When the media comes calling, do you know how to handle the situation to gain positive visibility for your company? Often, small business owners miss out on great opportunities�or turn a potentially positive situation into a negative one for their firms. Dealing with the media does not have to be scary or confrontational.
A writer or reporter working on a story will often contact local businesses for one of three reasons: to get an expert opinion from inside a particular industry; to obtain a reaction to a trend or recent event from a local business; and to gain background information on a complex subject. All of these reasons give you a great opportunity to position yourself as an expert and a leader. Use these five tips to work with reporters, and reap the benefits in good publicity.
Answer the phone. I�m amazed at the number of business people who shy away from taking a call from a writer or reporter. Writers are calling to get an industry perspective or to gain a quote from an expert�you. You can�t be quoted if you don�t answer the phone!
Respond promptly. Writers work on deadline. A reporter for a daily newspaper may have only a few hours in which to gather information before the story is due. A magazine writer may have a few days. So many times I�ve seen business owners put off returning a call only to find out that the article has been written without their input. Think of the opportunity to get quoted positively as a free ad for your company. It�s a gift. Don�t keep the giver waiting.
Avoid paranoia. Although it is fashionable in some circles to be cynical (and even hostile) to the media, the truth is that most reporters are just trying to do a day�s work�which for them is writing articles and stories. Unless your firm has done something wrong, the writer is rarely �out to get you.� Some companies create a negative story where none previously existed by treating reporters as the enemy or by responding in an adversarial way. Give the writer the benefit of the doubt. You certainly don�t want to volunteer any negative information, but you can use the power of the pen to showcase your company in a positive light. Never say �no comment.� It always makes you look guilty or scared. Even in a bad situation, say something that offers insight into the actions you plan to take or the way you hope to turn things around.
Think before you speak. I�ve heard people complain about being misquoted by writers or even made to look bad. In reality, the reporter most likely used the person�s exact words, which may not have come across very well when the person read what he actually said. You can avoid having this happen to you by taking a moment to collect your thoughts instead of blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. Asking for a moment to think through the question is perfectly legitimate. Most writers will be willing to wait. After all, the writer wants a good quote, too! So take a moment and say what you really mean. It will look better the next day when you read it in print.
Avoid puffery. Avoid the urge to brag. Saying that your company is the best, the only or the first in its industry creates liability for the writer unless you can back up your claim. Talk about your services and what makes your company different, but avoid overstatements that are likely to get your quote deleted.
By using these five tips, you can leverage a writer�s question into great visibility for your company. Always be sure to spell out your name even if the writer forgets to ask, and make sure he or she has your correct title, the full name of your business, and even your email address for any follow-up questions or clarifications. By making the most of the chance to be quoted, you are putting good public relations to work for your company�for free!
Hassan Ait Ali, HR Connect, Media Maroc
Crisis Communications :
you have a crisis management or crisis communications plan for your business or organization? Do you believe your business or organization is too small to need a crisis communications plan? Or do you believe that crises only happen to others?
If you are like the majority of businesses and organizations today, especially small to medium sized ones, you answered NO to the first question and probably YES to the second question. And I hope you answered NO to the third question.
Well, I cannot emphasize too strongly that no matter how big or small you are, every organization should have a crisis management and crisis communications plan.
If you read the newspapers or watch the news on TV or hear the news on the radio, you know that crises happen every day. No person or organization is immune from crises. Think about such recent crises as fires, bank robberies, corporate scandals, sexual harassment, product recalls, death of top executives, closing a facility, etc.
So what should you do? The answer: develop a crisis management plan in 2 parts. The first part is the crisis management plan (how your company or organization will deal with the crisis at hand to minimize negative impacts). The second part is the crisis communications plan (how you will communicate with the media and the public about the crisis).
Too many companies prepare one without the other. Both are critically important. Your goal needs to be that most crises will never get reported in the media because you handled the situation skillfully enough that it never became visible to the media. And the development and implementation of a good crisis communications plan will help make sure of that.
Some great tips and techniques for your crisis management program can be found on the Public Relations Society of America website. General principles that can positively affect your actions and communication in a crisis situation.
Crisis communication planning can help you deal effectively with those unexpected disasters, emergencies or other unusual events that may cause unfavorable publicity for your organization.
Before the crisis, successful communication will depend, in large part, on the preparations you make long before the emergency occurs.
During the crisis, your focus is to deal with the situation, gather accurate information and communicate quickly.
Reporters provide few surprises in a crisis situation.
Your spokesperson should be forthright in dealing with media questions. There are, however, some questions he or she simply cannot and should not answer.
Your spokesperson should not respond to media questions with “no comment” because this answer can imply a lack of cooperation, an attempt to hide something or a lack of concern. There are more appropriate responses when he or she either doesn’t have one or is not at liberty to give certain information after the crisis.