The pandemic has stung many among us in different ways: illness, death, loss of a loved one, shuddered businesses, job loss, mental health issues, isolation. The list goes on and on.
Much like its wide economic impact, the pandemic’s effect on the PR profession has been anything but equitable or consistent from one industry to the next. PR Week surveyed brands and agencies just a couple months into the pandemic, and while you should take the findings with a grain of salt (more than half of respondents believed they’d be back in the office in June/July 2020), note how widespread the early carnage was:
Almost 64% of clients said they reduced PR budgets, one in three significantly.
Agencies reported that clients reduced retainers (77%) and postponed campaigns (90%).
Many adapted to create success
Agile communicators across all industries re-considered PR plans, evaluated top trends in the news cycle and tailored their efforts to the pandemic-riddled reality we all face. The best among us are still doing this today, on an ongoing basis. For most of us, our reality as PR professionals has never changed as fast or as often as during this pandemic. Plus, many of the pandemic-fueled changes we’ve experienced are widely predicted to last, to be our new reality.
Adjusting and adapting is the only answer for most. Many marketers with a large tradeshow presence tried their hand at webinars and virtual networking. PR/media relations pros who noticed the devastation of newsrooms, reduced work schedules of reporters and other new challenges to overcome to get that story placed found other ways to help. We encouraged clients and colleagues across the board to take a more proactive approach to PR and communications by blogging more, contributing articles to short-staffed media outlets and owning the responsibility to fit their expertise into the stories that matter today.
Some saw opportunity and pounced
E-commerce soared in 2020. Legal cannabis may have won even bigger. These highest growth industries and a group of new-world challenges (related to the supply chain, education, work-life balance, sanitization, public policy, healthcare and politics) took center stage in national and global discussions.
Savvy marketers connected to these sectors saw many of their most important issues, customer challenges and value propositions win a growing share of media coverage and mindshare and invested in PR to capitalize. Logistyx Technologies, for example, maintained its investment in PR to promote its industry-leading e-commerce fulfillment software, understanding how the explosive growth of pandemic-era e-commerce would not only increase demand for its software but also the expertise of its leaders.
Demand for expert knowledge and guidance related to pandemic-driven changes in our lives also skyrocketed as parents grappled with remote learning and college prep, businesses scrambled to repair fractured supply chains, and we all learned how to safely exist and co-exist. Possessing coveted knowledge, though, wasn’t enough to propel businesses into impactful headlines. Those who invested in strategic, proactive PR programs that fit their expertise into quickly developing news cycles did best.
Promotions need to be proactive
Whether brands turned to internal PR teams or external partners, many of the most successful efforts were built on commitments to proactively help others. In most industries that felt the pandemic’s sting through reductions in revenue, marketing and media activity, many of the most successful communicators proactively did what they could to help. They assisted industry media by being more involved, contributing content, and being more attentive to what the industry was going through and less focused on their next product launch.
Some businesses and experts found themselves center stage as the world focused more on their disciplines and needed their guidance more than ever, but they still needed to be proactive to capitalize. Unleashing PR resources worked for many when the PR teams themselves leveraged effective, proactive strategies – not to push company messages but to embrace the news cycle.
Generally speaking, communicators can activate, maintain and lean on at least two broad strategies to fuel PR opportunities and coverage: trend forecasting and breaking news monitoring.
Center stagers should not give up
Businesses seeing demand for their expertise grow during the pandemic should invest in public relations and proactive media relations efforts designed to help them be a part of these growing conversations. Some businesses out there, no doubt, have already done this and experienced varying results. Those who felt the sting of COVID-induced PR by investing but never realizing the desired results should study and evaluate the approach that was used, not write off what could be their most cost-effective marketing channel.
Businesses that still sense but have yet to realize the opportunity, whether their first effort failed or they never got off the fence, should have faith in now being the right time to invest in PR and insist on a proactive approach. They should acknowledge their expertise is “what’s in demand,” worry less about their own product roadmap and look for ways to contribute to the conversations going on all around them.
Looking for a partner who can bring the proactive game plan you need to be successful. Look no further; contact PR Return today!
Looking for suggestions for the playbook? Consider these tried-and-true strategies, a sampling of the proactive approach we’ve helped clients adopt over the years to join growing, influential conversations:
News trackers: Other sophisticated tools exist, but even Google News alerts can get the job done for your team. Don’t just track your brand and your competitors; monitor relevant issues, challenges and topics being covered in the news. This will help you identify relevant reporters to contact and timely news hooks to leverage.
Do your media research: Identify the influential reporters covering the issues important to your brand. Consider how timely issues affect your customers, partners, employees and other stakeholders and cast a wide enough net to uncover the media that matter for each. Continue to expand and refine your lists based on what your trackers turn up.
Make introductions: Contact reporters your experts may be able to assist. Most prefer email introductions. Use compelling subject lines, keep the communication as brief as possible and let them know specifically how you can help (timely research, expert viewpoints and more).
Act on breaking news: Top daily media often immediately cover new legislation, announcements from prominent organizations and other breaking news. Not all news organizations respond so quickly. At PR Return, we package up this breaking news, bring it to the attention of other media, and make our experts available to assist. Daily media, trade media and others often appreciate the alerts and accept offers to help.
No matter how the pandemic has changed reality for your organization, your approach to PR and communications also needs to change. Be more proactive and attuned to what your industry and your customers need. Assist where you can – not by always pushing your own agenda but by contributing to ongoing discussions and helping to solve widespread problems.
Want a trusted partner to bring the proactive energy you need? We are here to help.