If you Google PR services these days, you’ll instantly find search results for “guaranteed media coverage”. Some agencies even promise this or offer a money-back guarantee.

As a journalist and media consultant – even one with a widely published portfolio, an impressive CV and glowing reviews – I will never promise press coverage. And the reality is that no one can, not even the best PR agency in the land.

Can you imagine how many stories were bumped when Queen Elizabeth II died, rather suddenly? Not just on the day she died, but in the weeks and months that followed. I bet there were some that unfortunately never saw the light of day.

The problem is that the news cycle, unlike life, is anything but predictable. Until you see something in a newspaper or on a news site, nothing is set in stone.

To be brutally honest, this can make selling our services as media consultants rather difficult, as it can sound contradictory.

But I’d rather be ethical and honest about what I can deliver (and some of my testimonials say I am, too).

So, when people approach me, I tell them about my track record and journalism bylines, which they can see in my portfolio, as well as examples of media coverage I've secured, including print placements.

I'll have a quick call with them to discuss their needs. But if I don't think I can do the work, I won't take it on.

And when I do take on a project, I also look at ways an organisation can repurpose the content, ensuring they get value for money beyond the initial media outreach.

But I absolutely will not guarantee any particular media coverage because I can't. No one can.