A 20-something's Perspective

Recently I've had discussions with a lot of different PR professionals about how they conduct media relations, and it has boiled down to one question.

Is it okay to pitch media without talking to your client first?

I'm curious to hear from PR professionals and journalists. Is it okay to put the cart before the horse?


Here are the pros and cons as I see them:

Pros

• Opportunity to look like a hero
• Better chance of being timely
  
• No unreasonable client expectations going into the pitch

• If the client can't come through your reputation is damaged
• If the client can't come through their reputation is damaged
• Client may not approve of the pitch topic
• Unreasonable client expectations may result