by Risa Chuang, VP, Media Relations & Strategy
We live in an era where there is breaking news daily – some topics more “breaking” than others. There’s national breaking news like terrorist attacks, school shootings and politics – which affects everyone – and then there’s local breaking news like natural disasters, regional weather and local politics – which tends to impact just that market. The question arises: as PR professionals, how can we find a gap in the news cycle to get our messages – which are not always as urgent – across to viewers and listeners?
After years of devising media tour strategy, I’ve learned a few things along the way:
- Recognize you have no control over the situation: You know the saying, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans”? Well, the same goes for the PR world. You may have a national network committed to an interview only to cancel or reschedule it at the last minute due to breaking national news. In regional markets, local news always takes precedent. If there is a nearby storm, fire, etc., a station will always cover timely news that immediately impacts their viewers and listeners first. This is one reason we often ask if there are options to localize your story and provide relevant data. We know localization can be key to keeping your story prioritized.
- Be prepared to pivot: Having a back-up plan in place can help mitigate the effect of breaking news. Some effective back-up options may look like booking additional interviews to keep your SME busy or providing additional “out of window” availability to accommodate a reporter’s schedule.
- Read the room: When a breaking news event happens, it’s important to remain cognizant of how it impacts the media and the population that the news affects. Reporters’ priorities are shifting in these situations, and to preserve those relationships and eventually get our client on-air, we need to respect that shift.
- Patience is a virtue: Many stations will tape their interviews to air same-day or at a later date. In the event of breaking news, a reporter may still be able to conduct the interview but may need to wait until the dust settles before airing it. We need to give them space to fit this into their programming at their convenience. While giving stations a reason to air at a particular point in time can help move up that airdate, having a slightly more flexible, evergreen message can also help ensure airing.
Although breaking news can undoubtedly upset our plans, breaking news eventually blows over, and when it does, stations will rely on PR professionals for content to fill their airwaves once again.