PR & The Pandemic. What Have We Learned?

It’s certainly no understatement to say that the world has changed on every level since the pandemic first took hold.

We’ve changed the way we navigate business, go grocery shopping, interact with friends and family, and manage our own health and wellbeing.

So, it stands to reason that, in the world of PR, we’ve seen some significant opportunities for a rethink in how PR activity is handled.

Here’s some important takeaways for you and your business to consider:

1 – Opportunity Knocks

The companies and individuals who’ve emerged well out of this initial phase of the pandemic, are those who’ve quickly recognised that they’ve a perspective to give on this news topic, and have made themselves available as a voice of authority, or even, just a well located citizen journalist.

Yes, we’ve seen plenty of experts emerge as daily pundits in the media, but we’ve also seen shopkeepers, salon owners and frustrated job seekers gain their voice a number of times in the press, simply because they were prepared to share a story which resonates.

Be aware of opportunity and embrace it swiftly.

2 – Interview Formats Have Changed Forever

No longer will you be given the opportunity of hot-footing it to a London studio for a main national broadcast, or dumped from the schedule if you can’t make it within 45 minutes.

Instead, the broadcasters – just like us – are well aware that Zoom and the like offer a perfect opportunity for a short turnaround high quality interview.

It does mean you have to get used to virtual interviews. They’re not going anywhere fast, so check that bookshelf background and be prepared.

3 – Rigid Communications Strategies Need Ripping Up

If you’d been asked to write a communications strategy 12 months ago and to feature the top 5 things you felt would be a crisis to your business, or an opportunity for more coverage – we bet you wouldn’t have featured a global pandemic.

This proves the point that sometimes we need to shift our thinking away from the threat of ‘rigid PR’, where you can get stuck following your prescriptive calendar of media opportunities.

Indeed, it also means you need to consider carefully how much you’re relying on ‘scheduled’ software, for things like your social media outputs.

Always remain adaptable and agile. Anything can happen…and probably will.

4 – Multi-Channel Storytelling Gains Recognition

It’s abundantly clear that the nature of our use of social media channels, smartphones and the like, mean that anyone anywhere, can radiate a message, worthy of media pick-up, in a moment’s notice.

The nurse who sat crying in her car after a distressing visit to the supermarket, hadn’t issued a long press release to the local press about how she felt…she’d uploaded a video and it went viral.

The fact this one item became a globally shared piece of content, proves that we should all be aware of how powerful all our various media channels are for storytelling.

Pay attention to all your mediums of opportunity.

5 – It’s What You Do, Not (Always) What You Say

No more will we stand for companies who talk a lot, but do very little.

A shift in community-consciousness has meant that we all think a little more deeply about who does what, for whom.

You should definitely be bearing this in mind as part of your future PR strategy, ensuring that you are genuinely standing by the ethics of your business brand, and that you are evidencing how you look after your staff, your community, and all who come into contact with you.

The best PR statements in the world will fall flat from a company with whom we cannot resonate or respect.

6 – Internal Comms a Priority

Even now, hundreds of businesses say they’ll continue to have staff remote working for the near future.

More than ever, this means internal communication is a priority – and that it will require more effort.

It’s all well and good staying in touch with the press…but what about the team of employees you’re neglecting to give updates to?

Just because you’re no longer getting that water-cooler moment to check in with someone, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be having meaningful dialogue with them.

7 – It’s Pointless to Pause

So many companies must have taken a scan through their budget line in the early days of the pandemic and thought ‘hmmm, is PR and marketing surplus to requirements in this tricky time?’.

Well, here we are many months on, and the reality is, you need to remember that sticking yourself on the pause button is only allowing you to fade away from public or stakeholder awareness.

The time for communicating is now. The time for resonating with your customers, your suppliers, your marketplace, your community – it’s now.

Don’t make the mistake of undervaluing the importance of PR and communications in a world where many voices are all too happy to claim a place for their voice.