Should You Piggyback Off a Crisis for PR?
One of the things publicists will often suggest to their clients is to take advantage of current events to position themselves as experts.
The idea is that outside of your normal publicity program -- regular pitching, trying to secure op-eds, and so on -- you can seize on news "hooks" as and when they come up to generate additional (and hopefully positive) publicity.
As with the seasons, however, there's a time and place for everything. If you're not careful about how and when you do this, your efforts (or those of your PR firm) could backfire. So if you're going to do it, here are my two cents on how to do it well:
1. Be smart when you're using hashtags in social media.
Remember the kerfuffle that was kicked up when Kenneth Cole incorporated a hashtag that was being commonly-used to curate tweets related to the revolution in Egypt? Egad. This was a silly thing to do. Trying to promote a new line of clothing via a hashtag tied to an extremely serious situation was nothing if not thoughtless. While KC has a history of edgy marketing campaigns, this seemed in poor taste. I'm certainly not going to go so far as to say that it will affect the company in the long run; far from it. But in the short-term, there's no denying that whenever I see or hear "Kenneth Cole," that tweet pops into my mind.
So certainly watch for rising hashtags, but don't piggyback on one simply because it's in vogue.
2. Offer something useful.
In the wake of the monstrous earthquake and tsunami that recently hit Japan, both Business Wire and PRNewswire have waived news release distribution fees for releases pertaining to the disaster; Business Wire through March 17, while PRNewswire's offer doesn't (yet) have a cutoff date.
This is a nice thing to do, and is likely to be a boon for smaller organizations that can't typically afford the regular cost of these services. Will there be people who try to take undue advantage of this? I imagine so. But I'm also pretty sure that both Business Wire and PRNewsire have checks and balances in place to make sure the offer is being used appropriately.
If you're in a position to offer something like this -- perhaps it's free calls, or some kind of service -- just make sure that you outline the parameters of use clearly, and that you are equipped to deal with the potential demand.
3. Be clear about what you're offering.
The University of British Columbia issued a media advisory offering a number of its experts for interviews related to the disaster in Japan. What they did that was particularly smart was that they clearly identified the areas of expertise for each of the spokesmen and women on tap, and they didn't include any "fluff" in the advisory -- they got straight to the point. Any media seeing this advisory would know exactly whom they wanted to speak to, and why.
4. Provide more than just a talking head.
One of the UBC faculty is currently in Japan and, fortunately, survived the disaster. She was able to provide downloadable images of her trashed apartment, which are featured on the same page as the media advisory, as are quotes and updates from her situation.
The media is well-served when they are able to identify the right kinds of experts to speak with; and when a crisis strikes, they have even less time than usual to do so. Use these tips to help them do their job right.
What do you think, readers: If you have something valuable to add to the Japan story, should you grab the PR opportunity?
Image: Official U.S. Navy Imagery via Flickr, CC 2.0
Shonali Burke is Principal of Shonali Burke Consulting where she helps turn businesses' communication conundrums into community cool. She opines on PR and social media at Waxing UnLyrical and is considered one of 25 women that rock social media.