I’ve been doing PR for nearly two decades. DECADES. That’s a long time to be in an industry that’s somewhat young. And boy has it changed since I started out. My first job out of college was in London (long story), working for a tech PR firm during the early days of the dotcom boom. Back then, we would wine and dine journalists. A big part of my job was to invite journalists at major tech magazines to lunch at some of the nicest restaurants in London (nice gig, huh?).

At lunch, I would introduce the journalist and the client (having previously briefed each one on the other) and let them talk, randomly interspersing some commentary or questions meant to ensure the conversation went in the right direction. A bottle (or two) of wine and a really expensive meal later, and we were nearly always guaranteed a story in the publication.