Layoffs are devastating for those who are told they no longer have a job. But they’re no walk in the park for those left behind, either. And they can cause doubt and concern among those who are considering joining your organization – even if it’s in an area of the business that was not directly impacted by the cuts.

Reinforcing the organization’s culture and commitments in your employer brand can help soothe some of these anxieties, especially when it’s woven directly into executive communications around the layoffs.

Addressing the impacts of layoffs head-on can help preserve your existing talent. Reacting with empathy and compassion can help new talent see themselves working at the organization, even if they’ve just had to say goodbye to some workers.

One method of doing this is through the all-important layoff memo or email. Increasingly, these documents are being published externally immediately after being shared with employees so all stakeholders can see the same information. This can simultaneously serve as a way to reassure your remaining top performers and show prospective workers why you’re worth taking a chance on.

Let’s take a look at some recent layoff notices that have walked that tightrope of empathy and employer branding.

Explain your reasoning 

No one likes being bossed around without being told why.

Even if many aspects of a layoff are outside of our personal control, ensuring your stakeholders understand the logic behind it can make the bitter pill a little easier to swallow.

That’s why it’s critical to take the time to explain what happened to lead you to make the decision to cut jobs, even if that means admitting to mistakes.

Zoom exemplified this principle during a round of February 2023 layoffs. In a letter posted to the company’s website, CEO Eric Yuan took responsibility for the cuts – including financial responsibility. Here’s a portion of that letter:

Steps we are taking 

Each organization across Zoom will be impacted by these changes. We did not take a single departure lightly – our leadership carefully examined and made decisions based on critical priorities for long-term growth, and also looked for functions that have become overly complex or duplicative. Some teams will also be adjusting their structures to allow us to better invest in the opportunities ahead. But today we are focused on supporting those leaving Zoom and making the transition as respectful and compassionate as possible. 

As the CEO and founder of Zoom, I am accountable for these mistakes  and the actions we take today– and I want to show accountability not just in words but in my own actions. To that end, I am reducing my salary for the coming fiscal year by 98% and foregoing my FY23 corporate bonus. Members of my executive leadership team will reduce their base salaries by 20% for the coming fiscal year while also forfeiting their FY23 corporate bonuses. 

Zoom did several things right here from an employer branding perspective:

• Explaining the seriousness with which the company took the cuts.
• Pointing out who the cuts would impact (everyone) and where the cuts would be deepest.
• Putting leadership’s own skin in the game by explaining pay cuts and salary forfeits for executives. This shared pain can be a powerful tool for building trust.

By being transparent about what happened, who it will impact and how executives are owning the outcome, trust is built. But this is just the beginning.

For more information on how to access the full  story and become a member of Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council, reach out here.

The post How to communicate a strong employer brand amid layoffs appeared first on PR Daily.

Amanda Ponzar is the chief communications & strategy officer at CHC: Creating Healthier Communities. Connect with her on LinkedIn. 

The global Edelman Trust Barometer, unveiled last month at Davos,  remains a powerful trend indicator in its 24th year. With trust still at record lows and mis and disinformation abounding, communicators are critically important in 2024, both internally and externally.

Although 2024 is the year of “innovation in peril” according to Edelman, we’re still dealing with ongoing distrust, polarization, and declining authority figures. Much of the societal “progress” over the past few years has been met with equal “pushback,” whether on DEI, vaccinations, green energy, AI and ChatGPT or other issues. Many people don’t trust the systems.

Interestingly, nearly half of the world’s population  (49%) will participate in elections this year. This will only intensify misinformation and disinformation campaigns, increasing worldwide destabilization.

According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, more than 60% of respondents worry that “establishment leaders” like government, business, and media leaders are “purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations.” This is a breakdown of traditional institutions and is dangerous for democracy and our cohesion as a country.

Who do people trust to tell the truth? “Someone like me.” People trust their peers as much as scientists –74% for both. This trend has been steady for a few years, indicating most people trust those closest to them, such as coworkers and neighbors, as much as (or more than) any expert.

Source: Edelman

And where do people get their information? The top source (59%) is online searches.

Lastly, the trust barometer showed listening is a top three trust-building action for every sector – government, business, nonprofit, media. People want to feel heard, so communication should be a two-way conversation, not mass marketing blasts.

What this means for communicators:

• Focus on both internal and external communication as your employees need to know your news just as much as the general public or your other target audiences.
• Listen carefully to your stakeholders, including internal employee resource groups, and whenever possible, let them know how you’re responding to their insights.
• Be careful with language. Use language thoughtfully to de-escalate and unify whenever possible. Consider neutral terms versus language that may be provocative or controversial or may favor a certain political viewpoint—unless your brand wants to go headfirst into the fray.
• Go out of your way to create quality, factual content. This can help combat rampant misinformation and general public distrust – and will build your organization’s reputation. Try to tone down the spin and green, pink, or other washing whenever possible. Want to increase trust? Be a trusted source.
• Leverage employees as your top brand ambassadors to share positive news and updates about your organization. On average, people will trust your employees more — and share the content more. Employee social profiles see 10X more followers than branded accounts, and 8X the engagement.
• One way to do this is create a content hub and incentivize employees to post content. FedEx does this with their “Social Hub.”
• Continue to partner with key journalists, but as more layoffs continue to occur in the media industry, be ready to use all available channels to get the word out.
• Use your owned channels in the PESO (paid, earned, shared, owned) model. Share SEO-friendly content on your channels such as your website since online searches are the top way people get information—and you want them to find yours.
• Work with trusted influencers. Consider not just a famous celebrity influencer or nationally known scientist but also micro-influencers like a community leader.

Check out the 2024 global Edelman Trust Barometer here.

The post How communicators are key to combating global misinformation, according to Edelman’s Trust Barometer appeared first on PR Daily.

Pew Research examined the data and found that 2023 had the most work stoppages and strikes of any year since 2000. In total, 30 major actions led 464,410 workers to sit idle for a cumulative 16.7 million days. 

Among biggest stoppages of the year: 

• SAG-AFTRA saw 160,000 workers striking for 82 workdays, or a total 13,120,000 days idle. 
• 11,500 Writers Guild workers struck for 102 workdays, or 1,173,000 days idle. 
• United Auto Workers saw 53,700 workers idling for 43 workdays, or 925,900 days.  
• A group of unions working for Kaiser Permanente involved 75,600 workers idling for three workdays for a total of 226,800 hours.  

Beyond the strikes themselves, major organization took place on several fronts. One of the most headline-grabbing efforts was by Starbucks employees. The coffee giant has been fending off labor organization for nearly two years — including through alleged union-busting activities, such as closing stores that tried to unionize.  

But we’re beginning to see a major shift in how companies are talking about unions, both internally and externally. That includes Starbucks. 

“We have asked Workers United — on behalf of our represented partners — to work with us to break the gridlock and agree to a collective bargaining process with the hopeful goal of reaching agreements in 2024,” wrote Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan in a letter to partners, as they call coffee shop workers. That’s a far cry from when former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz told a barista, “if you’re not happy at Starbucks, you can go work for another company” after she questioned him about the response to unionization drives. 

Nick Setyan, an equity analyst at Wedbush, told Axios that at the heart of Starbucks’ executive’s anti-union stance was a sense that they were already treating employees well.
 

“Internally, they felt kind of aggrieved,” he said. One of Starbucks’ primary PR tactics had been emphasizing their better-than-industry-average wages and benefits for employees. 

Costco, another company long known for its strong pay and benefit packages for front-line workers, reacted in a very different way when a store in Norfolk, Virginia, voted to unionize. 

“The fact that a majority of Norfolk employees felt that they wanted or needed a union constitutes a failure on our part,” wrote Costco’s current and former CEOs in a memo to all American employees in late December, CNN reported. It was the first successful union vote for Costco in two decades. 

The CEOs wrote that they were “not disappointed in our employees; we’re disappointed in ourselves as managers and leaders.” The letter, which was posted on Reddit, goes on to say that while the company “isn’t anti-union,” they’ve prided themselves on treating employees well without a union.  

Costco’s response has been widely hailed, moving from internal memo to PR win and cementing their position as employee friendly. How they will actually work with the union will be a true test, but they’re saying the right things.  

The road ahead 

Unions will continue to flex their muscle in the year ahead. Battles are raging at Amazon and an empowered UAW has its eye on expanded unionization at Tesla and Toyota. Other organizations with employee friendly reputations, like REI, are also seeing unions at their doorstep. 

It doesn’t matter how well you think you’re treating employees if they don’t feel like they have control and a voice. Think of it in the context of our current economic picture: By most measures, the American economy is doing great, but many don’t feel that it is. So come the demands for change. 

This is a wake-up call for communicators: you must be in the room during conversations about unionization efforts. The tone and tenor of communications internally and externally can have a massive impact on PR. One wrong word can prompt backlash and stymie hiring efforts for years to come. But smart, empathetic messaging can show that you are committed to employees and willing to work to make them feel supported.  

Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Daily. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.

The post By the numbers: What we can expect from unionization in 2024 appeared first on PR Daily.

This story was originally published on Jan. 25, 2023. We’re republishing it as part of our countdown of top stories of the year. 

PR and communications have lived under the marketing umbrella for years. The team-up has traditionally made sense: all three functions contribute to brand, and brand is ultimately the responsibility of marketing. Plus, many communications and marketing efforts are similar, often revolving around content creation or communications strategy.

But placing communications under marketing leadership can create friction. Marketing and PR have very different value propositions. While marketing most frequently seeks to drive demand and generate pipeline on a short-term, scalable basis, PR is all about the long game of brand awareness and thought leadership. These initiatives have overlap, but marketing and communications professionals know the difference by heart and toe the line of their responsibilities daily.

These considerations will be top-of-mind for executives in 2023, especially those in organizations facing the challenge of budget cuts and this ever-looming recession. And with communications leadership often acting as crucial strategic counsel during times of organizational crisis or uncertainty, restructuring will likely include the creation of a chief communications officer or VP of communications. Here’s why.

Marketing teams are already task-logged

Marketing is a crowded category. Marketers can expect to own creative output, including design and content, plus demand gen, analytics, SEO, PR, product growth, customer success and — depending on organizational structure — even entry-level sales roles. Add to these considerations the burden of hiring top talent in the current market, and marketing leaders are left burnt out or failing to meet KPIs (or both).

The problem here is that overworked marketing departments often act as a catch-all fix for one-off market opportunities. Did a competitor perform well on social media using an influencer campaign? If it caught a sales executive’s eye, the marketing department may be tasked with carrying out a similar campaign. That leaves other essential initiatives, including communications support, by the wayside — especially if communications falls under the purview of a chief revenue officer (CRO).

CROs, and oftentimes CMOs, are directed to prioritize demand gen and product growth over communications. And as tech valuations continue to fall and a possible recession threatens marketing departments everywhere, the importance of demand has skyrocketed, only widening the chasm between marketing and communications initiatives.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with marketers focusing on demand — that’s the right move. But it’s also the right move to allow communications to operate independently of non-demand tasks, such as internal messaging, restructuring announcements and DEIB updates. And this is not possible without a communications leader with the seniority and authority to make bold decisions independent of marketing buy-in.

Additionally, turnover is usually higher in marketing departments comprised of several non-collaborative teams. This configuration leaves team members to work in silos, which is unproductive at best and detrimental at worst. Besides, it’s often the case that marketing shouldn’t be privy to the information comms teams handle — especially as modern communications becomes increasingly tricky.

Communications operates in a separate sphere from marketing

Once handled by separate roles, internal and external communications have slowly unified.  Leaders now recognize the importance of strategic internal messaging, and for good reason. A recent wave of reductions in force and company exposés act as a reminder that internally distributed messages can significantly impact an organization’s public image. Announcements made in poor taste or with improper wording — regardless of how well-intended — can damage a company’s reputation.

It shouldn’t need to be said that authentic, empathetic communication is key when it comes to announcing hard decisions. Company reorganizations affect employees’ lives, and communications professionals must handle such announcements sensitively. But no organization exists in a vacuum, and all internal messages will be read by external audiences sooner or later. Look no further than the fiasco at Twitter for evidence of how a company’s communications can quickly become trending news.

Modern communications professionals have to juggle all sides of messaging. This has turned an already difficult task into a complicated, high-level process with huge stakes. Handling difficult communications tactfully has become an art form, and doing it perfectly requires strong, unified leadership and collaboration.

Communications teams need to work closely with HR to nail sensitive and accurate internal messaging. HR and communications share a goal: productive messages that contribute to happy and healthy employees. Sure, marketers probably share this goal personally, but it’s not their job to see it through. Furthermore, it may be inappropriate for marketers to access pertinent HR information ahead of an official internal statement.

The consequential nature of this information also suggests that communications, and communications leaders especially, have reached a new professional level.

Communications guidance has become critical for the C-suite

The reality is that communications isn’t just a marketing function — it’s fundamental to the everyday operations of the business. Executives rely on communications leaders for strategic counsel on nearly everything, from thought leadership and internal messaging to restructuring guidance and tips on responding to societal issues. Before a top-tier interview, without fail, executives will be briefed by a communications professional. And before addressing employees during an all-hands meeting, they’ll seek advice on what talking points to hit (and which to avoid).

Let it be known that crafting a standout communications strategy and receiving executive buy-in is no small feat. It requires experience and excellence, not to mention seniority. Without it, communications leaders will find themselves gridlocked by improper access to C-suite execs. And as social media expedites the speed at which news travels, other C-suite members will realize the utility of a unilateral communications decision-maker – a chief communications officer.

Grace Williams is BLASTmedia’s senior vice president.

The post Top stories of 2023: Why 2023 is the year of the chief communications officer appeared first on PR Daily.

Georgette Pascale is an authentic storyteller/communications specialist and NYWICI member.

We’re inundated nearly daily with opportunities to add iterative, helpful and exciting tools like AI to our arsenals. These technologies promise to assist and promote effective communication whatever industry we are in — but the tried and true “comms with clarity” hasn’t changed much at all for years. Put aside age, gender, occupation, geography, institution, title, political stance, etc.: clarity is a must for communications professionals.  

However, it’s more than just at work: If I can connect with my teenage son by sending an inspirational meme or a funny Reel via socials, that might be the laugh and connection we both need on a given day. This informal, casual style of communicating doesn’t require planning: You just meet people where they already are.  

Taking the lesson from our personal lives, we can incorporate it into our work lives. Being consistent, timely, accurate and most importantly, able to react in a responsive, direct, educated, thoughtful way is important. But HOW you communicate is what your audience will remember.  

When I started a virtual communications agency nearly two decades ago, people thought I was silly. Very pre-pandemic, I was simply a young mom that knew how and where I worked didn’t necessarily have to determine my success, direction, respectand efficiency that my concept could provide.  

At the time, virtual work wasn’t for everyone (it never is), yet my responsive and tailored touch for each client was accepted by those visionaries who understood it in early days. My team flourished because clarity and connections — and reaching our targets where they already were — were always at the forefront.   

Fast forward to today. As a former CEO, single mother, public speaker and serial entrepreneur, I can attest that communication is the root and source of all success, the very first piece of the client service puzzle.  

As technology advances and becomes easier to implement, it means that we cannot and should not forget the basics of communications that truly make an initial impact and create a first impression. Productivity does not equal hours, and a million emails sent doesn’t equate to new business or clear comms. Gone are the days of copy/ paste.  

You can still be a modern-day ‘G’ using the new tools and still embody the proven ‘OG’ ways of communications. It will make your path smoother and much more productive. Your first step: start with the HOW. You’ll always know the WHY and will need educate yourself on the WHAT. But it’s channel-first to leave that personal touch in a world that is quickly being dominated by AI-generated conversations.  If it’s possible to leave a voice message via text or a quick video with a message that can portray emotion and tone better than an oft dreaded email, then DO IT!  

Today, it’s more important than ever before to build bridges. Bottom line: It’s great to accept the new additives that make every form of comms, but crucial to respect the channels that deliver on authenticity.  

The post Revisiting the basics: The importance of clarity in communications appeared first on PR Daily.

Ragan Communications has a huge slate of events for both internal and external communicators. From virtual conferences and certificates that efficiently get you information to level-up your comms to in-person events in exciting locales with some of the brightest minds in the business, we’ve got an array of choices to fit your needs and budget. 

Here are just a few of the highlights of the year ahead. To see our full slate, click here – and remember that more will be added throughout the year. 

Don’t let that use-it-or-lose-it budget go to waste. Register today for the training to help you thrive in 2024. 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Certificate Course for Communicators 

Jan 17, 24 and 31, 2024
1-3 p.m. ET | Virtual Series 

Employee Communications 101 

January 25, 2024
11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.. ET | Virtual 

Public Affairs & Speechwriting Virtual Conference 

February 21, 2024
11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET | Virtual 

AI Certificate Course 

Mar 6, 13 and 20, 2024
1-3 p.m. ET | Virtual Series 

Ragan’s Social Media Conference 2024 

March 27 – 29, 2024
Walt Disney World Resort
Lake Buena Vista, Florida 

Women’s Retreat for Top Communicators 

April 9 – 11, 2024
Perry Lane Hotel, Savannah, Georgia 

Employee Communications & Culture Conference 

April 16 – 18, 2024
Chicago, Illinois 

PR Daily Media Relations Conference 

June 5 – 6, 2024
Washington, DC 

Internal Communications Conference 

October 16 – 18, 2024
Seattle, Washington 

Communications Week 

November 12 – 15, 2024
Virtual and cities nationwide 

Future of Communications Conference 

November 13 – 15, 2024
Austin, Texas 

The post Mark your calendars for 2024: Ragan’s slate of conferences announced appeared first on PR Daily.

CEOs overwhelmingly believe they’re in charge of external communications. 

Communicators disagree. 

The findings of a new joint poll conducted by HarrisX and Ragan Communications reveals a stark divide that shows 78% of CEOs believe they’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to communications – but only 15% of communications professionals agreed. 

There’s wide disparity among who comms professionals believe is in charge of external comms, highly dependent on org structure., but common answers include CCOs, CMOs or a non-C-suite leader. 

Now, most communicators do trust their CEO when it comes to the external comms function. The survey of 370 people, including 173 chief executives, found that 91% of communicators trust CEOs at least somewhat when it comes to external communications. However, that number drops to a still respectable 82% when asked about the more specific discipline of media relations, with only 37% expressing “a great deal of trust” in their CEO. 

While the survey does not delve into why this divide exists, we can make some inferences. 

The CEO is often the public face of a company – but as any comms person knows, that doesn’t mean they’re in charge of strategy. Getting in front of a camera and speaking is often the easy part of external relations. Securing a media opportunity, doing media training, developing talking points, following up with reporters, cleaning up any messes the executive might have made – these are the details a chief executive might miss. Because their job is to oversee the entire company, not these granular details. 

Nonetheless, many executives would not have the opportunity to be spokespeople for the company at all without the external communications team doing the behind-the-scenes work to make it happen, and it make it happen successfully. 

While we can’t be sure this is the case based on this survey, it’s a great place to begin a conversation with your leadership team. Communicators need to be respected and acknowledged for their strategic and tactical role. Chief executives are wonderful allies in external communications, but rarely are they leading the charge. Work with them to show your value in order to let them see who’s really calling the shots – and how you can help in the most stressful moments of the company. 

For more insights, including much more on communicator views on AI, download the full report today.  

The post The tug of war over ownership of external comms appeared first on PR Daily.

There’s an almost dizzying number of tools available to communicators. Gone are the days when a Rolodex and a good notebook would get you pretty far — now it’s all about intranets, social listening tools, measurement software and so much more.

Ragan Communications, in partnership with the University of Florida, wants to better understand how you use technology in your communications practice. We’re looking for responses from both internal and external communicators. Click here to take the survey now.

We’ll use your insight to generate an original report to better understand the barriers to acquiring new tools — and how to overcome them, among other insights.

Please complete this survey by Friday, Aug. 11. 

Take the survey here today — and thank you.

The post Your insight needed: How do you use technology in communications? appeared first on PR Daily.

Corporate activism is gaining momentum as brands are expected to have the right message, tone and delivery when communicating publicly about where they stand on sociopolitical issues. But they’re also facing increasing pushback from those who disagree with those stances — just look at Bud Light and Target.

Proper allyship happens when brands “authentically respond to critical social moments with a well-thought-out message that includes some commitment to effecting positive change,” according to Bentley University Marketing Professor Susan Dobscha said in a university post. The messaging should never be “shallow, vague or even tone deaf,” she added.

Morning Consult reported that consumers now have higher expectations for brands to take “proactive positions” on often controversial issues like LGBTQ+ rights, police brutality, social justice and beyond. According to Morning Consult, for U.S. adults it’s “very” or “somewhat” important for business leaders to talk about issues like climate change (66%), civil liberties (71%) and labor rights (75%).

But in today’s polarizing world, it’s challenging — if not impossible — to show support for any of these topics without alienating at least some portion of your customer base.

However, being in the room from the beginning when corporate activism plans are being devised is the first step, Nicole Bott, founder and CEO of Bott Communications Consulting, told PR Daily.

“The responsibility is on both sides. And that’s actually why someone who is a PR practitioner or communicator needs to be the one that sits at the center of figuring out what a company’s activism program should look like,” Bott said. “Because that person is responsible for controlling what gets out into the media into the into the world and what percolates among the employees.”

Bott added that authenticity is also a helpful element in determining what to say and when in terms of corporate activism and “not chasing every issue,” but only those that align with a company’s mission, vision and values.

“Companies really need to sit down and define what are those areas that they truly believe in,” she said. “Also, have the discipline to say, this isn’t something that I’m going to step into, or I’m going to step into it and I know that I’m going to get backlash for it and we’re going to ride it out.”

Uniformity of messaging is also key, both internally and externally.

Erin Gaddis, publicist and crisis communications consultant with Bridge Media, told PR Daily that having an isolated message can easily fall apart at the seams when nothing else backs it up.

“I think consistent messaging is the biggest key and ensuring that your internal and external messaging are working together to communicate whatever message it is that you’re trying to get out,” Gaddis said, adding that looking at the message before it goes public is crucial, too, for transparency and accountability. “Allow your organization’s key internal and external stakeholders a chance to weigh in on the messaging before it goes public. They may be able to help you identify some blind spots and potential risk.”

Bott said that companies and PR pros should always prepare for fallout.

“You’re gonna have customers that are going to walk away,” Bott said in reference to Target. “You can’t please everyone and some of your customers are not going to like it.”

But not every negative response is truly a crisis. Your crisis plan should include a ranking of the issues that it’s most important to respond to — and those that are the least critical.

“How important is this?” Bott said of weighing out how to respond in corporate activism scenarios. “And if (my response) were to become a negative issue for our business, how much of an impact could it have on our bottom line?”

Sherri Kolade is a writer at Ragan Communications. When she is not with her family, she enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock-style films, reading and building an authentically curated life that includes more than occasionally finding something deliciously fried. Follow her on LinkedIn. Have a great PR story idea? Email her at sherrik@ragan.com. 

The post PR’s role in choosing issues to speak on in a time of controversy appeared first on PR Daily.

So you’re having a PR event. Maybe it’s a press conference, maybe it’s a grand gala, maybe it’s a simple tour of your office. 

You’ve planned out every aspect of the event: the itinerary, the talking points, the food, the timing. 

But have you mapped out the emotional beats of the event? Probably not. 

If not, you may be missing out on an opportunity to make the event memorable and meaningful. 

The Exclamation Group specializes in luxury and corporate events. Think high-end events for brands like Bulgari, Swarovski and Exxon Mobil.  

Founders Thomas Serrano and Anastasia Nisenbaum sat down with PR Daily recently to discuss how to create experiences that resonate in attendees’ minds while giving great value to the brands they support. 

Memorable and meaningful 

There is a certain irrationality to luxury goods. 

Why choose this watch over that or this purse instead of that clutch?  

Many times, it comes down to the emotional connection the brand has forged with the customer, as much as the item itself.  

Serrano describes balancing the rational and the emotional as the “two Ms”: meaningful and memorable. 

“It has to be meaningful to the brand, very unique to who they are,” he said. “And meaningful to the audience. Would they join?” 

Then comes the memorable. 

“Our product is that of craftsmanship, storytelling. Those companies are, you know, 100 years old, 200 years old, the products are beautiful. We connect through art, music, cinema, whatever. So, the emotion, it’s coming from those specific moments.” 

But even for those of us who aren’t in the business of selling diamonds and expensive liquor, there are still emotional moments to be found. Serrano recalls an instance way back in 1999 where he worked on an event for HP servers. 

A special exhibit was staged in Paris celebrating the year 2000 — a topic on everyone’s mind at the time that was sure to pique curiosity and interest in technology. And naturally, after those emotions had been aroused, then came the mandatory sales pitch. 

It worked, Serrano said, because “what we created, they could not duplicate somewhere else.” 

It all comes down to the very fundamentals of PR. As Nisenbaum explained: “We understand the audience. That’s the first thing that we need to work on. And what’s the goal of the client? That those are the first two key components that unless we know them, it’s just a matter of luck, whether we will hit it or not.” 

Mapping emotions 

Most event planners create a run of show document that painstakingly details the timeline of the event, from doors open to teardown. It features timing, locations, personnel, scripts and so on. 

But Exclamation Group adds a unique column: one for emotion on both an individual and collective level. 

“We try to describe the emotion as much as we can, and we try to describe the intensity of that emotion,” Serrano explained. In most cases, the emotions build, one upon the other, until you reach the crescendo of the evening. 

For example, maybe you start with a video. Because people are watching it together, that’s a collective moment, and the video is intended to trigger nostalgia. Perhaps after that people enter an exhibit that triggers individual astonishment due to the beautiful jewelry displayed there. They wander, having a passive, individual moment of awe. Then perhaps a more active presentation by a watchmaker triggers curiosity.  

“And after, you have to look back at the entire journey that you have just ended. You make sure you are going back to your audience, is it relevant to them, it’s relevant to the brands with the messaging,” Serrano said. 

Nisenbaum pointed out that emotions can be complex and sometimes will need multiple elements to work. For instance, perhaps a certain soundtrack is playing during the jewelry exhibit to reinforce the desired emotion. 

It’s also important not to keep emotions too high for too long, Serrano cautions. 

“We’re not a machine of emotion … So, there are moments of serenity, there is a moment of pure pleasure and gastronomy.”  

In the crowded luxury marketplace, generating emotions that linger with guests long beyond the day itself can make all the difference. 

“There are millions of events happening throughout the year everywhere,” Nisenbaum said. “What’s the difference? Why would the guests come for this particular event? 

Tracking the journey 

But how can you measure an event like this? No one wants to interrupt their posh evening to take a survey asking about their feelings, after all. 

Usually, the bottom line tells the story. Did sales at the event increase? Then the emotional journey was probably successful. 

But there is, of course, a long-term, intangible emotional investment that needs quantifying, too. 

“You see it in the face, if it works, or if it doesn’t work,” Nisenbaum said. “And of course, there will be one person who doesn’t get it. But if you see that the majority of them start taking their phones out under one minute of the performance or the speech, you know that it’s not working well.“ 

Allison Carter is executive editor of PR Daily. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.

The post How and why to add emotion to your event run of show appeared first on PR Daily.

A contest to be a sideline reporter for the day for the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun ignited the ambitions of Lauren Keane, now an associate VP of communications at Southern New Hampshire University, to write stories of strong women. The then-sixth grader, styled in a little pink blazer with a spiral-bound notebook to boot, interviewed small forward Nykesha Sales in the locker room.

“While the ambitions of most children change frequently,” said Keane. “I have never outgrown my competitive spirit, [my] desire to be part of a team, my love of telling an impactful story, [or] wanting to drive change on issues I care about.”

Ahead of her session at PR Daily’s Media Relations Conference, we caught up with Keane, who leads internal and external communications for the office of external affairs and communications at SNHU, to discuss the steps she takes to create authentic communications strategies for social change.

Authenticity is key to effective communication.

Effective communication, when it is rooted in authenticity and delivered with conviction, has the potential to ignite the flames of social revolution and bring about meaningful change. However, to be effective, communication strategies must be aligned with the organization’s values and mission.

The key to creating an effective communication strategy is to start with a solid foundation of the organization’s mission and values before planning communications initiatives, Keane said. “Every brand has a story to tell, but it has to be authentic and relevant to their audiences,” she said.

Keane emphasized that SNHU’s mission is to provide affordable and accessible pathways to a degree, making higher education accessible for social mobility in the US and globally.

But for so many people who have been left behind by traditional pathways to a degree, it is sometimes hard to see how they “fit in” to the higher education landscape cliché shown on movies and TV shows, she said.

[RELATED: Enter our PR Daily Awards by May 12]

One way SNHU drives change is by telling the stories of its students. For instance, SNHU celebrated 94-year-old student, Amy Craton, who graduated in 2016. In addition to attracting national and international attention, SNHU President Paul LeBlanc flew to Craton’s home state of Hawaii to present her degree certificate.

“Amy’s story resonated because people were inspired by her determination and message to ‘never stop learning,’” said Keane. “It showed those who were either working towards degrees or maybe those who deferred that dream when life got in the way, that if she can do it, they can do it, too.”

The 3-question comms approach.

Setting up a comprehensive communications strategy is crucial for any organization, especially those focused on social change. A well-designed strategy can help achieve organizational objectives, enhance the organization’s reputation, and build relationships with stakeholders.

One plan of action that Keane and her team often use when deciding on a strategy, big or small, is the know-feel-do communications approach. The conversations are led by three questions:

1) What do you want your audience to know/think?

2) How do you want them to feel?

3) What do you want them to do with the information you are sharing?

These questions can be used to start conversations for large-scale initiatives, or even subconsciously as you are drafting an email or talking points, Keane said. This exercise helps everyone get on the same page as you begin a comms strategy.

“Sharing this strategy with leaders across the university has also empowered them to think this way before they even come to our team with requests,” said Keane. “[It’s] led to faster and more productive communications.”

Understand your mission begins with your employees.

Your company’s mission needs to start internally before it can resonate externally. Belonging, purpose and values are increasingly important to employees and consumers alike, and leaders who fail to “walk the talk” risk losing the trust and respect of those they lead.

A perfect example is Keane herself. The communications veteran was initially influenced to pursue this career by a college professor at American University. Keane knew two things: she wanted to help make a difference in this world and pursue communications.

“What fueled me to stay in this career is seeing how coordinated and strategic communications can help propel initiatives forward or create change in people’s lives and communities,” said Keane.

Employees like Keane who embody the principles they espouse are truly committed to making a positive impact.

“I think for-profit organizations have a lot to learn from the non-profit sector,” said Keane. “Every organization today has a responsibility to think about how they are leaving the world better than they found it.”

Join Keane at PR Daily’s Media Relations Conference on June 5-6. She will speak alongside communications leaders from APCO Worldwide, Edelman, Mars Inc., National Association of Government Communicators, National Public Radio, Raytheon Missiles & Defense, Southwest Airlines and many more.

Isis Simpson-Mersha is a conference producer/ reporter for Ragan. Follow her on LinkedIn.

The post Creating authentic communications strategies for social change appeared first on PR Daily.

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. 

The post Build upon your company’s purpose, transparently and ethically appeared first on PR Daily.

In comms, it’s of course of paramount importance to have your messaging pinned down. But it’s just as important to have the right person communicating your story to the world as well. Finding the right spokesperson is quite a bit more complex than just trotting out anyone to spout off some nice-sounding words — there’s a lot of depth that comes into play. If, for example, you’re communicating the launch of a new product, the spokesperson must know about the media covering the event, how to answer tough questions about your product and the right organizational tone that will speak to your audience.

Here are some factors to keep in mind when choosing the right messenger for the right message.

Training for the moment

When you’re communicating to the world and you’re seeking to nail down the voice of the organization, it’s imperative that the person you’re choosing to communicate is media literate. If the person communicating isn’t fully prepared and on message, it can lead to embarrassment. Media training can help comms pros know exactly what points they’re supposed to hit in a given media piece or appearance and what points to avoid.

In many instances, organizations will arrange for their chosen spokespeople to go through media training with comms pros who know the media space well. They’ll help drive home the talking points, and in some cases, will do a test tape to see how a spokesperson tests on camera for video content. But with the ever-shifting media landscape, it’s sometimes prudent to provide touch-ups on media training, and debriefs should be given to spokespeople ahead of appearances so they know both the outlet and the reporter they’re working with. A prepared voice is generally a steady one to have behind a message.

Doing your homework

When you’re picking your roster of experts, it’s just as important that they know who they’re telling the story to as their knowledge of the message itself. They should be aware of the journalists and publications that cover the issues so they can best tailor the messages. For instance, an in-depth interview with a trade publication will read much differently than a quick quote for a national one, and it’s important to the communicator to know that.

In addition, different skill sets are going to be better for different types of media interviews. Think of the person in the organization who might be a ball of personality and knows the company mission backward and forward. They might be best suited for a video appearance. Perhaps there’s also someone on the team who is more statistically inclined and can describe complex functions with ease. They might be better for a magazine interview that can go into lots of depth. It’s up to the comms pros in the building to figure out who is right for what role and to use those skills properly, which happens through comprehensive training and the development and identification of communications skills.

Navigating the narrative

One of the biggest roles a chosen spokesperson can play is the molding of the story’s perspective. They’ve got the power not only to tell the story but to help determine how it’s received. Much of the challenge of being a great communicator of a story is knowing how to frame it properly. Proper media training can account for some of that ability. But media people need to be agile and able to respond to unexpected questions and have no apprehension when it comes to fielding tough questions from the media.

It’s also important not to stray from the organization’s messaging. In fast-paced interviews, it can be tempting to ad-lib. It’s important to stay on track, and prior training can come in handy. Focus on what the message is, and stick to it, even when the temptation is there to off-script in response to a question. It’s a tough skill to master and takes time and discipline, but it’s important.

As communicators, it’s our job to tell the stories of our organization. Sounds pretty simple, right? But when you’re picking the person or people to spread that message, you need to be sure that they’re prepared, they know their material, and they have the power to control perception. Don’t just pick a roster of experts because they’re there — be sure to vet them and help them be ready when the moment to shine comes.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports, a good pint and ’90s trivia night.

The post Finding your roster of comms experts appeared first on PR Daily.

With all the news of economic turmoil and layoffs at major companies in the news lately, it’s hard not to think of how these job cuts were communicated to employees. According to recent reports, Google employees were told via email, with some getting the news at 3 a.m. local time, that they no longer had jobs at the company. From a communications perspective, to quote kids these days, this ain’t it. While Google is the latest example of mishandled layoff comms, they’re certainly not the only guilty party.

Nobody wants to be the person or team that’s communicating to a group of employees or the wider world that jobs are being cut. But by having a plan in place, being clear in disseminating the unfortunate message to employees and the world, and having some compassion in their tone, comms professionals can ease the pain of a tough situation.

Communicating with compassion

There are a few good rules of thumb to follow when you’re speaking with employees about job losses. First, remember to treat them with compassion. They’ve dedicated years, perhaps even decades of their lives to the service of an organization, and they deserve to be treated with proper respect.

When possible, individualize the communication with employees and set meetings to tell them the unfortunate news. This can help give them the time they deserve to process the news. In situations when this is not possible, you should still work to set aside a specific time to share the news. While this isn’t ideal, at larger organizations, this is sometimes necessary. No matter the setting, communications about the layoffs to affected employees should be clear, honest, and as concise as possible, with care given to a compassionate tone. Don’t hide behind jargon or industry terms — just be clear, concise, and truthful. In a piece for Ragan in November, Beth Haiken gave some color to this type of situation.

The term “go forward” is today’s “right-sizing” and several companies have been (rightly) castigated for using it. Don’t use either term. Don’t use any jargon, in fact, and don’t even think about using the word “family.” Be sensitive to nuances that may strike the wrong tone — those you are laying off aren’t “leaving us” (which sounds voluntary), they are being let go. Also be sensitive to the way you use “inside” language: when you lay people off they are no longer “Andorians”, they immediately become “ex-Andorians” or “former Andorians.” While they may identify as “Andoria alumni,” that’s a term they should choose for themselves should they want to.

For a prime example of how not to communicate in this situation, let’s take a look at what Better.com’s CEO did in 2021, laying off hundreds of staffers in a three-minute Zoom, just after getting hundreds of millions of dollars infused into the business. Here’s a direct quote from that call, as reported by CNET:

“If you’re on this call, you are part of the unlucky group that is being laid off,” Better.com CEO Vishal Garg said Wednesday on the call, a recording of which has since circulated on TikTok and YouTube. “Your employment here is terminated effective immediately.”

This is perhaps the best example of how to shoot yourself in the foot communicating about a layoff from a leadership perspective. It comes off as cold, doesn’t give any time for questions, and seems lacking in any sort of compassion. Employees are human beings, not just numbers on a balance sheet. Garg ended up apologizing later, but the damage to his reputation as a leader was done. Give people the respect they deserve after serving your organization with their talents.

Mixternal strategies

If you work at a large enough organization, there’s a good chance that the news of your workplace’s job cuts will make it into the public sphere. For this reason, it’s important to nail down what you’re going to tell the outside world about why you’re cutting jobs. In many cases, the actual emailed notice to employees may leak to the press, so write those documents expecting that they will. It’s a show of transparency to post these letters directly to a corporate newsroom or blog to show you have nothing to hide.

Be honest — but don’t give away information that’ll make the organization look cruel or cold. Be sure that you show thankfulness to the affected employees and genuine care for the situation. It’ll go a long way toward earning goodwill in the public eye.

Be prepared

Not only are layoffs a painful affair, they also can take quite a lot of logistical planning to communicate to affected employees. That’s why comms pros need to have a plan of action in place before breaking the news.

According to Harvard Business Review:

It’s critical to plan the details of the communications rollout, starting from before the impacted employees are informed and including any actions that follow those meetings. Most often these include: notification to the entire company before the notifications begin, an all-hands meeting for remaining employees; company-wide emails; distribution of separation paperwork; website announcements; and social media postings.

You may also want to include other actions in your plan — such as updates to internal documentation (org charts, for example), reductions or eliminations in facilities, and notifications to business partners — depending on circumstances, the structure of your company, the number of employees and worksites, and other factors.

As a comms pro, it’s important to know about all the other fallout that surrounds a layoff, particularly being able to communicate about job roles that might change or leadership shifts. With the proper prep work, comms can be able to answer the many questions that might arise from remaining staff about the job cuts and how they affect them.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports, a good pint and ’90s trivia night.

The post How to communicate before, during and after layoffs appeared first on PR Daily.

When you’re looking to get your message out to the world, it’s often smart to enlist the support of an influencer who speaks to your audience. But staying on top of all the latest trends and figuring out the perfect influencers to help promote your product isn’t necessarily an easy task to pull off. We recently spoke with Nicole Dye-Anderson, head of media relations at Wells Fargo, about how she handles media strategy and how she identifies and then gets the right influencers on board with her communications plan.

Finding the right voice

It’s hard enough finding the precise strategy and rollout for a messaging campaign. But it’s arguably just as important to find the right voice with which to deliver that message. According to Dye-Anderson, it’s all about figuring out the audience you want to reach and how to share your story with the proper influencers and the right demographic.

“You have to ask yourself some questions before you can determine whether or not to work with an influencer. Are they on-brand with their messaging when they are sharing information about a product, and just as importantly, are they on-brand with regard to their own voice? Also, you need to take a look at not only who these influencers are impacting, but who they’re being influenced by. I keep an eye out for an ‘influencer’s influencer’ if you will.”

The current scene

With so much digital noise out there, it can pose a challenge to suss out the landscape and determine where your message fits in. According to Dye-Anderson, being open to new trends can help figure out who you want to spread your message to the masses. She emphasized that literacy around the correct platforms is necessary, as you might find the perfect person to distribute your message in all the fog of social media. In addition, she affirmed that while it’s great to have an influencer on board, you need to make sure it’s the correct sort of influencer for your organization.

“It’s important that you’ve got authentic influencers. It’s also key to figure out the micro-influencers on different platforms, especially on things like TikTok that are somewhat new but full of influential figures.”

She also spoke to the value of blending a corporate voice with that of an influencer – this can help add a fresh perspective to the story you’ve been telling and can help unlock new demographics to target with your corporate story. Audiences will know when a message is pay-for-play, which Dye-Anderson says she works to avoid.

Tips of the trade

Much like media relations, working with an influencer is all about relationships and maintaining them, Dye-Anderson .

“It’s important to truly partner with an influencer and listen to them. You should let them tell you what they’re seeing out there and how it can help shape your message and distribution,” Dye-Anderson said. She went on to add that once you develop a relationship with an influencer, it can help lead to new ideas and ways to tell the story.

However, paramount among Dye-Anderson’s concerns is the fact that her storytelling efforts reach her intended audience – current and prospective Wells Fargo customers, in her case.

“I want to make sure that I’m able to provide my audience what they’re craving. It’s critical to have the right people telling your story to the right audience,” Dye-Anderson said

While Dye-Anderson admits that there are times in which audiences might tire of always seeing influencers getting a corporate message out to the masses, she also knows how important it is for reaching demographics that you might not otherwise be targeting or even be aware of.

Influencers are so much more than someone you might see on your Instagram feed hawking the latest tech product or luxury items. In a corporate storytelling sense, they’re truly invaluable messengers that can help get a story to places you didn’t previously anticipate. If you’re looking to break into a new market and get your story to a whole new set of people, do your research and listen to what the influencers in your space are saying and how they’re communicating. With a smart comms strategy and a little relationship building, working with an influencer can help take your corporate messaging to new frontiers.

You can learn more about Nicole’s expertise at Ragan’s Social Media Conference, March 16 and 17 at Walt Disney World.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports, a good pint and ’90s trivia night.

The post A how-to guide on collaborating with influencers appeared first on PR Daily.

Regardless of where you get your financial news, one thing is clear:  the United States is facing uncertain economic times. Some experts are saying the country will be in a full-blown recession by the end of the year. Others say we’re already there. With inflation at levels we haven’t seen since the 1980s, consumers’ wallets will be squeezed – right in time for the holidays.

The gloomy economic forecast presents significant communications challenges to both for-profit and non-profit organizations as consumers head into the holidays more guarded about spending. But with an effective communications strategy, organizations can weather economic uncertainty by keeping their audiences engaged and loyal. Here are a few tips for both the for-profit and non-profit sectors:

For-profit comms tips

Retailers are already trying to extend the holiday season with deals and flashy ads to entice consumers to spend. While the marketing team attracts consumers with messages about cost savings for the holidays, PR and communications professionals can send complementary messages that address ways businesses prepare for the holiday season in the face of an uncertain economic forecast.

Stories about high inventory levels, consumer trends on making each dollar count, and customer service challenges amidst employee shortages will drive the national consumer conversation this season. Use them to your clients’ advantage. Inject them into the economic narrative, a tactic often referred to as “newsjacking.” But in doing so, demonstrate you appreciate customers’ real concerns. Here are some other ways to connect with worried consumers:

• Involve spokespeople outside of the executive suite in delivering messages. Tap relatable frontline employees to be interviewed about what they are seeing and hearing from customers this year. Involving employees in earned media initiatives not only provides audiences with a real-life perspective of the current retail environment, it also introduces real people working hard to help worried consumers. Employees are the true face of the company. They are the ones interacting with customers every day. Telling their stories and highlighting their expert guidance and empathy will go a long way to combat consumer angst.
• Provide loyalty club members with support and perks during times of marketplace instability. Work with your clients to develop special offers for this audience and strong messages, making it clear that you’re in their corner as they face uncertain economic times. Use customer newsletters and consumer-facing websites to connect, making it clear that the company and its employees are ready to give preferred customers this holiday season the special attention they deserve.
• Highlight partnerships with non-profit organizations. Consumers love to hear stories about how their favorite brands are supporting mission-driven causes. It assures them that they, too, are supporting the cause just by being a customer. Teams from both the for-profit and nonprofit organization can work together to amplify the story of the partnership. The for-profit company will receive valuable exposure and credit for giving back during the holidays, while the non-profit organization taps into an important vein of new donors and supporters.

Non-profit comms tips

Speaking of nonprofit organizations, they also can benefit from many of the aforementioned for-profit tips. For example:

• The power of faces and the stories behind them are especially important for charitable organizations to highlight amidst uncertain economic times. Show the impact of the mission and the people who make it happen. Those being helped and those who are helping – -staff and volunteers — remind the audience that the organization needs them now more than ever.
• Just like for-profit’s customer loyalty programs, most nonprofit organizations have a core loyal donor base. Make sure these vital supporters hear often from the non-profit you represent. Emphasize the need for constant support, especially through economic downturns.
• If the economy is causing financial gifts to slow, ask for donors’ time instead. They believe in your cause and likely will welcome the opportunity to do more, especially if they are not able to make as large a monetary gift as they’d like. Let them know about other important ways to support the mission, like volunteering or providing an in-kind service.

Lastly, non-profit and for-profit communications teams alike should take time to assess the economy’s impact on the foundational elements of their communications plans. Has the economy caused a shift in target audiences? Are messages still on point or do they need to be adjusted? Are message delivery methods still effective? Comms teams should reexamine all variables as they prepare to weather an uncertain economy. Then just keep communicating. It’s the best way to ensure your audiences will stick with you come what may.

Philip McGowan is a partner with Finn Partners Southeast and co-leads its Government & Environment Practice. He develops integrated communications programs for clients in the public utilities, environmental advocacy, nonprofit and legislative relations spaces. Pat Warner is vice president at Finn Partners. 

The post Tips for non-profit and for-profit comms during an uncertain holiday season appeared first on PR Daily.

If we’ve learned anything as communications professionals these last couple of years it’s that effective internal and external communications as a function of business is no longer a “nice to have,” it’s a necessity. Impactful communication is what has kept us all going when we were either forced into a work from home situation, or had jobs where remote work was just impossible. 

Mission critical for the growth, survival and success of companies, especially at the global enterprise level, it’s become crucial for both internal comms and public relations teams to be connected in communication. I like to call this strategic partnership “mixternal comms.” 

Making connections

The internal communications business unit connects employees to the company narrative and tells the stories that align with messaging, enhance company culture and promote a sense of community within the organization. They do this by utilizing a range of tools such as email newsletters, push notifications via an employee communication app or stories published on the company’s intranet.

The function of public relations is very similar in that these professionals work to connect to a targeted external audience of potential customers, industry influencer, and potential new hires by strategically sharing the company narrative with opinion leaders and journalists via tactics such as email pitches, newswire press releases, executive bylines and Q&A interviews.

Level up the narrative with mixternal comms

Together, IC and PR functions are the bridge that connects an organization to its target audiences. And when they converge to support the company narrative, this brings communications to another level.

Thinking about IC and PR teams that support an organization, these professionals are the key to implementing the company narrative. They both work to promote influencers such as C-Suite executives, company spokespeople and even a company’s own clients that help tell impactful stories. 

While the audiences may be different, the strategy is the same. These internal and external comms teams need to know where a company wants to go and how to tell that story so that it connects with their audience. Both need to know and be aligned with the company narrative. 

Better together

Just 10 years ago, the role of internal communications was not seen as a necessity like it is today. The past two plus years have certainly accelerated that. In fact, according to Gallagher’s State of the Sector 2022 report, 85% of IC respondents said they are viewed as influential trusted advisors by senior leaders. This is a significant increase from just 67% in 2020.

Now, these professionals strategically own and conduct the company narrative and break it down into communication plans that are executed effectively to reach all employees, just like a public relations professional would do to target the appropriate external audiences. These two roles are on the path to convergence with a strategic focus on telling a company’s key stories to internal and external audiences. 

It’s no longer a question of internal communications or external communications but both together becoming one comms core for an organization. Speaking at a recent Comms Club event in Seattle, Washington, Diana Kowalsky, senior director, head of internal communications for Petco, agreed adding that she regularly works with the company’s PR team, in fact meeting with them multiple times a day. “There’s real power in having internal and external comms on the same team. When it comes down to it, the narrative we’re sharing with our audiences has to be the same,” said Kowalsky.

Trust, collaboration, commitment

This joining of forces is important because if the talents and expertise of a company’s trusted storytellers are not being strategically utilized to enable a company to own its narrative, the door is left open to misinformation, and even negative press, or “fake news” to spread.  

So how can these two comms functions best work together? Here are a few tips for effective internal and external comms partnerships: 

• Align your comms 

Both internal and external communications need to be aligned on messaging so they can communicate the same narrative to their audiences. To do so they need to be strategic in their planning and execute those plans jointly.

Going a step further, enterprise companies should consider aligning both internal and external comms teams under one business unit — corporate communications — giving both a direct line into top leadership. According to Edelman’s The Future of Corporate Communications Study, 46% of corporate communications functions are currently reporting directly to the C-suite. 

For smaller businesses, consider hiring a former journalist. These trained professionals can easily transition into a blended internal and external comms role. 

• Think cross-functional collaboration

In a section of Gallagher’s State of the Sector 2022 titled “The new golden age,” 40% of internal communicators stated that their collaboration with marketing, PR and external comms teams increased over the past 12 months, and 50% said that collaboration has remained the same. Internal comms teams should see PR teams as partners in content development, and vice versa. Ensure key pieces of press coverage secured by the PR team are being shared throughout an organization. The perfect partner for this is the IC pro who can help amplify news via internal comms channels like weekly newsletters. And a C-suite profile written by the IC team and shared with employees could be repurposed and pitched to targeted media contacts by the PR pros as a business profile.

• Create a corporate messaging document

Working together to create such a document becomes the source of truth for reference by all employees, especially company spokespeople, those speaking externally to media, prospects, and customers, and new hires going through the onboarding process. This official manual of company approved messaging would be regularly updated by a company’s core comms team working with various stakeholders.

• Be strategic

For an organization to stand out and be understood by internal and external audiences, both comms teams should work hand-in-hand, along with stakeholders within an organization, to develop and execute a holistic communications plan. 

According to Edelman’s The Future of Corporate Communications Study, “communications leaders who have instituted regular, integrated strategic planning find it to be a starting point for better collaboration and a way to ensure that teams and functional partners are informed and aware of each other’s strategies, goals, and program planning.”

• Meet regularly 

Be committed to the partnership, share ideas, align on goals and appreciate the value each of these fundamental disciplines brings to the larger goals of the organization. 

The power to transform

A company is what people think it is. And communications (both internal or external) has the power to change it. It transforms organizations. As we emerge from the pandemic and look towards 2023, it is clear that both comms functions continue to evolve in their importance, and evolve in their partnerships with one another. They both generate value and are crucial functions in aligning with the vision, mission and values of an organization to all its key audiences.

Frank Wolf is CSO and co-founder of Staffbase.

The post 2023: The year when internal and external communications align appeared first on PR Daily.

From gun control to abortion and beyond, organizations of all sizes and industries  are being called upon to take stands on issues that were once confined to the realms of politics. Internal and external stakeholders demand responses to these challenges, and each organization must find a way to adapt. Their responses can deeply shape how all stakeholders view the character of organizations — and can influence buying and employment decisions.

To better understand these new demands, Ragan and industry partner Peppercomm are seeking responses from senior comms pros like you for our Corporate Character Barometer. After completing this short survey, you’ll receive both a full set of responses, when available, as well as a coupon for $150 off any Ragan or PR Daily product or service.

Your responses are confidential, and all results will be anonymized. Please share your thoughts by September 7.

Thank you for helping the industry adapt and evolve.

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I challenge you to name an executive who doesn’t want to be considered a thought leader. If you can’t come up with one, it’s not surprising. Thought leadership has the potential to elevate an executive’s profile, drive brand awareness, and lead to tangible business results. What business leader wouldn’t want to be one?

Bylined articles have long been one option on the path to thought leadership. An article or thought piece can provide an opportunity for an executive to share their perspective and subject-matter expertise. And while it used to be fairly easy for a savvy PR professional to get a well-written bylined article published, the media landscape has changed dramatically in the last decade. For one thing, more and more executives are clamoring to be thought leaders, and are often incentivized to do so by the companies they work for, so the competition to get published is fierce. For another, publications are hungry for revenue, and as a result, more and more media outlets have adopted a pay-to-play model. The model has its appeal: an executive or company pays a media outlet to ensure their article gets published.

But is it worth the investment? 

Opinions vary. Some marketers are skeptical of paid content. The former CMO of one of the world’s top quick-service restaurants said they were “not a fan.” They see paid content as advertising and “take it all with a big grain of salt. Readers are suspicious, more so these days, and worry they are being spun or worse, seeing fake news. That’s why bylines matter more than ever and I only trust those that are objective, those that do not have an economic interest in the content.“

I used to feel that way myself, but given shrinking editorial coverage opportunities, I’ve come to see that in some cases, executives looking to build a thought leadership platform should consider paying for bylines to be published in a media outlet part of their overall PR plan.

Catch-22

It’s a bit of a Catch-22: there are so many executives looking to get their bylines published that you almost need to have a profile first, before you can get an earned byline. You and your company often need to have already-established credentials before publications and readers will want to hear what you have to say. In that respect, paying for content to be published in the right media outlet can be a great way to open the door.

Dos and don’ts

To ensure that a paid byline gets the biggest bang for the buck and leads to earned bylines and business in the future, here are some essential dos and don’ts:

Do:

• Create content that delivers a provocative, new point of view that will be valuable to readers. The topic and headline should be so compelling that even those skeptical of paid content will want to click on it.
• Write with your target audience in mind. What insights can you provide that no one else can?
• Choose your media outlet wisely and ask smart questions:
  • Is the publication read/followed by the executive’s target audience?
  • Will it enhance the credibility of the leader or company to be published in this outlet?
  • Do you like the way the publication displays paid content?
  • Will the outlet promote the article across their owned channels (podcasts, webinars, social media, website)?
• Amplify the content. Go beyond posting the article on the company’s website and social media channels. There’s so much more that can be done:

• • Highlight the content with employees.
  • Share the article with clients, prospects, analysts, investors and any other key audiences.
  • Weave it into pitch decks.
  • Include it in newsletters.

Don’t:

• Don’t write a sales pitch. Just because you’ve paid for the content to be published, doesn’t mean you don’t need to consider your audience and what they need (versus what you feel like writing about). Content that is purely promotional doesn’t provide any value to the reader and is an immediate turn-off. The goal of thought leadership isn’t to sell – it’s to get people to see you as a trusted resource for valuable insights and opinions.
• Don’t jump on the bandwagon. Avoid writing about the latest hot topic. It might be tempting, but the fact that it’s a hot topic means the market is likely already saturated with articles. Case in point: A google search for “metaverse articles” resulted in about 33,900,000 results. Instead, think about an undiscovered opportunity that no one is talking about–but they should be.
• Don’t overcommit. Some outlets require their contributors to produce content regularly, which can be an unrealistic expectation and a burden for a busy executive. Make sure to vet the agreement with the publisher in advance, so you know what’s required.

Following these dos and don’ts will make a paid byline worth the investment and will set an executive on the path to thought leadership.

Barbara Nonas is a strategic communications consultant and C-suite advisor with over 20 years of experience in all facets of PR and communications. She was previously head of corporate communications at Digitas.

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With the volatility and uncertainty that has hampered the global economy through the first half of the year likely to continue, at least until interest rate hikes and inflation stabilize, businesses are looking to preserve cash by lowering burn.

During my tenure as president of DKC, I have counseled a wide range of corporations and senior executives on how to communicate during periods of economic uncertainty while simultaneously leading our own business through the accompanying rough air.  Over the years, I have found corporate treatment of marketing and communications budgets follow a fairly standard two-part cycle during an economic downturn.

In the first part, companies carefully evaluate their budgets to ensure they can weather the uncertainties. This typically leads to cost cutting early on. The most aggressive cost saving measures often come at the beginning or middle of the first quarter of economic softness. As “dry powder,” “more with less,” “clawback” and other ditties from the Glossary of Recession-Speak work their way into operational vernacular, marketing and customer research expenses are typically among the first up on the chopping block.

Big mistake.

Those initial cuts tend to focus on prospecting, top of the funnel and growth marketing.  This leaves a substantial gap for news, new product discovery and targeted marketing — the very customer awareness and acquisition mechanisms that give businesses a competitive edge and drive growth when they need it most.

Ironically and counterintuitively, the most significant communications returns often occur during times of economic contraction. The most successful brands have, without exception, adopted the philosophy that spending on customer outreach and key audience communication in hard times is critical to survival and future growth.

According to a report in Harvard Business Review, “products launched during a recession have both higher long-term survival chances and higher sales revenues.”  As other brands retrench, companies that continue to invest in communications — rather than viewing it as a cuttable line item — will emerge stronger and often outlast the competition.  The company that goes dark during this time is greatly disadvantaged compared to those that continue to engage with their consumers.

When many are cutting back on marketing, a company’s share of voice can increase if it can maintain or even increase its communications spend Marketers should not retreat, but they should reevaluate how they are engaging with customers as consumer sentiment and purchase patterns will certainly change in a sluggish economy. A company’s messaging must reflect the real-world challenges their customers are facing.

Here is our advice to clients who want to seize the advantage and make smart, strategic decisions investing marketing dollars during this volatile time instead of cutting PR during an economic downturn:

1. Earned media attention breaks through to the consumer in a unique way thanks to the automatic third-party endorsement associated with positive press coverage. As people turn away from traditional ads, media coverage provides an asymmetric advantage amid tighter wallets. The key here is to react and move quickly. Now is not the time to stand idle or for bureaucratic plan making. If you can assign responsibility and move fast, you will likely seize opportunities others won’t. You need a partner who understands the news landscape and your industry.
2. Better targeted marketing. Your target customer may very well change during times of economic volatility, but enhancing the use of data to better reach your consumer will provide markedly better ROI. A great data pro can help you better understand your customers and determine who is buying what during a time of economic contraction while helping you find and target specific audience groups efficiently and measurably. This concept not only applies to media spends but extends to creative investments such as influencer engagement.
3. Trusted communications team. Now more than ever, it is important to have an agency partner or in-house communications team that understands the overall market and the business environment as much as they understand the media landscape and are able to tell stories that resonate. The communications team must have a seat at the table when it comes to key decision making. Cross-functional teams that are small, nimble and strategic will be able to move quickly and pivot as needed based on the evolving economic and consumer landscape.

If you take nothing else away, remember this:  In normal times, targeted and measurable paid digital marketing that is integrated with strategic earned media has among the lowest customer acquisition cost of any communications modality in the marketing tool kit. During an economic slowdown, CAC can decrease even further due to lower costs associated with the purchase of digital inventory.

So now is the time to go after new customers.

This brings us to the second part of the cycle.

Companies with a sophisticated understanding of the bottom-line impact of communications maintain or often increase spending during a recession.  However, as if on cue, the companies that went dark early in the slowdown typically realize after about one-and-a-half or two quarters  that competitors who kept investing in strategic communications are now eating their lunch and are poised for post-recession market dominance. anywhere between 16 to 24 weeks in, we start getting a lot of those… “Hey, we’re ready to start up again. How’s tomorrow?” calls. We’re getting them right now.

During times of uncertainty, companies cannot disappear from the minds of customers or prospective customers. If they continue communicating with and engaging their customers, brands can not only survive an economic downturn, but they can emerge from it in a stronger position. Investing in communications and being comfortable making and breaking news  will enable you to withstand the pressure and bounce back quickly.

Sean Cassidy is president of DKC. 

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PR pros spend a lot of time searching for a media friendly story. Reporters have an increasingly high bar and not every story, quote or insight will make the final cut. 

But what happens to the stories left on the cutting room floor? Or the thought leadership pitches you sent out to a couple dozen journalists but nobody bit? What happens to projects your team is proud of, but you’d never flag for a reporter: the detailed whitepapers, that awesome award nomination you didn’t win or a stellar customer review that popped up on your client’s Yelp page? 

It’s easy to push these to the side as not valuable for media, but this land of misfit stories can be a treasure trove of assets that can be reduced, reframed or repurposed for new audiences. One style of storytelling isn’t going to work for all of your client’s audiences, but you might be surprised at how widely your existing assets can expand beyond your original channel:  

Repurpose your content: While there are plenty of opportunities to republish an existing piece of content on a secondary channel — think using your exec quote in a press release and a post on the corporate Twitter — repurposing an asset or story to a new audience may require some creativity. Think about your client’s ultimate intended audience. Are you targeting tech media to get in front of potential investors or trade journals because you’re desperately trying to hire engineers? 

Earned media is far from the only way to target these end-audiences, so try to play matchmaker between your arsenal of content and offer information that is valuable to your key audiences. If you have a case study or positive review of your enterprise product or service, share it with prospective customers that are shopping around for a preferred vendor. If you have a proprietary data point that sheds light into a market need, offer it to your investors or analysts as a proof point. Not every piece of information is going to resonate with your audience, so it’s all about digging around for, and amplifying the ones that will.

Reduce (or expand) your length: Got a pitch that didn’t land or an award nomination that didn’t win? How ‘bout a cool stat with no context or visual that only tells half the story? 

PR pros do our best to be succinct, but a two-paragraph pitch won’t fit within Twitter’s character count. If your asset is too long to be useful on another channel, identify the few pithy words or a pull-out sentence that will reel in a new audience to learn more. Alternatively, if your original content is missing key context, try asking your exec for their opinion or color commentary to pair with a key stat and weave that into a blog post or have it be the basis of your next speaking nomination. 

Reframe your format: Do you have back-of-the-envelope notes that you wove into a pitch or a beautifully designed report? Once a piece of content has served its original purpose, imagine what new life it could lead in a totally different or unexpected format.

Synthesize your 45 page academic whitepaper into a 30-second TikTok video. Turn your list of stats into a beautiful infographic. Turn that hilarious zinger your exec gave in their last media interview into the theme for your next all-hands internal meeting. If you haven’t seen it, check out the best example of creativity in format that I’ve ever seen: Expensify’s video to announce its intent to go public. Talk about cross-channel! 

A final note: Invite your friends from marketing. PR pros are experts at identifying pithy and relevant information for journalists, but sometimes have a blind spot when it comes to owned or paid channels. Consider your marketing team an additional asset in your arsenal that can offer new ideas, perspectives and opportunities. 

Katherine Grubaugh is a vice president with Method Communications.

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In the last two months, almost every brand that does business in America has had to consider whether or not it would chime in on the question of abortion currently roiling the nation.

Many brands did. Others chose to issue only internal statements. Still others remained completely silent.

We now have insight into how brands who made each of those choices fared, thank to a new survey from Cision. The company did a sentiment analysis of 33,000 tweets on the topic, plus qualitative analysis of 300 of the most impactful tweets.

Here’s what they found, according to a press release from Cision:

Companies that issued public statements in support of Roe v. Wade

• 34% praised companies’ willingness to announce support
• 32% raised criticism of inconsistent messaging in announcing support for previously or currently backing anti-abortion groups with actions or donations
• Users indicated company’s stance was enough to buy (6%) or boycott (1%) their products

Companies that issued internal messages only

• Lack of public statements raised concerns for 70% of users, the negative sentiment citing inconsistencies and speculation of anti-abortion donations
• 4% praised the move

Companies that issued no response

• 67% of the negative sentiment called for a public stance
• Users reacted by indicating they will stop using companies’ products/services with 24% calling for boycott
• Comments trending towards speculation of why companies stay silent

Takeaways

Even issuing a statement is no longer enough. It must be backed by consistent actions, including how you treat employees and how you spend your money where your organization spends lobbying money.

Issuing a statement or staying silent both carry risks. You won’t be able to dodge the issue forever. But don’t expect a tidal wave of new business from taking a stand – though you may see modest gains. The most important reminder is to act in a way that’s in accordance with your organization’s values and that speaks to your stakeholders and employees.

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Once a niche of focus for investor relations, ESG has gone mainstream. Consumers, employees and the media all want to know how your mission is driving your actions — in a way they can comprehend.

Communicators have the task of using great storytelling principles to bring these stories to life with impact and meaning. In this white paper from Ragan Consulting Group, “How to make ESG part of your communications strategy,” you’ll learn ways to make your ESG storytelling compelling and effective.

This primer will provide you with nine key areas for evaluating the success of your content and other helpful tips including:

• Why ESG matters for all organizations, not just publicly held companies
• How to elevate your ESG reporting, content creation, publishing and distribution
• Using data as your “secret sauce” for success
• Finding stories where data and humans meet
• Why ESG content should be part of your regular mix
• And more

Download Ragan Consulting Group’s free guide today and start telling the story of your organization’s ESG mission.

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As the world enters the third year of pandemic-influenced life, many organizations may have noticed significant changes in their customers’ preferences and behavior — indicating that it’s time to run a content audit.

After a few years of shopping online, engaging with more short-form video content, and fretting over everything from the economy to the social issues their favorite brands support, companies should expect the 2022 consumer to shop very differently from the 2019 or even 2020 consumer. According to Forrester’s 2022 Predictions, high consumer expectations for digital experiences in the wake of COVID-19 is one of the most critical business trends to watch this year.

This means that content and marketing strategies developed a few years ago may not be relevant to today’s consumer and should be re-evaluated to ensure the company is connecting with its customers in a meaningful and measurable way.

What is a content audit?

A content audit is a process of methodically taking inventory of all your digital content, analyzing data about features and engagement, and assessing the data to identify a go-forward approach to improve your organization’s content strategy.

While content audits are typically conducted to evaluate website content exclusively, companies will benefit from taking an omni-channel approach to ensure there is consistency across all phases of the customer journey.

Why do content audits matter?

Conducting a content audit will help marketers understand the breadth of a company’s owned content, where it appears, and how it performs. Organizations can use this information to close gaps to create more relevant and high-quality end-to-end customer experiences.

There are two kinds of content gaps. The first and most fundamental kind is a misalignment between the content, customer personas and the customer journey. This type of gap occurs when a company either does not have well-defined personas or hasn’t updated its audience research. We often see this in website content where a brand is attempting to appeal to two or more personas on a single page.  For example, a consumer visits a hospital’s website to decide whether to make an appointment but is discouraged by content that’s overly clinical and appeals more to health care professionals. If your organization lacks well-defined personas and customer journeys, consider running persona research and customer journey workshops in tandem with the content audit to create a North Star for developing customer experience strategies.

The second kind of content gap is due to disparities in messaging and tone across channels. This problem often arises when omni-channel teams work in silos — perhaps with separate teams creating content for email, web and social media — and when a company fails to socialize a centralized customer experience vision cross-functionally throughout the organization.

Gaps in a company’s content strategy indicate inefficiencies in the overall customer experience. These inefficiencies often translate to issues with organic search visibility, engagement rates, conversion, low Net Promoter Scores (NPS) and customer loyalty. Running a content audit will help companies address these inefficiencies head on and ensure they’re doing everything they can to maximize customer lifetime value.

Kicking off tour content audit

The first phase in a content audit is to identify your goal for conducting an audit in the first place. Consider what pain points you’re hoping to address with this assessment. Is it SEO performance, redundancy, relevance to your core customer personas or something else? Defining a goal for the content audit will help you establish parameters for the content you’re inventorying and the KPIs you use to measure success.

Once you’ve identified your content audit goal, you’ll need to decide what kind of content to inventory, such as blog posts, product description, or loyalty messaging, and which channels to audit.

The last step before executing the audit is to create a list of the content variables you want to capture in the inventory. For example, a marketer looking to improve SEO performance may want to collect data like headline, content description, meta data, word count and keyword ranking. When you’re ready to perform the inventory, consider whether it makes sense to use a web scraping tool or if your site is small enough to justify a manual approach.

Translating content audit findings into actionable strategies

The second phase of the content audit is analyzing the data to assess how well the content supports your company’s goals and intended messaging. The objective is to socialize the content audit findings cross-functionally to gain alignment across the organization and improve consistency along all phases of the customer journey. Use data storytelling to bring your discoveries to life, share actionable insights and earn stakeholder buy-in on a go-forward approach.

Ideally, auditing content is a closed loop process. This means that a company should be continuously monitoring its content, customer feedback and content performance to optimize the customer experience. This approach helps organizations stay nimble, relevant and outpace the competition with better, more relevant marketing. Ultimately, treating content audits as a closed loop process will minimize the creation of new gaps. It will also continuously elevate the customer journey as customer behavior and preferences evolve.

Allison  Roy is currently the Digital Marketing Manager of Content Strategy at Capgemini Americas. She leads a team of consultants who specialize in customer experience, storytelling, and omni-channel marketing strategies. She has over 10 years’ experience helping clients execute digital transformations, grow brand awareness, and drive new customer acquisition growth.

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Journalists and PR pros can sometimes have a tumultuous relationship. Journos want to dig deep into stories, often asking questions that PR people can’t or won’t answer, while PR pros are used to being ghosted after sending a pitch.

A new report from Cision reveals exactly what journalists want from PR pros — and how communicators can help make reporters’ lives easier and increase their chances of getting ink.

Perfected press releases

News announcements and press releases topped the list of what content journalists want to receive from PR pros, with 76% of poll respondents choosing it as their No. 1.

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Additionally, more than one-third of journos (37%) named press releases as the most useful way to generate stories and story ideas, followed by industry experts and major wire services like the Associated Press and Bloomberg (and yes, you should be pitching AP reporters, too!)

Despite this reliance on press releases, surveyed journos say that just 1% of the pitches they receive are relevant to their work.

“As one travel industry journalist put it: ‘Take the time to research the journalist you are pitching… When I do get that rare pitch that shows me that the PR pro has actually viewed my work, they’ve got my attention,’” the report says.

Journalists say the types of content least useful to them are guest blog posts, video clips and B-roll, and predictive insights into the potential performance of a story.

Have you nailed down your press releases? Then maybe it’s time to up your social media relations game.

An understanding of journos’ goals

A whopping 63% of journalists named understanding a reporter’s target audience as the No. 1 thing PR pros can do to make their jobs easier. It’s a good reminder to communicators that the intended target of your pitch isn’t the reporter — it’s the reporter’s audience.

In newsrooms, time is of the essence. Journalists are often working on very tight deadlines and are sometimes expected turn around stories in as little as an hour. Fifty-seven percent of journos said that providing data and expert sources is a key way in which PR pros can make their jobs easier. It’s essential for PR pros to understand that when journalists reach out, they expect to be responded to quickly.

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Twenty-nine percent of journalists said that understanding and respecting deadlines is a surefire way for PR pros to make their lives easier. The same number said they valued shorter pitches with quick facts — those types of pitches make it easier for a journo to create quick, short-from content.

From the report:

As one frustrated respondent wrote, “Don’t offer a source for a time-sensitive piece without checking with the source. I can’t tell you how many times someone offers a source on breaking news and then gets back to me and says that person won’t be available for another week/days after all. Very aggravating!”

Courteous and professional communication

The report also covers what not to do when working with journalists. Cision asked journalists what kind of behavior would cause them to block or blacklist a PR pro, and spamming them with irrelevant pitches tops the list. Nearly three-quarters of journalists (74%) say they won’t tolerate it. So, if your pitches aren’t top-notch, there’s a good chance anything you’re sending is going straight to spam — or even worse, trash.

Next on the list is providing incomplete or inaccurate information, with 60% of journalists saying they’d block a PR pro for it.

“Given how critical credibility and audience trust is for the media, it should come as no surprise that 60% of journalists find this inexcusable,” the report says.

Other PR faux pas include sending pitches that are too promotional or clickbait-y, following up too many times and calling journalists by the wrong name. (My name is Emma, not Emily.)

And once your pitch has successfully landed with a journalist, it’s important to back off.

“I’m now blackballing PR people who contact me because they want a sentence rephrased to reflect corporate messaging goals, and frame this as a ‘correction,’” said one of the report’s journo sources. “This is happening more often, and it absolutely is intolerable.”

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