[This story was first published by Huffington Post.]

CEOs, public relations and marketing executives come to me often claiming they spend a lot of time developing media pitches and issuing news releases but get no coverage at all.

I am never surprised. The landscape is rough and the mistakes people make are rampant. Some journalists like those at Business Insider receive 400 emailed pitches per day. You have to be really smart and think about how to approach them to get any attention at all.

Most have been blacklisted by media outlets for making common public relations (PR) mistakes. It is sad that businesses with big agencies and budgets also sometimes make these mistakes. Spending a lot of money or hiring a large PR agency is not always the answer, especially if a junior PR representative is assigned to your account.

Journalists will give a little more attention to PR people they know and trust. However, if you have been making mistakes with them for a long time, you may find yourself blacklisted. This could take many forms. They could delete your email without opening it or literally tell their staff not to cover you at all.

Sometimes knowing what not to do helps you do the right thing and then get the attention your client or company deserve. Here are seven things to not do.

1. Share “inside baseball” press releases with general news reporters: Pitching something (no pun intended) too “inside baseball” to a general news reporter could get you blacklisted. Something an industry insider newsletter publisher and analyst is interested in is not something The Wall Street Journal may put on its pages. If you want the journal, pitch them something else.

2. Ask THE #1 dreaded question: It’s the question we seasoned PR folk know never to ask; however, the new kids on the block make this mistake a lot. Don’t ever ask, “Did you get my email?” If you think it’s important they see it, say something else when you follow up, like, are there any other stories we can help you with, or what is the best way to work with you? They hate getting notes asking if something is in their inbox.

Visit this link for the rest of the tips. The link takes you to Huffington Post.