It sounds so good: Your utility has a strong public relations program in place, plenty of interesting ideas, financial resources to help itch it and well-coached interview subjects for multiple topics.
But is it?
For all of the good planning and intentions, you can hinder your PR output with small but crucial errors that sabotage your good work.
Here are a few examples:
● Failure to respond promptly. Time is of the essence with the media, so when a journalist contacts you, get back to them immediately, especially if they indicate they have a pending deadline. You would think this is common sense, but I’ve dealt with plenty of PR people over the years who get back in touch days later and are surprised that the opportunity is gone. You snooze, you lose applies here.
● Not respecting deadlines. This goes hand-in-hand with not responding promptly, but you should always strive to be one of the first sources interviewed. Many times, sources say approximately the same thing. If the journalist gets most of the information he needs from you, he/she/they are likely to use a large proportion of what you said and be more cursory with subsequent sources. They may even forgo other interviews if they have the material they need. And given the workload of most journalists, the chance that they only do one or two interviews per story is higher than in years past.
● Promising something then not delivering. If you want to hurt your future coverage prospects, this is a great way to accomplish that. Journalists will take you at your word, so if you promise something — whether it’s an interview with a CEO, an exclusive story or even merely details on a mundane topic — you’d better deliver. Yes, there are exceptions — who could have predicted the pandemic? — but you can’t go that well often. And should you ever fail to deliver, beg for forgiveness and try to provide a make-up offering for the aggrieved media outlet.
● Low-quality photos or videos. Images should never be an afterthought: remember that a picture says a thousand words. Too often, I receive photographs that are poorly cropped, out of focus or are of such low resolution that they won’t reproduce. I also receive photos that are clearly dated — CEOs don’t wear leisure suits — or are just boring. Try to be somewhat creative and skip the photos of people rigidly standing in rows. The same kinds of rules apply to videos.
● Terrible photo captions. Clearly describe what is happening in the photo and identify the people, including their titles, from left to right. Do note that if you submit a group shot with more than eight people, it’s likely the media outlet won’t identify everyone.
● Playing favorites with media outlets. When your most-important media outlet comes calling, it makes sense for it to be a priority, but don’t ignore the other outlets in your area. While the bigger outlets may carry more prestige and reach a wider audience, the other outlets might be more interested in covering you regularly (and provide more favorable coverage).
● Using too much jargon. Never assume reporters will know what you’re talking about. Every industry has specific jargon, and while everyone at your utility may understand it, that 25-year-old guy who was covering a school board last night and a murder the day before that isn’t likely to understand. Keep your language direct and simple and direct, particularly when technical issues are involved.
● Providing bad press releases. As I’ve noted, details matter — the right details. Too many press releases are crammed with irrelevant information and boring canned quotes that no journalist is likely to use (they’ll get their own). Keep your press releases as short as possible. If reporters have questions about information not included, you’ll look smart in knowing the answers.
● Micromanaging the process. You’ll want to stay in close contact with the journalist as the story progresses, but don’t make yourself a nuisance. Suggest a few things, then stand back. The reporter will come to you as needed. And don’t ask to read or view the story once it’s completed. You’ll probably be rejected anyway, and reporters consider that proposition a huge nuisance.
● Say thanks. Unless the story is completely butchered, say thanks and move on. Remember that the journalist aims to present a fair and balanced story, not carry water for you. If the facts and context are largely correct, you should be happy.
These are just a few common issues, so constantly consider ways to improve the details of your PR campaigns. Remember that a focus on speed, accuracy and clarity will never hurt.