Managing the communications of a consumer-facing company in a highly regulated space comes with challenges, some ethical and many, many procedural. To the genetic testing company 23andMe’s Director of Communications, Andy Kill, working alongside the regulatory teams and legal teams is just part of what he does every day.

“A portion of the product is regulated by the FDA, some of the reports are governed by the FDA, and then there’s other information in the product that falls outside of the FDA’s scope, like the ancestry side of things,” he explained. “We have a drug discovery business as well, which is highly regulated.”

The company was founded in 2006 and provided easy access to genetic testing, which at the time forged new ground for both the FDA and 23andMe and resulted in frequent communications between the FDA and the organization — some which made the news.

“A lot of it is working closely with our regulatory and legal teams and knowing what’s in bounds, what’s out of bounds, and how we can creatively use PR and comms within the confines of that to story tell,” said Kill.

Ahead of his session at PR Daily’s Public Affairs & Speechwriting virtual conference, Kill shares how he stays true to 23andMe’s mission, the storytelling tricks he uses to get coverage in the press, and why his organization leads with science.

Identify and build upon your organization’s purpose

Having a strong mission statement can be a guiding star for companies looking to connect with external audiences.

“The mission of the company is to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome,” said Kill. “From a communications perspective, [we look at] what we are prioritizing and if it backs up to helping people.”

23andMe stays true to their purpose in several ways; for example, their tests provide information to consumers that helps them identify health risks. The company also builds on their mission statement with work on their FDA-regulated drug discovery business.

“We’re able to find new drug targets based on human genetic information, and potentially develop new medicines that can help people,” said Kill. “That’s the ultimate fulfillment of that mission.”

Not only does a clear mission statement help an organization stand apart in a crowded market, but it also helps the communications team focus on what’s important. “All of our communications ladder up to that mission,” Kill added.

Human stories resonate with customers

When it comes to sharing 23andMe’s mission externally, Kill looks holistically across the company for inspiration. “People find[ing] family and meeting for the first time [are] great visuals for broadcast,” he said. “[Those] customer stories tend to resonate.”

Another area of focus is the research group. “We have over 13 million customers at 23andMe and about 80% volunteered to participate in research,” said Kill. “They’re answering survey questions, and looking at those alongside aggregate anonymized genetic data, we pull out different trends in terms of specific health conditions or genetic risks.”

Any genetic information that is shared by 23andMe meets the most stringent guidelines — a requirement of its regulated nature. “All of that [data] has to be aggregate information. It can’t be any individual level information. It has to be deidentified and it can only come from customers who have elected to participate in research,” said Kill. “[There are] ethical guardrails in place.”

But all that work is worth it when that pitch lands. “Whenever we do studies on common conditions those resonate really well,” said Kill.

Be as transparent as ethically possible

“The strategy is ‘Lead with Science,’” said Kill. That mantra has helped guide 23andMe to success. “The company’s been focused on publishing consistently, not just research, but also publishing on the accuracy of the product through our different FDA authorizations.”

Kill suggests leaning into transparency wherever possible and keeping open lines of communication within the company as well as externally. One of the departments he speaks with: the ethics team.

“We have an in-house research ethics team that we can consult with anytime,” said Kill. While guardrails exist to protect consumer data, having the ethics team on-hand to discuss a potential research story can be handy. For example, during the early days of COVID-19, the team was developing data around the loss of smell and taste phenomena.

Of course, there are still some pieces of misinformation Kill’s team continues to battle against. “It’s often reported that we’re a part of investigations [using] genetics to crack cold cases,” said Kill. That’s false. “23andMe doesn’t participate in law enforcement investigations.”

Join Kill at PR Daily’s Public Affairs & Speechwriting virtual conference on April 4. Kill will speak alongside speechwriters and communications leaders from the U.S. Navy, Edelman, IBM, the U.S. Department of Labor, and more. 

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Speechwriting for a U.S. Senator in Congress was a dream for self-described introvert Patrice Smith, now vice president of media relations at PNC Bank. “Words that I wrote from my desk were transcribed into the United States record,” said Smith. “They’re written in the history of this country forever.” To get to that moment, Smith needed to learn the rhythms and intricacies of how her principal spoke. “I had to be a student—and still am.”

Ahead of her session at PR Daily’s Public Affairs & Speechwriting virtual conference, we sat down with Smith to discuss her speechwriting career writing for Senator Tim Scott, the advice she gives to C-suite on authentic storytelling, and why AI won’t replace human writers anytime soon.

Can you describe how you tackle speechwriting and capturing a principal’s voice?

Smith: When it comes to speechwriting, it really takes a lot of studying, [which] is what’s unique compared to the other different segments of public relations and communications. You are learning how to be someone else, literally.

When I worked for the Senator, I spent months studying his voice. I listened to every single news segment published on YouTube. I listened to every speech. I listened to anything and everything so that I could capture how he speaks. He had just written a book, so I took the voice that I was used to hearing and I read the book in that voice. That was all before my interview.

Even after getting the role, it was constantly a refinement process. Even if I wrote [a speech], I was in the back taking notes, because the way I would write something on paper wasn’t necessarily the way that he would speak it. I would always listen to what he used, what he changed and how could I refine it to make it better. After three years of working for him, I felt like I finally had his voice and he was saying what I was writing.

You really have to study your principal. Granted, you’re not them, but you want to get into the point where like people think that you are them.

There’s a huge difference between writing a long-form speech and writing a tweet. What direction will you give to comms lead when they are tackling social media?

When you’re writing social media content, just be natural. A lot of times people focus too much on writing something that will go viral. When I would write something, I would take a sentence from a quote or statement that I had already drafted. It will go viral if it’s good.

What’s the advice you give to leadership or C-suite about sharing information to their teams authentically?

Without adding jargon, how would you explain this to your wife? Or to the person [at the bottom of the org chart]? Remember first and foremost that you’re talking to people. Once you understand what those people want or need from you, you can communicate to them in a way that will resonate with them.

How would you take a speech and adapt it to share across channels?

When I was in the Senate, we did this quite a bit. You can take the same piece of content and use it across many different platforms, but you have to know your audience.

Twitter is everybody, not necessarily your constituents, but people who are interested in you as a political figure — and reporters. Facebook has the folks back at home who are interested in what you’re actually doing for [them]. Instagram is the younger population, Millennials and younger typically, and LinkedIn is the business folks.

You have to find out what in the speech will resonate with [each] group.

What is your favorite tool or platform that you use that makes your life easier? 

Apple Notes is a godsend. I can’t tell you how many speeches and press releases I’ve written on that. I like project management tools like Monday.com, Trello, those are amazing. Today I use stickies, either physical stickies or a digital sticky or Apple Notes.

Let’s talk AI.

ChatGPT. [laughs] Let’s talk about this. In addition to working at the bank, I’m an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University on the graduate program for public relations and corporate communication. This has come up.

I will admit, it does give us heartburn on the academic side because students can draft whole papers. The AI is so good to where you can’t tell when the students are providing their own thought leadership versus [ChatGPT].

One thing AI [can’t] do is capture voice. It can give me a very academic piece, but when it comes to writing for my principals, it wouldn’t know to switch out this word for this word. There are little things that I know, for example, the Senator hates the word politicians versus elected officials. It can’t capture human personality and human preferences.

It can’t specialize. While ChatGPT can give [my students] a strategic communications plan, it can’t capture those human moments that only you as a writer know about. If they want to try, I’m really good at vetting papers. I feel like universities will start to update their rules on academic dishonesty.

Can you give any advice to communicators that are hoping to break into the speechwriting field?

Great writers read. I’ll admit, I have a lot of unfinished books. That’s #1.

Figure out what you want to communicate, what industry you want to work in and what you’re passionate about. Speechwriters do a lot of research so it should be something you’re passionate about. When I’m not at work, I’m spending all my time studying finance.

Every executive needs a communicator. Once you pair those two things, you can land where you want.

And… seek professional development. Writing is a craft that you have to continue to hone. You don’t just make it as a writer, you always have to be invested in getting better.

Join Smith at PR Daily’s Public Affairs & Speechwriting virtual conference, which goes down April 4. Smith will speak alongside speechwriters and communications leaders from the U.S. Navy, Edelman, IBM, the U.S. Department of Labor, and more. 

The post Advice on authenticity from a former U.S. Senator’s speechwriter appeared first on PR Daily.

Feel like you’ve been stuck on the same rung on the corporate ladder for far too long?

You want to move your communications career forward, but you struggle to prove the value of your work to your bosses.

Improving your measurement skills could be the key to getting ahead—here’s why:

1. Business leaders want to see hard numbers. That means showing them exactly how your programs are increasing the bottom line.
2. Better analytics allow you to pinpoint what’s working so you can use your time and budget more effectively.
3. With so much data available to businesses, communicators who can understand and make use of it are in high demand.

Sharpen your skills and impress your bosses by joining us at the Measurement for Communicators Academy, May 20–21 in St. Louis.

This one-of-a-kind conference takes a hands-on approach to teaching measurement—you’ll participate in interactive labs that allow you to practice what you learn immediately.

Day One of this event will focus on the fundamentals, and Day Two will explore more advanced techniques. Attendees can register for one or both days of this event.

Get the skills you need to prove yourself as a key player in your organization—register today.

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Technology and social media have created remarkable new ways for organizations to engage audiences and advance their goals.

It’s also opened a Pandora’s box of new risks and threats to their well-being.

Most organizations have some form of a crisis communications plan in place, but many haven’t updated it in years. Does your plan address these relatively new potential scenarios?

1. An unfounded rumor on Twitter has quickly escalated into a trending hashtag condemning your organization
2. Cybercriminals have stolen sensitive data—and your customers want a detailed explanation of what happened and how
3. Your organization has spoken out on a sensitive political issue, and you have to respond to the blowback without compromising your stance

If you don’t have a protocol for these situations, don’t fret. Join experts during the Crisis Communications Conference Webcast on May 10.

You’ll get detailed advice on how to address the latest risks facing organizations in today’s heated media and online landscape. Hear how communicators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ben & Jerry’s, Webroot and more have successfully overcame crises.

Don’t let an unexpected mishap permanently damage your organization’s reputation. Get the skills you need to plan for and respond to any crisis unscathed.

Register here to save $100.

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Communicators need help navigating stormy situations.

From negative news and social media coverage to natural disasters, it’s essential that employees have the right tools to stay properly informed and connected. If you have the perfect solution, join us as a sponsor at Ragan’s Crisis Communications Conference.

Reserve your spot at this event to:

• Show how your product helps communicators tackle organizational crises
• Tour Nebraska Medicine’s Biocontainment Unit, one of only three facilities in the United States equipped to handle an Ebola medical crisis
• Connect with 80+ professionals in PR, media relations, internal communications, public affairs and more

Here are a few of our remaining sponsorship opportunities:

• Speaking session on the main agenda (just one spot left!)
• Exhibitor table (book by March 15 and get 10 percent off the regular price of $6,000)
• Lightning talk on the main agenda
• Private networking dinner for up to 20 hand-selected event attendees
• Bonus breakfast presentation
• And more

Email us at sponsorship@ragan.com with questions or to reserve your spot.

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The post Keep communicators calm during their next organizational crisis appeared first on PR Daily.

Feel like you’ve been stuck on the same rung on the corporate ladder for far too long?

You want to move your communications career forward, but you struggle to prove the value of your work to your bosses.

Improving your measurement skills could be the key to getting ahead—here’s why:

1. Business leaders want to see hard numbers. That means showing them exactly how your programs are increasing the bottom line.
2. Better analytics allow you to pinpoint what’s working so you can use your time and budget more effectively.
3. With so much data available to businesses, communicators who can understand and make use of it are in high demand.

Sharpen your skills and impress your bosses by joining us at the Measurement for Communicators Academy, May 20–21 in St. Louis.

This one-of-a-kind conference takes a hands-on approach to teaching measurement—you’ll participate in interactive labs that allow you to practice what you learn immediately.

Day One of this event will focus on the fundamentals, and Day Two will explore more advanced techniques. Attendees can register for one or both days of this event.

Get the skills you need to prove yourself as a key player in your organization—register today.

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The post How better measurement skills could land you your next promotion appeared first on PR Daily.

What role does speechwriting play in a world filled with spur-of-the-moment tweets and off-the-cuff remarks?

A much bigger one than you might think. Speechwriters for major associations, top corporations and even former presidents are crafting powerful addresses that inspire employees, consumers and society at large.

How do they do it? Along with the tried-and-true principles of strong writing, they use these essential techniques:

1. Pay attention to logistics—working closely with event organizers can guarantee the best format for a presentation
2. Get more mileage out of your content by sharing it strategically on social media
3. Be resourceful to get the contacts and skills you need to succeed in your job and career

Join speechwriters for former President Barack Obama, the Motion Picture Association, Boeing and more for the 2019 Speechwriters and Executive Communicators Conference Webcast, March 14–15.

Without leaving your desk, you’ll learn how to do the above and more to ensure your speeches have the power to move audiences and inspire action.

Don’t miss the conference that has been beloved for more than thirty years. Register for the live webcast today.

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We’d all love to wake up to thousands of notifications and new followers on social media—the result of a tweet or video going viral overnight.

But the reality for today’s brands is that one outstanding post isn’t enough to move the needle. Here are just a few reasons from the experts at the Social Media Conference for PR, Marketing and Corporate Communications Webcast:

1. It’s about quality, not quantity. Having a lot of followers means nothing if they’re not engaging with your brand. That’s why American Airlines prioritizes customer interaction on online platforms.
2. Attention spans are short. Your viral tweet could quickly be forgotten for a cute animal video. The experts at Wendy’s know that a stream of engaging content is crucial for success.
3. Strategy matters. Organization leaders want to know how your social media campaigns drive business goals—something Grubhub does by building a brand voice consistent with organization values.

Discover more strategies for social media success from these organizations, as well as Disney Parks, Twitter, Nickelodeon, Amazon and more. The live conference is sold out—but you can still register for the webcast.

Register for the live webcast here.

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