As communications professionals, we at Communiqué PR don’t always like surprises. But no matter how much planning and preparation we do for a client, we’re bound to encounter a surprise or two. A product announcement just leaked before launch? A competitor publically dinged a client’s solution? A story got bumped, or our client’s quote wasn’t used in the final article? These unwelcome and unexpected surprises happen from time to time.
PR can sometimes be more of an art than a science, so outcomes can be hard to predict. That said, it’s important to provide our clients with strong, well-thought out estimates around expected results for each activity. It’s also just as important to communicate any potential changes to the results we’re all anticipating. As you may have read in our previous blog post about Communiqué PR’s Client Service Ethic, one of our key values is establishing shared expectations with our clients regarding PR activities.
Establishing shared expectations means:
- Providing estimated results before an activity. By sharing the results we expect to achieve based on each activity, it allows our clients to determine if the activity should be scaled up or down to best meet their business and communications objectives. It also educates our clients on the value of certain activities and subsequent results compared to others, such as the depth of coverage versus the quantity of coverage.
- Shifting the expected results as the plan changes. When it comes to announcements or launches, plans sometimes change. Whether we identify a new third-party reference, a customer decides they can no longer participate in a press release, or a product launch date slips, we can work around any changes and challenges that arise. However, as the strategy changes, the results will change, too. We strive to communicate the potential impact of these changes as soon as possible so our clients understand the implications of how each shift can affect the end results.
- Sharing results as soon as we can. If an article posts, we flag that for our clients as soon as we can. On the other hand, if a story gets bumped or the coverage schedule changes, we flag that for our clients quickly as well. We value transparency around coverage and don’t want to keep our clients in the dark when it comes to generating results.
While unwelcome surprises can sometimes be unavoidable, by establishing these expectations with clients, we help ensure there are no surprises when it comes to the actual results of PR activities. We strive to keep the lines of communication open and ensure our clients feel informed and prepared every step of the way.