There are two kinds of Crisis Management: Internal (for when something happens within your company or externally that affects your company directly) and External (for when something happens in the world that indirectly affects your company). We recommend that every company have a written plan on how to handle a range of both internal and external crises.
This tip deals with external crisis management, and how you can, with advanced planning, gain positive publicity for your company when an external event occurs.
Crises happen virtually every day. Wars break out, earthquakes occur, competitors drop into bankruptcy, and breakthrough new legislation is proposed. Everyone's stunned. The media scrambles for information. Regular stories get dropped until further notice to make room for the breaking news.
What can you do?
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First, grab your top thinkers and ask yourselves "how can we get positive publicity from this event?"
One key way to do this is to provide what the media wants at a time like this . . . experts. The media loves to trot out their panel of experts (and better yet, each media player needs it's own panel, giving even more experts the chance to strut their stuff.)
So, if you're an expert, or have experts in your company, you've got a huge opportunity when a crisis comes along. Here are eight ways to let the media know that you have them.
1. Make sure that you have an experts list as part of your media kit. This list should contain each expert's full name, title, contact phone numbers, address, areas of expertise, email, fax, and any other method that the press can use to get in contact with them.
2. Post your experts directory on your website. But don't stop there. Include story related ideas to get the creative juices flowing.
3. Advertise your experts just as you would a product. Buy an ad in the Yearbook of Experts, Authorities & Spokespersons. This is one of the first places that the media look for experts info. If you have to cut down on options, don't cut this one out. You will find them at www.yearbook.com
4. Subscribe to PRLeads at http://www.marketerschoice.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=18262 which sends you emails each day from reporters asking for experts to give their input. It's a great way to get leads with very little effort.
5. Have your experts write! But not just one thing, many! Then post those at ExpertArticles.com. The media searches through these by category.
6. Have your experts submit letters to the editor to comment on the crisis.
7. If the news is still breaking, call assignment editors at local stations to let them know who your experts are. They are sometimes hard pressed to find experts on short notice.
8. Make sure that you have up-to-date photos of your experts. Be sure that you can fulfill a request for both a print and electronic format.
When time is short, you need to be on your toes about getting your experts in front of everybody. PR gets sticky when the pressure is on. Make sure that you're the first one to get a call from the media.
This article is an adaptation from The Publicity Hound Print Newsletter. Click if you would like more information on The Publicity Hound Print Newsletter.
Posted June 29, 2004
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