press release from a PR we have never spoken to before, but it’s very newsworthy and relevant, then we will always happily follow it up. In times of crisis, it is handy to have a PR we know on hand to help source comment quickly — and give their client a fair opportunity and notice to do that — but it doesn’t impact the way we would cover the story ultimately. One other thing is that if we have a very good relationship with a PR, we will at least always respond to them to say why we are not using a certain release, so building relationships probably helps with feedback to their clients.”

Kitty Boyle, account director at The Romans: “Informal relationships — with journalists or ‘friendlies’ as the industry calls them — will only get you so far. Of course, the ability to put a face to an email address will score open rate points in an editor’s brimming inbox, but what happens when said email is opened, and it: lacks substance, doesn’t include any of the assets that will drive clicks and traffic with the publication’s audience, makes no attempt to turn a bog-standard brand announcement into something bigger, that reflects a counterpoint, evolution, or new take on a cultural conversation you know the journalist to be interested in?

“That’s when the half-hearted promises made over lunch that they’ll “look at your press release later” suddenly become stale. So let the strength of your story speak for itself and the relationship will follow. If you provide media with topical angles and access to something they’ve not had before, they’ll put more trust in you in the future. A good PR knows to not take advantage of their relationships by sending a stream of shoddy stories in the hope their contacts will do them a solid, because this offers no longevity. Plus, there’s only so many WhatsApp declines you both can take before things just become awkward.”

Dan Cave, freelance journalist: “A relationship with a journalist can’t turn a press release we all know isn’t that exciting into something exciting, non-news into news, or a non-informative opinion piece from the CEO of your client into something informative. However good the relationship, that content 999 times out of a 1000 just won’t fly.

“However, a relationship is everything. If we have a good professional, and likely social relationship, when I’m asking for information to come to me, putting out requests and kick starting a search I’m likely to spot your name in the deluge that comes my way, reach out to you initially as I trust you, or when press releases come into my box spot your name and trust that some kind of filtering has happened to make it relevant to my areas of interest. It won’t guarantee publication but I hope that relationship means the PR is also thinking if that press release works for me and my area which increases the likelihood of it getting airtime if it is sent.”

Kenny Campbell, co-founder of Pepshop: “In an age where, theoretically, it has never been easier to contact the media, relationships with journalists are more important than they have ever been. Counter-intuitive as that sounds, it is true: journalists’ inboxes are bloated with unopened emails, yours included. They may well not have a workplace landline, if indeed they are in an office rather than working from home.

“And the number of PRs — professional and amateur — trying to contact them has sky-rocketed. Having a relationship with a journalist won’t guarantee coverage any more (or less) than it always has, but it will at least get you to first base, which is where most PR comms die unread and unloved.

"If you know a journalist well enough to WhatsApp or text them, you bypass the email lottery. And, being decent humans (by and large), journos will respond to a trusted contact because they need you just as you need them. In a crisis, all this applies and then some, because time is of the essence. Even if you can’t shut a bad story down, you will at least be assured of getting your side heard properly. Finally, if you know a journo, keep in touch. That £3.50 you spend on a flat white for them may be the smartest purchase you make all year.”

Lucy Hutchinson, head of consumer PR at Ogilvy UK: “The media landscape we’re in today is vastly different to the one we used to occupy in the past as PRs; with editorial teams shrinking to lean setups covering multiple topics and specialisms, it’s harder to make meaningful connections. And once we have them, they’re vital — arguably more than ever. But the fact our contacts are time-pressed, stretched and usually KPI’d on clicks means it’s not an option to rely on relationships with them to land a bad story without strong accompanying assets. There’s too much at stake for them to buy a poorly thought-out story. Good relationships with journalists hinge on trust and the assurance we’re reliable and offer quality content. Being ‘friendly’ only gets you so far.”