Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
While fake content has circulated in tabloids and on the internet for years, the 2016 election has given us a reason to take it seriously. Stories about the Clintons selling weapons to ISIS and Trump winning the popular vote (he didn’t) spread like wildfire, and in some cases outperformed real news.
The false narrative that Pope Francis endorsed Trump garnered a staggering 960,000 engagements on Facebook, more than the Washington Post’s in-depth, non-hoax exploration of Trump’s failed businesses. While Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dismissed the impact of fake news on shaping hearts and minds, studies validate that what we see in social media influences our moods and perceptions.
Moreover, according to a new Pew Survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults, 23 percent of Americans say they have shared a fake news story – many knowingly. More troubling? Most teens can’t spot fake news.
According to a Stanford University study, 82 percent of middle schoolers couldn’t distinguish between an ad labeled “sponsored content” and a real news story from a legitimate source. While teens may be digital natives, many lack the sophistication to gauge the legitimacy of a source.
The spread of fake news and the ease with which it’s legitimized through social sharing clearly has dire implications for the U.S. electorate and our political process. But how will it impact PR – and how can PR pros take a meaningful stand against the proliferation of fake news?
The Evolution of PR in a Post-Fact Era
Perhaps most obviously, driving awareness of real news will become increasingly challenging, in what President Obama deemed the Post-Fact Era during an interview with The New Yorker. We live in a “new ecosystem,” he argued, “in which facts and truth don’t matter. You attract attention, rouse emotions, and then move on.”
Clickbait’s sole purpose is to generate ad revenue – after all, flashy claims and scandal draw eyeballs. As publishers downsize and fake news sources, such as the Denver Guardian, gain popularity, it will be incumbent on PR professionals to continue to pitch and foster relationships with legitimate news sources.
The rise of fake news is also likely to erode the public’s trust in all media. Earned media has always been persuasive because it offers third-party validation. If PR professionals contribute to creating false narratives and peddling fake facts, we will ultimately help undermine the value of earned media. But there are actionable steps PR professionals can take to combat fake news.
How PR Can Combat Fake News
Provide Sound Facts and Sources to Reporters – While it can be tempting to spin or exaggerate facts, it’s incumbent on PR professionals to provide sound counsel to clients and accurate facts to reporters. Though PR is sometimes referred to as the “dark side” of journalism, it doesn’t need to be.
We can support journalists by providing them with legitimate sources and stories that impact their communities. In fact, some of my most talented and valued coworkers have a background in journalism – we need to support quality journalism in a climate that is increasingly hostile or agnostic to facts.
Pitch Sources that Care about Facts – When we’re building press lists, we can continue to be thoughtful about who we include. While a blogger may provide an easy hit, it’s important to consider the legitimacy and reputation of bloggers and influencers before engaging. This is critical from both a client-service perspective and to help ensure we support legitimate news organizations.
We can also do this in our personal lives, and read content from quality sources that vet and care about facts and attribution.
Support Journalism with Your Wallet – In addition to providing journalists with great stories and sources, we can also subscribe to news sources we value. Earlier this month, The Seattle Times announced staffing cuts as ad revenue fell, echoing an industry-wide trend that has caused layoffs in newsrooms across the country. If there aren’t enough staff, it can be difficult to cover all the stories that matter. And it can be challenging to fact check. (Rolling Stone, I’m looking at you.)
In heartening news for the industry, just one week after Election Day, The New York Times saw a huge boost of 41,000 new digital subscribers. While PR professionals tend to be avid consumers of news to keep abreast of industry trends, we can also personally support the news sources we value by paying for their content.
Don’t Amplify Fake News – In pitches and bylines, we cite facts to substantiate claims. PR professionals can be extremely conscientious when it comes to verifying that the facts they’re citing are accurate. By citing legitimate facts, we also help drive traffic to publications that support good journalism.
In our own social media echo chambers, we can follow similar practices. We can be scrupulous before liking or sharing an article. After all, we stop giving oxygen to fake news when we take a more critical eye to what we share. Embracing facts and shunning opinion masquerading as fact can help foster a culture that values honest, integrity-driven journalism.
The Next Four Years Matter
Media is our bread and butter as an industry, but having robust journalism is also critical to a healthy democracy. These next four years may be tough on journalists, with the president-elect bashing Vanity Fair, The New York Times and others on Twitter.
While PR professionals aren’t journalists, we too play a role in fostering a culture that embraces thoughtful, accurate reporting, both in our personal and professional capacities. Let’s use that role to promote accurate news stories to legitimate sources, helping to amplify journalism at its finest. If trust in journalism is eroded, the demise of PR won’t be far off.
Last Friday we held our company holiday party at Upper Bar Ferdinand with food prepared by 2012 James Beard Award Winner, Matt Dillon and wine pairings by Marc Papineau (@marcspapineau). It was a wonderful evening filled with lots of laughter, amazing bites and a raucous White Elephant gift exchange. In this busy season, the evening provided a good reminder of why it is so important to make time for celebrations – both big and small – and time to interact with each other outside the office.
At Communiqué PR, we are focused on delivering meaningful results for our clients and helping them achieve their objectives. We recognize the importance of working smart and hard to make sure the right things are happening. We also value collaboration and transparency; both of which are easier to execute on if you have trust and chemistry within your team and across your client relationships. Socializing with peers offers opportunities to build and nurture the rapport among team members.
We have a number of more informal gatherings throughout the year but appreciate it can be hard for everyone to participate in an after-work happy hour or an afternoon boating adventure on South Lake Union. Additionally those casual gatherings typically do not include spouses, partners, friends or family. So I always look forward to our holiday party, when we get to interact with our colleagues and their family and friends, and toast each other, our amazing team and the people that support them in their endeavors.
In 2017, I hope that we continue to make time to come together for social gatherings and celebrate the wonderful and unique people on our team, as well as the success of our business and that of our clients.
What does your company do to foster relationships within your team? Are there events that have meant a lot to you or your team?
Happy Holidays!
So you wanna be in public relations? Not a bad idea, friend.
Between connecting with new media contacts, developing content for clients, supporting company milestones – and the list goes on – there’s never a dull moment in PR world. But don’t enter this field if you think it’s just some glamorous gig.
As my tenure here at Communiqué has taught me, public relations can be chaotic and stressful just as much as it can be rewarding and fun. If you’re serious about this profession, interning is a highly effective way to start gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to survive a job in communications. Here are some things I did to help maximize my internship and prepare me for a career in PR:
- Define your role and responsibilities
With intern positions being a common precursor to entry-level jobs these days, any legitimate internship will require work of substance. Don’t expect to merely pick up the coffee order. You should identify your role in the organization and the corresponding workload as soon as possible.
For example, I came into this position with an interest in writing – I actually defected to the dark side that is PR over from journalism – and made that clear early on in my internship. Knowing this, my managers were able to make writing the focus of my work, and it soon became my role to support a variety of writing assignments.
- Build your portfolio and network as you go along
The only thing promised in PR is deadlines. As my writing responsibilities grew, projects started flying in and out of my inbox constantly and it became easy to lose track of everything I’d accomplished. Save yourself the extra effort by adding work to your portfolio right as it’s completed. When this blog post goes live, I’m going to save a printer-friendly copy to my files.
While you’re at it, you should also be tending to your network. Build rapport with your coworkers, who can vouch for you when you’re ready to advance to the next position. Anyone you’ve had meaningful collaboration with should also be a connection on LinkedIn. And if you plan to continue in PR, start developing relationships with the media as these will be helpful down the road.
- Find a mentor
Among all the relationships you have as an intern, the ones you have with your mentors are some of the most important. Mentors help you understand the nuances of the industry and your workplace, as well as provide sound advice and support when you need it. (And in PR, you’re going to need it.)
At Communiqué, I’ve been lucky enough to have not just one, but two incredible mentors who were always there to help me navigate challenges, provide me with honest feedback and celebrate my progress. You won’t realize your internship’s full potential without a mentor, so make sure to connect with someone at the beginning of your term.
- Be proactive about your next move
Even with the support of your mentors and colleagues, you can still get swept up in the fast pace of PR. But don’t forget to plan for the future – the whole point of an internship is that it’s a springboard for a more permanent job.
If you’re performing well, chances are your company will offer you a full-time position. If you want to explore options elsewhere, ask for recommendations and/or introductions from people who can speak to the quality of your work. And if you decide PR isn’t for you, the skill set you acquire will be applicable to many other fields.
Take your internship seriously and you can continue to reap the benefits long after you move on. In my time at Communiqué, I got full exposure to the inner workings of PR and a chance to collaborate with brilliant individuals every day. My experience here has me feeling more than prepared for my next venture, and for that I am beyond grateful.
At any agency job, new business is a hot topic. Throughout the time that I have worked at CPR, I’ve had a front row seat for just how exciting (and stressful) pitching to potential clients can be. No matter what stage of the process they are in – the initial email, the pitch presentation or the follow-up – I have seen my coworkers go above and beyond to win new business. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up over the last few months to help you win over any potential clients.
Come prepared
I realize this is important for any project, but it is especially vital when pitching to new business. Even in your first correspondence with a potential client, responding to an RFP for example, it is important to show that you already have an understanding of the client’s needs. When asking questions, make sure they are insightful and will provide you with information you can’t find anywhere else to help you tailor your pitch. This also means that you have already done your research. Throughout the pitching process you should have a complete understanding of the client’s business, as well as knowledge of his/her industry and any current challenges or upcoming opportunities the business may face.
It is equally as important to be prepared for the initial meeting itself. Do multiple run-throughs of your presentation before the big day to make sure you have it nailed. Also, be sure to give yourself an extra day to gather your materials – you don’t want a freak printer malfunction to send you scrambling to the nearest Staples two hours before your meeting. Have all your handouts preprinted and arrive at the meeting on time. Coming to the meeting completely prepared will make a good first impression and help the rest of the meeting run smoothly.
Be time conscious
If there is one thing I have learned from PR it is how valuable time can be. It is important to keep your pitch concise and to the point because you want to maximize the limited amount of time you have with the potential client. Clients will appreciate your efficiency and it will help keep your presentation focused on what really matters to them. In the presentation run-throughs I’ve participated in, we were encouraged to stop the presenter to ask why they added certain information if we felt it wouldn’t be of value to the client. A well-thought-out and concise pitch will be far more memorable and will give the client a good overview of your goals.
One way to help ensure that your presentation stays on track is to have a clear agenda and objectives. Open strong with compelling reasons the client should consider your offer, outline your goals and solutions clearly, and finish by asking if they feel the solution you presented is viable. Having clear main points during your pitch will keep you from straying off topic and overloading you audience with information.
Use visuals wisely
It is important to remember that any visuals you include are there to aid your presentation, not be your presentation. If your PowerPoint slides are too text-heavy, the client will be so focused on figuring out the slide he or she will miss what you are saying. Go easy on the amount of text you use and make sure any graphs or images you use are meaningful, relevant and up to date. If the company recently switched to a new logo, you don’t want to accidentally use the old one. Initial pitch meetings with new clients are usually in person because the client wants to meet you, so any visuals you use should enhance your ideas instead of distract from your key points.
It is also important to strike a balance between the ideas you are presenting and any data you have to back it up. I have found that having data to show the outcome a new campaign could achieve has a greater impact and is easier for the client to remember after the presentation. Graphs and charts are easy to digest and can be a huge asset to any pitch as long as they support your ideas.
Follow up
Following up will ensure that your pitch is fresh in the clients mind and give them an action item to respond to. I have seen a single follow-up note go through multiple rounds of edits between three or four different people, which shows just how important follow-ups are. Send an email with a quick summary of what you discussed or, if the client mentioned a specific problem that you didn’t cover, send them a few ideas for solutions to show that you are committed to his business. Here at CPR, we often also send potential clients a copy of the book Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness The Power of PR, written by our co-founders. I think this is a great tactic because it helps us keep in touch with our clients while providing them with further insight into how PR can add value to their company. Following up in a meaningful way will help set you apart from any competitors and show dedication to the client.
There are many other things to consider when preparing for a new business meeting, but keeping these four tips in mind is a good place to start. The most important thing is to prove to potential clients that your expertise will add value to their firm. Being knowledgeable about their industry and ensuring that you have clear and well-explained goals and objectives are the most important factors in convincing a potential client to hire your firm. While initial pitch meetings may be challenging, there is no better feeling than successfully winning a new client.
We all know that attitude can have a big impact on performance. Many of us learn this lesson as children. Just think of the illustrated children’s book, “The Little Engine That Could,” which delivers a message of the value of optimism and hard work.
Oftentimes you know you should feel optimistic, but instead you feel burned out, beaten down, stressed or pressured. This is when it can be tempting to quit or make excuses. However, neither option is helpful, so what should you do?
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to regain your perspective and footing.
Practice self-awareness. What messages are you telling yourself about the situation? Know your own feelings, motives and desires and be aware that these feelings often affect your behavior. Consider how a positive attitude about a project affects your communication with team members or your willingness to take action.
Reframe negative feelings. If you’re feeling pessimistic about something, take a step back and ask yourself, “How is my negativity serving me?” By asking yourself this, you might be able to reboot and reframe your feelings in a positive manner. For instance, maybe you are in a meeting and catch yourself thinking, “None of my ideas are any good.” When you pause to consider if this inner talk is helpful, you force yourself to analyze your thoughts. Perhaps you will realize you are over-generalizing and taking an extreme stance with all-or-nothing thinking. In addition, you are shutting down your own creativity. This type of thinking does not serve you well. It is much better to keep an open mind and support yourself by considering how some of your ideas might work.
Avoid making excuses. Look out for statements like “It’s too difficult,” “The media climate is challenging,” or “I don’t have enough information.” Know that excuses are a form of resistance. When you make an excuse, you are resisting accountability.
Focus on the things you can control. For a daunting task, start off by making a list of all the actions you can take. Analyze and prioritize that list and consider how you can excel at the activities within your control. For instance, I cannot control whether an editor will publish an article that I write. However, I can come up with a compelling story idea, brainstorm proof points and infuse my article with interesting statistics and anecdotes. Focusing on these things will increase the probability the editor will accept my article – ultimately allowing me to achieve success.
J.P. Pawliw-Fry, a training and performance expert and coach, told HR Magazine, “When we are too attached to an outcome, we tighten up. We lose the ability to execute. Rather than outcome, keep people focused on the ‘integrity of inputs’ – the things they can control. This makes them feel more confident and increases their chances of delivering a good performance.”
Finally, remember you need to manage your stress because often emotions are infectious. Leaders’ and individuals’ emotions can spread to teams, affecting their attitudes and performance as a whole.
For more on this topic, check out:
Seven Signs You’re Not As Self-Aware as You Think
Building credibility for your company can be a daunting task. Whether you’re a start-up as the underdog in an industry or a well-known household brand dominating the market, managing your reputation, building relationships and upholding authority in your space is a never-ending venture.
Luckily, for companies of all sizes, there are many ways to build credibility and raise awareness of your company’s impact in its space. One way in particular is through attending and speaking at industry shows and events. Pursuing and securing speaking engagements at tradeshows of any size is an excellent way to build executive thought leadership among your competitors in the space, current customers and potential clients.
In addition to having the opportunity to speak positively about your company, announce new product offerings and share forecasts on the industry at large, attending events provides the invaluable opportunity for networking. This chance to connect with fellow speakers and attendees holds the probability to increase lead generation for your company and allows you to build personal connections with other prominent movers and shakers.
To no surprise, incorporating speaking engagements into your marketing mix is also a chief PR opportunity. Dedicating the time to research reporters who will attend the event and reach out to schedule in-person meetings and invite them to your presentation will keep your company’s profile top of mind and at the front of the industry. Building media relationships through face-to-face meetings is extremely beneficial. Being able to sit down with a reporter can create long-term, mutually beneficial relationships quicker than from a phone interview.
Although there are countless benefits to attending events and pursuing speaking engagements, there are also challenges – challenges I’ve seen present themselves through the elements of “company timing” and the “vetting process.”
Completing applications is time intensive and, although an earned opportunity, carving out the time to answer thoughtful and strategic answers is no doubt costly. It is important for companies to assess their timing and decide if now is the appropriate and strategic time for their company to be attending events. For many start-ups, it can be too early, however, no situation is identical and you will want to focus a close lens on your priorities and objectives to determine when is right for you.
With the green light to concentrate on speaking engagements, the biggest challenge can be in the vetting process. There are hundreds of events available for every industry and product offering imaginable. Diving headfirst into the countless themes and speaking tracks can be overwhelming. Creating a clear and consistent vetting process for determining if an event’s speaking opportunity is right for your company will not only cut time in the application process, but it will also help ensure your time at the show is meaningful and beneficial to your business and communication objectives.
Below are several sample questions I’ve created to help vet awards and determine if a speaking opportunity is an appropriate fit. I have found these questions most helpful when visiting the event’s website and speaking to event representatives to uncover information not available online. I hope they help you in your next event and speaking research endeavor. Feel free to share any additional questions in the comments section below!
- How many individuals typically attend the conference?
- What are the attendees’ functional responsibilities? (Sales/advertising, MTKG, purchasers, etc.)
- What level are attendees? (Entry, coordinators, VPs, C-level)
- What types of companies/brands have attended in the past? B2B or B2C?
- What is the conference theme?
- What type of speaking opportunities exist? Are they panel or stand-alone opportunities? Is there an opportunity to lead a workshop?
- Are the speaking opportunities paid? If they are pay-to-play, what is the cost?
- Can vendors speak at the event?
- How many speakers does the event select?
- What are the desired speaking opportunity topics?
- What is the criteria for selecting speakers?
- What is the nomination process? (Online form, email submission, video, interview, etc.)
- What is the deadline for speaker submissions/nominations?
- Is there a specific format for speakers to follow when developing their presentation? (Length of talk, content, presentation layout, etc.)