When you’re in the media you get a lot of emails. And the bigger your website, the more you get. And when you start doing things like attending events, you eventually lose control of who has your contact information and what they do with it. Somewhere in-between starting at Prima and now, our email addresses were either sold or dumped into a pool of press emails that anyone can access. I’m pretty sure things really got weird after getting media access to either E3 that one year it was all digital, or one of the many PAX events over the past couple years. Either way, the floodgates were opened and there’s only so much a spam filter can do.
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We meant to do this last year, but thanks to various corporate shenanigans we couldn’t do shit last year. So for 2022 we’re making up for lost time. And after talking about it for two years and laughing at some of the most bizarre blind outreach efforts from random PR companies, we finally have a chance to share some of our favorites with our readers. So without further ado here are some of the weirdest PR emails we received in 2022 here at Prima Games.
Why Does Delaware Need PR?
Somehow, I got myself on a mailing list for either a weird research firm or the actual state of Delaware. It’s unclear because I haven’t actually read any of these emails. But… just, why? Why me, and why Delaware?
- FASHION EXPERTS REVEALED: Delaware is OBSESSED with partying in this color at Christmas…
- Chick-Fil-a is the most popular fast food restaurant in Delaware
- The most popular color in Delaware – revealed
Ridiculous Research
Another theme of random emails we get is “weird research.” I wish I knew more about this field, because someone is getting paid to not just gather odd and random data, but then spam it at journalists who definitely don’t read it.
- Did you know Dogs Experiences Seasonal Depression too???
- REVEALED: Social media’s most popular houseplants
- Media Op. Diabetes is Leading Cause of New Blindness in Adults; Many Don’t Know They Have It
- Story Idea: Don’t Believe the TV Tropes: It’s REALLY Expensive to Rent an Apartment in Napa
Strange Solicitations – Samples Available!
I like these ones because we’re clearly getting these emails from random blasts. None of this shit has anything to do with videogames. And yet! These folks are also offering to send products over, which can’t be cheap. You’d think there’d be more targeted outreach but perhaps the money lost sending samples to people who thought it’d be funny to take them is made up for by the folks who respond in earnest. Or maybe someone looked up fellow Prima staffer Jesse Vitelli and thought, “this is the perfect person to invite to a breakfast event showcasing wool bedding made for menopausal adults.” Also how do you send hugs over the mail?
- 7 Household Items to Impress Your Guests! Samples Available!
- Send a Hug to Your Loved Ones! Samples Available!
- MEDIA EVENT | UK Bedding Brand Comes to Brooklyn to Launch Cooling Sleepwear
- Gift guide – BBQ cooking gift box
- Drop shipment Electrical Pepper Miller supplier-One piece at whole-sale price
Bogus Bookshelf
These ones aren’t even that funny by themselves, but you’d think book publishers would be a little smarter about PR outreach. Especially when their books have some pretty specialized subject materials.
- Media Op. Promises: The Untold Story of North Korean People
- Now, girls can be cowboys, too
- Media Op. A San Francisco Conservative Challenges Stereotypes, Shares Time-Tested Principles
- Media Op. Hacking the God Code Delivers What Author Calls a “Booster Shot of Truth”
Wait, What?
Sometimes you look at a subject line and think, “well that’s silly!” Other times you look at a subject line and think, “what in the digitally communicated fuck did I just read?”
- Press Release – Record honey harvest at Assmann Electronic GmbH
- Interview: Mad Genius Behind Recycled Sex Toy Sneakers
- [advance, new music/ambient/deep listening, 1.27.23] numün (mems SUSS, Gamelan Dharma Swara) – Book of Beyond – Shimmy-Disc
- Press Alert – Comedian Amber Wallinn supports Ukraine Fashion
- White Castle and Captain Puffy Introduce New Soft Drink
Readers, I hope you enjoyed a little slice of insight into the day to day work life of videogame journalists. Sifting through a billion emails about actual videogames can be an ordeal by itself. But add in just as many randomly-blasted advertisements and offers to interview random authors and review household appliances and you get a reason nobody responds to emails anymore. And considering these are just a few of our favorites, the ones that made us laugh and share in Slack, just think about all the messages that don’t inspire a reaction at all. Yeesh.
