atkinson advisor

People are always asking, “How do I get the national media to pay attention to my company?”

The answer is simple. Reporters at the national level want one of three things:

1. A compelling personality 
2. Demonstrable results 
3. Information that nobody else has

When Bill Gates introduces a new idea, the technology landscape shifts. When Warren Buffet makes an investment, markets move. When Michael Dell moves into a new line of business, headlines follow. Compelling personalities are the top one percent of all business leaders, but their involvement in an issue can make news simply by their presence and support.

National media love demonstrable results: that technology is saving lives, that training programs increase productivity, that an educational program is preventing crime, etc. Most importantly, reporters want to interview the people whose lives have changed and not just the company delivering the services or products.

National media also crave information and insights that explain the reasons for national trends. Why are health care costs rising? How much time are companies spending on Sarbanes-Oxley compliance? How will Baby Boomers impact the future of retailing? A compelling insight gleaned from a national survey or from a proprietary source can be a gold mine of national coverage.

Every potential crisis situation is unique, no matter how many times your company has been through a particular situation. A lack of communication is often one of the reasons that a potential crisis situation spirals out of control into a full-blown crisis.

The most important part of any crisis response is alerting and involving the right people who can help analyze the situation and recommend the best steps to solve it. This does not mean the same people make up the list every time.

The right people will vary with the situation and its potential impact. Here are some key thoughts when planning for crises:

• Who will the situation impact the most? Sales needs to know if customers can be impacted. HR needs to know if employees are at risk. Investor relations for shareholders. And so on.
• What are the odds of the media learning about the story? If the odds are high, the marketing/corporate communications department can help on the front end by drafting a standby statement, preparing executives for potential questions, and ensuring consistency of communications to all target audiences.
• What resources are necessary to solve the crisis? Because every situation is unique, the resources to solve that situation are unique as well. As situations evolve, you may need temporary personnel, equipment, technical assistance, or office space. Anticipating these needs and having resources in place will save you valuable time and, ultimately, may save your business a lot of money.

Stories are a dime a dozen; everybody has one. Great stories are a rare gem; you know immediately when you hear one.

The most effective media relations starts with great stories. Great stories interest reporters and, more importantly, allow them to serve the interests of their readers or viewers. Great media stories have some common elements:

1. People 
2. Emotion 
3. Timeliness 
4. Impact

Great media stories are incomplete without people. The story is not technology; it’s about the lives that the technology saves. It’s not about the corporate strategy; it’s about the people involved and the decisions they struggled with while formulating and adopting the strategy.

Likewise, nothing of consequence happens when people are satisfied. Emotion — anger, inspiration, intuition, daring, etc. — allows people to break with the status quo and provides the fuel that drives a story forward. Audiences also need emotion to form a bond with the story and the people involved.

Timeliness puts the story in the present so that people in similar situations can relate. Timeliness can be a milestone (e.g. new, first, last, record, etc.), or it can provide local perspective for a national trend that is affecting many people’s lives (e.g. living wills, personal technology, health advances, etc.)

Last, impact is the change that happens as a result of the story. Noted screenwriting expert Robert McKee put it best: “Essentially, a story expresses how and why life changes.” Great stories are about people moving from point A to point B and the difference that movement made in their lives.

Twenty years of working with companies has taught us a lot of lessons. Here are the five most common mistakes that we have seen from CEOs when working with their in-house communications counsel and public relations firms.

1. Not giving communications a seat at the table
   Communicators need face time with the CEO in order to communicate a CEO’s vision to internal and external audiences. A good communications professional will also take that opportunity to bring the CEO information about how people outside the executive suite view the corporation.
2. Delegating ownership of your company’s communications
   “Our internal communications are lousy. The communication staff needs to jump on this.” CEOs of high performance corporations make communications a personal priority. They speak often and openly to friends and enemies alike. Most importantly, they recognize that they are the communications role model for the entire organization.
3. Thinking about communications after business decisions are made
   “We’re closing the Memphis office and laying off 200 people next week. What do we need to do about communicating this?”  Communication plans are just as important as financial and operational plans when a company is making a significant change. Unfortunately, most companies make decisions in a communication vacuum and miss the opportunity to anticipate reaction to the change and build in solutions.Progressive CEOs openly and honestly communicate the potential for change and how it will impact the organization. Something to keep in mind: people have a remarkable capacity to accept bad news if they know it’s a possibility; but, they are rarely forgiving when you surprise them with bad news.
4. Considering the news media the enemy
   Contrary to popular belief, reporters are not out to get companies. They are truly interested in fair, balanced stories that reflect all sides of an event or an issue. In our experience, negative stories about companies result from a lack of access to the right people, an outright refusal to provide information for a story, or trying to “spin” the story (see next mistake).Strong media relations is a give and take where companies provide perspective, facts that can be supported, and access to decision makers who understand the story.
5.  Trying To Spin Bad News
   “How can we spin this?” is a question clients pose too often. Bill Clinton or Martha Stewart tried to “spin” the news and it came back to bite them. The same happens to CEOs who try to “spin” news either inside or outside the organization. We recommend outlawing the word “spin” in your office. Nothing raises more red flags with the media and other audiences than a company trying to sugarcoat bad news.

Many executives are already wary of the news media. New “bait-and-switch” media are not making it any easier on the true journalists.

The following are three recent bait-and-switch examples from Atkinson clients:

• U.S. Business Review agrees to write a profile of a CEO but asks for the names of 20 to 30 of the company’s vendors who may want to advertise in the issue with the profile.
• Business To Business interests a CEO in a nice profile in its magazine but only if that company advertises in the publication.
• An online business publication agrees to write a profile of a CEO and then sends an order form to purchase reprints of the article (usually quantities of 500 or more).

Proactive media relations is often about quid pro quo: you provide a reporter interesting material for a story, and the reporter provides your company valuable exposure and third-party endorsement. Credible, professional media separate the reporter’s work (the story) from the business (the advertising) of the publication.

Bait-and-switch media make no effort to separate the two. For them, stories are simply a means to generate ad revenue — often by suggesting purchasing something will result in positive coverage.

If you suspect a bait-and-switch attempt, know that you have rights as the potential subject of the story. Ask the reporter questions like what prompted their interested in your company? What do they expect of you — information and interviews — or is there more to it? How will the information you give them be used?

Negative media coverage happens, especially if your company or an employee at your company does something to deserve it.

Sometimes, that negative story necessitates a response from the company. Here are some criteria that CEOs and their staffs should consider before picking up the phone to demand a meeting about a negative story.

• Was the story complete? Did the reporter leave out a key fact or key issue that is essential to understanding the whole situation? Did the reporter ask for your opinion and input on the story’s key facts?
• Were the facts accurate? Did you get the impression the reporter used reputable sources and double-checked their statements?
• Was the story balanced? Did both sides have the equal opportunity to comment and make their case?

If you can answer a definitive (and defensible) “no” to any of the bolded questions above, then you should consider calling the reporter. Reporters like to know when they have inaccurate information or have missed an important point. Here are our tips for effective feedback to reporters:

• Reference only the story in question. Drudging up the past is neither appropriate nor helpful.
• Speak to the facts and keep your emotions in check. Your competitor’s quote may have you seeing red, but the reporter is only quoting the source.
• Don’t call into question the reporter’s motives. Recognize that reporters strive for as much objectivity as possible in the midst of competing forces trying to “spin” them to one side of the story.