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.
The power of public relations is not lost on Generation Z. It does, however, work differently. According to Forbes, this generation’s understanding of public relations is far more consumer-based and authenticity-focused.
When a member of Gen Z hears the term PR, they think of product samples and brand merchandise rather than more traditional PR tools like earned media, storytelling and reputation management. Gen Z’s media diet began with YouTuber relationships and other types of influencers, as opposed to mainstream celebrities.
Gen Z, also known as iGen, are the first true digital natives. They were born into a fully formed digital world and are experiencing adolescence amidst the pandemic. This sets them apart from older generations. For instance, there’s little to no distinction between the online and offline worlds for Gen Z, so omnichannel marketing becomes more important. Raised on social media like YouTube, Gen Z relies more on extended social networks to research purchases and less on top-down marketing strategies like celebrity endorsements.
To better align your PR with Gen Z’s beliefs and interests, consider the following:
- Prioritize SEO. Gen Z relies heavily on internet research, so they are more likely to find your brand through searches. If your company has strong SEO and ranks high on search engines like Google and Bing, you’ll likely be more visible to Gen Z. You can boost exposure by creating a list of keywords you want to be affiliated with your brand, and then look at differentiating your brand from others that have high SEO standing. Then, include links to credible websites in your content. Positioning yourself higher than your competitors on search engines leads to more visibility to your target audiences.
- Make social and environmental consciousness a priority. Generation Z makes socially conscious decisions when evaluating products. They often support a business based on its level of social and environmental commitment, or corporate social responsibility. In fact, members of Gen Z see their position as a customer as a way to get engaged in CSR efforts, with 90% saying they would buy a product with a social or environmental benefit. It is vital to show support for initiatives that align with your company values. Celebrating things like International Women’s Day, Black History Month, and Earth Day is a great start, but taking action will show your audience that your company puts resources behind its core values. For example, T-Mobile paid $10 million for a Superbowl ad in 2018 that advocated for equal pay across all genders and ethnicities. This ad received great feedback from consumers and showed T-Mobile’s audience that the company prioritized social justice and equality.
- Secure diverse perspectives. Brands like Nike, Pepsi and Equinox have faced damage to reputations from ill-considered messaging, the effects of which will linger on social media. The best way to combat this is to make sure your team is filled with diverse perspectives before commenting on potentially controversial subjects. Seeking out perspectives from a diverse pool of backgrounds decreases your company’s chances of speaking out of place.
- Use the creator economy to your advantage. Investing in micro and macro-influencers will take your social media to the next level. Eighty-five percent of Gen Z use social media to learn about new products, and 45% of Gen Z currently follow more than 10 influencers on social media. Identify influencers with followings that align with your target audience to maximize your ROI.
- Remember that Gen Z has been trained to learn digitally. The oldest members of Gen Z graduated college in 2018; the youngest are currently in fourth grade. The COVID-19 pandemic started in the middle of this generation’s educational experience. Taking classes through Zoom and other online platforms taught Gen Z-ers how to teach themselves. This age group was also raised with smartphones, tablets and computers. Tools like webinars and infographics are a great way to get your message across to an online audience. Online content like this has many benefits, including increases in exposure, shareability and credibility.
- Create an appealing aesthetic. Gen Z isn’t called the “Aesthetic Generation” for nothing. They are far more likely to gravitate to products and services with visually appealing brands. Dedicate time and resources to creating strong branding collateral that is easy on the eyes and aware of trends. This includes anything from logos and color palettes to fonts and packaging.
As Generation Z enters the workforce and gains purchasing power, they become a part of your target audience. Knowing how to appeal to them by using strategic and thoughtful public relations tactics will help reach this audience.
Over the past few weeks, the world has watched the Ukrainian-Russian crisis evolve into a significant conflict, impacting hundreds of thousands of people and businesses. After the conflict broke out, U.S. cybersecurity agencies reported an 800% increase in cyberattacks over a 48-hour period.
Additionally, President Biden warns that a flood of significant cyberattacks may be on the way that could detrimentally affect American companies. Due to this, Biden and U.S. Homeland Security are urging organizations to secure their systems and data now.
Now more than ever, it’s critical that companies are prepared to handle and resolve potential security attacks that can be detrimental to business growth and overall operations. For PR firms especially, this heightened time of security threats could result in a crisis for both their business and clients.
As a result, PR firms must prepare for the looming threats and improve their security measures. Here are a few steps PR firms can take to protect their internal communications and operations and help advise clients during this challenging time.
Educate employees about the risks
Regardless of threat levels, PR firms’ employees should be educated about security threats and the importance of protecting critical data. Without proper education or awareness, many individuals may not be thinking about the increased risk of a cyberattack and how their actions can contribute to systems’ vulnerability to attacks.
For example, employees should be trained to identify and cautiously monitor for malicious links, attachments, or phishing in emails and on websites. They should report anything that looks suspicious and flag any emails or content that may contain viruses or threats to IT teams and colleagues.
Update security software
Regularly monitoring and updating security software is imperative and ensures all aspects of applications, operating systems, and other technologies are protected against attacks. Outdated security software fails to protect against threats and it also gives companies a false sense of security. Security software can only be effective when continuously updated to protect against present and future threats.
Firms must dedicate time to ensure they have security software enabled and that it’s also current, configured and automatically updated regularly. These rules don’t just apply to office technology but all technology and systems – cellphones, tablets, routers, applications, etc. – used by employees, especially those working remotely.
Secure remote devices and accounts
Over these past two years, the increase in remote and hybrid workforces has resulted in heightened ransomware and security attacks through remote access to networks. As a result, firms should verify that only valid accounts have remote access capabilities. This can be confirmed through multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect remote access. Additionally, all remote technology should be equipped with current security software to ensure the utmost protection against outside threats.
Evaluate who has login access
PR firms constantly exchange information with outside vendors, contractors and clients. One way to ensure company operating systems, equipment, and data are secure is by evaluating who has access capabilities and login details for these systems.
If firms do not record who has these details, regularly updating passwords and implementing MFA will help control who can access company applications and systems. This will reduce the chance of a cyberattack as hackers will have fewer direct lines of access to company platforms and information.
Create and store information backups
If a ransomware or cyberattack does occur, firms must have reliable backups of essential data. These backups can help companies recover internal and client information that may have been lost during a security breach and help keep operations moving. However, backups are only helpful if they’ve been done correctly. As a result, companies should take time to create an efficient backup strategy and consider the following:
- Decide where to backup information – internal hard drives, external hard drives, removable drives, cloud-based backups, NAS (network-attached storage), etc.
- Split your backups between on-site and off-site systems, so information is available in more than one location
- Establish a standard naming and filing system so data can be easily traced and located
- Identify which files need to be backed up to maximize efficiency
Alert and offer resources to clients
Some clients may be unaware of the growing security risks. PR firms should alert clients, vendors and contractors of these risks and how they can detrimentally impact operations and leave critical information vulnerable.
Having this discussion with clients and providing them with resources – such as security software recommendations, backup strategies and simple security tips like MFA – will help further secure PR firms’ systems and applications, and help clients avoid crises associated with ransomware and cyberattacks.
This article was previously featured on PR Daily’s blog: How PR firms can improve security measures amid the uptick in cyberattacks.
As my colleague Lauren Beehler recently pointed out in her article, “Improve Outlines to Enhance Your Writing,” it can be beneficial to organize your thoughts when beginning a new assignment or project. Beehler explains that an outline can help “ensure your writing is organized, thorough, and achieves its purpose,” among other things.
To build upon Beehler’s recommendations, I thought I’d share my thoughts on the process for the creation of a short piece like an article or essay.
Phase 1: Develop a first draft
Once I feel good about my outline, I’m ready to begin writing, introduction through conclusion. I like writing beginning to end in sequential order, paragraph by paragraph because I want to complete the first draft before I spend time editing sentences I may later cut. After all, it’s a waste of time perfecting a sentence that you find no longer has a home in your piece.
As I’m writing, if I discover I’m missing an example, I simply leave a placeholder for it, using the notation TK[1], an editing mark that means “to come.” It’s equivalent to leaving a blank or brackets in the text. By using TK, I avoid getting sidetracked and distracted by research that would delay my completion of the first draft.
Phase 2: Take a break to identify problems
Once my draft is complete, if possible, I set it aside for a day. If I don’t have the luxury of that much time, then I try to work on something else for at least one hour before re-reading it. After even a short break, I can usually identify and address problem areas.
Common areas to fix might include adding concrete details like data, improving a transition or providing additional examples. At this point, I also make sure to address any remaining placeholders, so no TKs remain.
Phase 3: Read your work aloud and refine it
In the third phase, I read the piece aloud, often numerous times, considering the flow and the rhythm of the information, word choice, sentence structure and paragraph breaks. The readability of a piece can be greatly improved by selecting just the correct word, varying the lengths of sentences, and decidedly arranging information into paragraphs.
When considering word choice, take the time to look up definitions, consider synonyms and think about the connotations and emotional impact of words. When looking at the flow of the piece, consider the four different types of paragraphs at the writer’s disposal: the direct paragraph, the climactic paragraph, the turnabout paragraph, or the statement paragraph. For examples of each of these, along with ideas on when to employ them, I recommend reading chapter 19 of Priscilla Long’s “The Writer’s Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft, and the Writing Life.” It’s an excellent book with many hands-on exercises that you can use for your work-in-progress.
Of course, everyone’s process is different, but I hope that you can learn from my thoughts on the topic. Many years ago, I worked with a web designer who said she wanted “to get the right idea, before getting the idea right.” This same philosophy can be applied to writing. It’s best to organize your thoughts, write your piece, examine your argument, consider your structure, and then refine to make it as strong as possible.
[1] In case you’re wondering why it’s not TC, apparently editing marks are often misspelled to make them stand out and catch the attention of copy editors. Consider, for instance, graf and hed for paragraph and headline.
Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has dominated headlines for the last few days. The news has led to differing perspectives and left many asking what it means for the future of the platform. While only time will tell how this ownership change will impact Twitter’s future, PR professionals should be considering impacts and changes now. Twitter plays an important role in the dissemination of news, so here’s what public relations professionals should be considering.
General Audiences Use Twitter to Consume News
According to a Pew Research Center report, about half of U.S. adults (53%) say they get their news from social media at least sometimes, with the level of news consumption varying across social media platforms. Twitter is one of the top sources, with about seven-out-of-10 U.S. Twitter users (69%) who say they get news from Twitter and many turn to Twitter for breaking news. The report also found that 70% of Twitter news consumers say they have used Twitter to follow live news events, which is up from 59% who said this in 2015.
While those against the acquisition are tweeting #GoodbyeTwitter, it’s unlikely the more than 200 million users will all disappear from the platform permanently. So, if you’re planning to release news or share company updates, you will want to continue to share them on Twitter.
Twitter is Journalists’ Preferred Platform
Not only is Twitter important for reaching your target audiences, it’s also an important source for reporters. Many reporters turn to social media platforms to learn more about organizations, their executives and connect with potential sources.
Business Wire asked journalists about their social media preferences and found that Twitter was the favorite with LinkedIn serving as a close second. Fifty-nine percent of the journalists surveyed said they visit an organization’s social media site when researching a company.
With this in mind, it’s important to consider what content would be valuable to reporters when developing posts for Twitter and other channels, including LinkedIn. Developing posts that reiterate key messages, link to executive profiles, and share visually compelling content will be informative and engaging for reporters.
Explore Other Platforms
As noted in Business Wire’s survey, reporters’ top three platforms used are Twitter (76%), LinkedIn (66%) and Facebook (53%). If you’re not already posting content across Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, you should share relevant content across the platforms consistently.
While many reporters and individuals have indicated the change of ownership won’t impact their use of Twitter, other events are indicating that news organizations and reporters may be taking a step back to reevaluate how they use the platform. For example, just a couple of weeks before the acquisition, the New York Times stated that it would like its reporters to “Tweet less, tweet more thoughtfully, and devote more time to reporting.” If reporters reduce their time and reliance on Twitter, it’ll be important that content shared across other mediums, including company blogs and other social platforms.
Digital media and how it is used continues to evolve rapidly, so it’s critical that organizations are monitoring trends and being thoughtful about how to use these platforms to communicate with their audiences. Only time will tell if Elon Musk’s acquisition will have a major impact on the use and engagement of Twitter.
Crafting the direction and order of ideas mid-writing can be confusing and lead to missing information, random interjections, and illogical presentation. A thoughtful outline will help ensure your writing is organized, thorough, and achieves its purpose. An outline is a plan for your writing, typically consisting of the work’s intended goal and audience, an ordered list of relevant topics, and points to support these topics. Outlines define the structure of your article, essay, or other modes of communication and can remind you of the essential elements of that writing style.
Outlines can reduce revisions and make your writing process more efficient. By providing a clear path, outlines allow you to start writing any section instead of beginning with the introduction. Furthermore, outlining your topic and key points should provide accurate keywords and alt-text for SEO purposes. Outlines can also illuminate elements of your argument that need more research or tangents that don’t belong in the writing. In addition to organizing your thoughts, outlines allow you to collaborate, share plans, and gain consensus on your ideas with coworkers, clients, or supervisors before spending time crafting sentences.
Here are some best practices for developing an outline:
- Determine your writing format. Before starting your outline, make sure you’ve established the final form your writing will take. The choice of topics and order of ideas differ based on the format. A news article begins with the critical information and then fills in details, a persuasive essay adds new arguments throughout the paper, and a case study may prioritize chronological storytelling.
- Determine your topic and express it in a single sentence. Clearly define your topic before you start outlining, addressing the who/what/where/when/why/how of your article. For example, my sentence for this blog post was, “Explain what an outline is, why it’s important, and how to best outline an article to help improve your writing.” If you don’t have enough information about your subject to summarize it, do more research before you start outlining.
- Develop a list of relevant ideas. Based on this summary, start brainstorming ideas related to your sentence that directly address the goals of your work. For instance, some topics for this blog included “explanation of an outline,” “benefits of an outline,” “best practices for outlining,” and “using an outline.” You may not use all topics you identify at this stage, so think broadly.
- Narrow and group your ideas. Once you have a variety of themes that explore and support your topic, organize those ideas and eliminate tangents. Ideas could be arranged chronologically, logically, in order of or reverse order of importance, or randomly. Now is the time to determine the overall shape of ideas.
- Add supporting information and research. With a general order of concepts, add information that proves and reinforces your themes. This information can include logical statements, quotes, cited facts, and linked materials. Consider also adding transitions and other connections between topics to make drafting easier.
- Review and adjust your outline. If you notice that important themes don’t have at least two supporting points or reveal other logical gaps, do additional research, or re-arrange your outline.
Once you’ve developed your outline, you can use multiple strategies to transform it into finished written work. Drafting the body of the article first before the introduction and conclusion can lead to a more cohesive piece. You can also write your topic, themes, and supporting information in complete sentences, then simply remove bullets and other formatting for a bare-bones draft.
Most importantly, use your writing expertise to develop a piece of work that addresses your goals. If your outline doesn’t match your final product, that’s not necessarily a problem. However, the differences between your outline and finished work should be mindful choices made in the writing process, not accidents. To revise your draft, consider reverse outlining, a technique where you construct an outline based on the main topic of each paragraph. Seeing an outline of your drafted work can help you view the structure of your work and confirm that your writing meets your goals.
Outlines are a vital step in the writing process. They can improve your writing efficiency and your ability to communicate logically. Your outline’s format barely matters; it’s most important to outline in the way that helps you write. As long as you thoughtfully state your intended topic, intentionally structure the order of ideas, and include supporting information, your outline can improve your writing.
No organization ever expects to find itself amid a public relations crisis. However, the unfortunate reality is that unforeseen crises do happen, even to the best of us. And these crises can be most crippling when there’s no management plan in place.
Even worse than combatting a crisis is doing so while caught flat-footed on your response, which can result in hasty or poor decision-making and further damage to your company’s reputation. While no one wants to envision their company in crisis, the best way to deal with them is with effective planning and preparation on how to respond. Planning for the worst, while it may sound pessimistic, can help with mitigating unwanted surprises that arise.
Below are five essential components that every crisis management plan should have.
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The Core Crisis Management Team
As you develop your crisis management plan, establish who will make up your company’s core crisis management team and outline their roles and responsibilities. Your team will likely comprise a mix of executive leadership, department heads, HR managers, PR representatives and a legal or financial adviser. Establish the sources available for legal counsel and expertise.
- Your Crisis Team’s Org Chart
Your crisis management team must be familiar with your ideal response strategy. It may be helpful to develop an organization chart for your crisis management team that delineates chain of command, who owns which tasks and who reports to whom. This can enable your team to coordinate effectively and ensure your crisis management plan is executed as efficiently as possible. In assigning roles, determine who will serve as spokesperson for media and external messaging, and who will communicate with clients and customers. If government officials or other regulatory agencies must also be contacted, determine who will own this correspondence.
- Internal Comms Strategies
Keeping employees apprised is key. With your internal communications strategy, outline the methods and processes in which your crisis management team will distribute critical information to employees across the company following a crisis. Plan how to communicate sensitive news to employees and determine the appropriate cadence for providing companywide updates. To help convey your desired messaging, develop a key messaging framework that specifies the critical details your company wishes to communicate as well as an FAQ for common questions you expect to field about the crisis.
- External Comms Strategies
In the event of a crisis, a sound external communications strategy can go a long way toward ensuring damage control. Develop a plan for engaging with the public, external stakeholders and media. Draft a statement to share with media and keep it available for all company spokespeople. If all relevant information isn’t immediately available, plan to add these details once they are. In your external comms strategy, provide detailed instructions for which media outlets your company plans to notify. Finally, establish your broader communication objectives and ensure your external communication strategies align with your desired outcomes.
- Your Response Action Plan
Create a detailed plan for how your organization will respond in the event of a crisis or various crisis situations. In some instances, this may require working backward from the aftereffects of the crisis and the impacts to your business. Identify the potential risks that your company faces and determine the necessary actions your company must take to remediate these threats. Determine contingencies that can help your organization respond to the crisis effectively. Remember to continually review, test and update your response plan to keep it relevant as your company evolves. This plan shouldn’t be crafted with a single crisis mind. Instead, it should use an “all-hazard approach” and serve as a template for any and all potential crises that may arise.
Remember: In times of trouble, don’t panic. Having a solid crisis management plan will help you stay the course, maintain poise and navigate any rough patches that life throws your way. You’ll have a step-by-step guide outlining what actions you’ll need to take to keep any crisis from spiraling out of control and leading to subsequent problems. Even in the event of unforeseen circumstances, you’ll remain in control.
For more on this topic, check out our past CPR blog posts on crisis management.