The Dark Side of PR: I Was Interviewed for an Article But My Quote Didn’t Make the Cut

Here’s something we don’t talk about enough in PR: rejection is constant.

We see media wins online often. They look good, easy even. Someone lands a feature in a local print magazine, gets quoted in a national story, or has their product highlighted on a big morning show. These moments are incredible. They deserve to be celebrated. But what we don’t talk about is the other side of PR, the rejection, or worse, the silence. For every “win,” there are dozens of unacknowledged pitches, ghosted follow-ups, and stories that never run.

Recently, I was interviewed for an article in a major, international publication. I was excited. I admired the journalist, the outlet is top notch, the topic, although not directly related to my business, was one I am passionate about. I gave thoughtful, timely insights and fantasized about how nice it would be to see my name in print next to that logo. I told a few people. I strategized how I’d share the piece when it dropped.

And then… the article went live.
And my quote wasn’t in it.

No note from the journalist. No mention or tag. Just a quiet realization that, for whatever reason, I didn’t make the cut. Rejection.

Did I say something wrong? Was my input too bland? Did the journalist Google me and not like what she saw? I was disappointed but I wasn’t mad. I get it. I’ve even been there myself writing pieces and not able to include as much of an interview as I’d hoped. I read the article word for word and accepted I wasn’t in it. This is part of the job and the industry of earned media. 

This is the dark side of Public Relations.

People rarely share their rejection. Especially publicists like myself trying to inspire clients and give them confidence to pursue media coverage. 

We don’t talk about the ignored emails, or the beautifully written pitches that get zero response. We don’t talk about waiting two weeks for a follow-up that never comes. We don’t talk about the interviews that almost happened or the ones that did, that we prepped for and then we get ghosted. We don’t talk about the editors that left their roles or went on mat leave halfway through a conversation, dropping the story I had almost clinched. The fact is that earned media is never a guarantee, no matter how great the story, how aligned the pitch, how much the journalist likes you or how perfect the timing.

PR is not for the faint of heart. It’s persistence. It’s relationship-building. It’s showing up again and again (and then again but with a different greeting) with something valuable to say, even when no one answers the first time or the fifth. And when a win does land, it usually comes after a dozen doors that quietly closed.

There’s no way to guarantee a quote makes it to print. Journalists are working with shifting word counts, evolving angles, and competing sources. Sometimes it’s out of their hands and way out of your hands. Sometimes you were the right voice at the wrong time.

But I keep showing up. I keep sending emails and I keep making new connections. 

Every “no” builds resilience. Every ignored pitch makes the next email a little more refined. Every near-miss teaches me something you can use next time. And every little moment, whether it’s a kind reply, a saved pitch, or just the fact that someone opened my email\ adds up and keeps me going. 

So, my quote didn’t make it into that article. But I’m still proud of the work behind it. I’m still showing up. I know the wins, big and small, are still coming.

In PR, you learn to celebrate everything. Whether that’s out loud or at your desk.
The interviews, even when they don’t get published.
The replies, even when they’re a “not right now.”
The mentions, the tags, the shares.
The relationships built quietly over time.

There are big wins and little wins. And we celebrate them all.
We also get thicker skin along the way.

Because if there’s one thing I’m confident about, it’s that the yeses are coming. I know my clients have good stories, I have solid angles and I know I’ll get hits.

I just have to keep showing up.

If you want to show up with me, book a PR Power Hour and let’s find a story angle that works and create a pitch that will probably get rejected but that will also very likely land you a story.