When a journalist hates your client's product—and you still win!

What one publicist did exactly right after I told her I wouldn’t cover a product sample

Every publicist dreads this scenario—even if they won’t admit it:

You sent a product sample months ago.
There was no coverage.
You finally follow up… and the journalist tells you the truth.

They didn’t like it.

Today, a publicist reached out asking if I’d had a chance to use a travel tote her client sent me a few months ago. She did everything right in the initial nudge: polite, professional, not aggressive. She even included social proof—recent awards and retail placements—as a reminder of the brand’s credibility.

So I responded honestly.

I told her I liked the internal organization and size—but hated the straps. Not “could be better.” Not “maybe tweak this.” I explained exactly why the bag failed for me as a frequent traveler and why, in my opinion, the straps ruined both the functionality and the look.

This is the moment where things usually go sideways.

This is where a publicist might be tempted to:

• Defend the product

• Explain why I’m “using it wrong”

• Push for coverage anyway

• Or disappear entirely

That’s not what happened.

Her response was so smart—and so instructive—that I saved it and decided to share it here because I want other PR pros to learn from it.

Behind the paywall:
I break down why her reply worked, what she deliberately did not say, and how this approach protects both the brand relationship and future coverage—plus a copy-and-paste framework you can use the next time a journalist says, “I didn’t love it.”