Amid the raging aggression of the global Coronairus pandemic, companies across the world have been forced to make drastic changes adapting to the new reality to conduct business. The conventional norm of how companies communicate with their clients and shareholders, which is through news media, has witnessed a significant impact.
As the interaction with the internal and external audience plays a vital role in the media relation, it has become extremely complicated due to the new rules and regulations of the new social conduct. Business owners are in dire need of innovative solutions as the previous forms and frequency of their communication is going to be a hard one to restore.
Corporate companies and communication professionals are adapting to the fresher approach to relay their information and announcement to the media to avoid a standstill of their business. Learn how, when, and what sort of information will be attracting and beneficial not only to the media but also to the employees, customers, and other stakeholders, going through the tips and suggestions on how to approach the media at the time of this crisis, listed below.
Analyze the Emergency
The world bears witness to many disasters in the past be it man-made or a natural disaster. But Coronavirus seems to break all the records of the previous catastrophes toppling the global socio-economical balance in the blink of an eye. Rampaging through its birthplace China since December 2019, the pandemic has tightened its grasp over the rest of the world since the beginning of this year. Keeping the current scenario in mind, companies need to learn how to navigate through the media landscape understanding both the short and long-term effects of the situation.
First, we need to understand what is hot in the contemporary media circle. Anything remotely related to COVID-19 gets the direct attention of the local and global media acquiring top priority. While the mainstream media like sports, entertainment, and health are more focused on covering the impact of the virus in each field, trade media outlets are mainly dealing with their industry and non-virus related content. So businesses need to understand the depth of the different impacts of the pandemic on the different industries. Plan your media coverage depending on the field of your business encouraging non-crisis-related stories.
Grasp New Opportunities
While one door closes several other doors full of great potential get opened. Though the pandemic has sealed off many media opportunities for different industries, on the other hand, it has provided new paths for companies to be meaningfully engaged with their desired media. Companies can alter their angle of approach with their product or services connecting them to the Coronavirus situation to gain the attention of the editors and reporters who are in need to satisfy their audience with practical, informative, and action-oriented content. To avoid being lost in the crowd, companies need to develop stories creatively to connect their work with the crisis focusing on the authenticity of the matter. Go through your desired media outlet’s reporting pattern to understand what kind of news they give priority to. Conduct thorough research on the queries of the journalists’ on social media or PR services to understand what they are looking for in a story. But be careful of appearing as an opportunist trying to exploit the global catastrophe by focusing on the virtuous impact of your service on the world.
Build Trust and Relationship
A friend in need is a friend indeed. Reporters and media outlets are in dire need of newsworthy stories that they can work without worrying about the authenticity of the content. This could open up a whole new demographic for your company providing you the opportunity to build a solid foundation of trust that can profit you now and the time ahead. Strategically plan your media move and provide them with consistent and newsworthy genuine content forming a stronger relationship to consolidate your business prospect.
Assess Your Company Value
The pandemic has provided a great opportunity to look back at the work and value that the company had achieved. Evaluate what your company stands for before pitching the significance of your work or service to the media. Provide detailed information on how your company in particular can be a tool for the betterment of the world at this time of global crisis with its helpful services. Engage your employees and clients in community work for the betterment of the society improving the image of your company attracting desired media coverage. Be compassionate with your pitch being thoughtful of the toll of the crisis at large.
