Public Relations Survival Guide to a Vicious News Cycle
My mom’s favorite TV show growing up was I Love Lucy. When I was little, we would watch reruns together, and while I can’t say it was my favorite show, there is one episode that always stood out. It’s the infamous episode “Job Switching,” in which Lucy and her best friend Ethel take up a job at chocolate factory. At the factory, Lucy and Ethel are tasked with taking chocolate from a conveyor belt and wrapping it neatly in its packaging. At first, everything is going well…but then the conveyor belt speeds up rapidly. Unable to keep up at with the accelerated pace of the chocolates, the scene spirals into a hilarious mess of the women stuffing their faces, clothes, and hats with chocolate to prevent the unwrapped candy from passing by.
This scene is symbolic of what it’s like to try to keep up with the news cycle in 2018. Any given day can be upended by news surrounding the Russia investigation, Supreme Court confirmation hearings and of course, a tweet from Mr. Trump. Last week alone was probably one of the craziest news cycles of my life, with the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh capturing the nation’s attention. Not to mention that the Deputy Attorney General overseeing the Russian investigation was nearly fired and the President was laughed at during a speech to the UN. A few years ago, just one of these stories would be big enough to drive the news cycle for several weeks, but in 2018, it just seemed like another crazy week.
As PR pros the vicious 2018 news cycle can be overwhelming and make our jobs harder. Here are my tips on how to navigate it:
1. Be in the Know
Step 1 is pretty obvious. As PR people, our clients expect us to be experts in their industries, but it doesn’t stop there. While the political news of the day or the latest headlines out of Silicon Valley might not always be relevant to a client, it’s still our jobs to know what happening in the news. If there is a tie in to your clients business, give them a call or write a smart email to them about why today’s news might impact them. Either way, we still need to know the news and what’s keeping reporters busy.
2. Encourage Strong POV’s
When appropriate, leaning into our hectic news cycle and having a strong POV can pay major dividends. In some cases having a strong POV is not only the right thing to do, but it can also generate great PR. There are a bunch of strong examples of companies that have leaned into issues this year and were not only commended for their stances, but generated PR and business as a result. Nike’s decision to take a strong stance on social justice issues with their Colin Kaepernick ad resulted in a 31% sales increase the week it debuted. Patagonia’s late 2017 campaign against the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the size of two national monuments in Utah resulted in a slew of sustained top tier coverage for the brand, including a New York Times profile. Last week, in the midst of the Kavanaugh hearing, the dating app Bumble took out a full page in the New York Times that simply read “believe women.” The ad generated a spike in social conversation around bumble as well as top tier attention. While not every client will be comfortable taking these stances, when done the right way, the American public rewards companies that aren’t afraid to have a POV.
3. Know When to Hold’em
While today’s news cycle can create opportunity, it can also block it. Advising a client on when not to push a launch or initiative is just as important as advising them on when to do it. Of course, you can’t let every news cycle interfere with your clients needs, but if the entire media landscape is captivated with a story, as was the case with the Kavanaugh hearing last week, its best to advise against proactively pitching an announcement. Not only will much of the media not be paying attention, but it can reflect poorly on your client. Beyond just advising based on news of the day, know what other newsworthy events are coming up that may interfere with your clients’ agenda such as major conferences/events, holidays, and anniversaries.
Trying to keep up with the news in 2018 isn’t easy, but as PR pro’s that our job, and a challenge that should be embraced…lets just hope we end up better than Lucy and Ethel did at the chocolate factory.
