In the dynamic world of broadcast PR, contributing to the news of the day is essential for maintaining brand relevance and visibility. Achieving this involves employing both proactive and reactive PR strategies. By balancing these approaches, brands can not only create news but also provide valuable commentary when news breaks.
Proactive PR: Making the News
Proactive PR is about anticipating opportunities and creating impactful campaigns that resonate with audiences, regardless of the prevailing news cycle. These campaigns are crafted to withstand the ebb and flow of news agendas, ensuring consistent coverage.
"Fluffy" pieces, or light-hearted segments, can provide necessary relief in programming but are often the first to be cut when significant news breaks. To counter this, PR professionals must be bold and strategic. Crafting campaigns that make a statement and are designed for maximum impact can elevate brands to thought leadership status.
Proactive platforms will be around awareness days, seasonal trends and industry data releases. Look to conduct research to give you some key top lines that will lead to the brand messages you wish to convey; analyse company data to show industry trends; feature your case studies.
When the right talking points arise, leveraging the news agenda is crucial for achieving coverage. Building brand visibility is challenging, but with proactive spokespeople ready to seize opportunities, the news agenda becomes a powerful tool. Incorporating both proactive and reactive planning into campaigns opens new avenues for success by aligning with the media’s priority for hard news.
Reactive PR: Responding to the News
Reactive PR allows brands to have a voice in the day's events, offering timely and relevant commentary. For this strategy to be effective, brands must have something meaningful to say. Cultivating strong brand values and clear campaign messaging enables spokespeople to respond effectively to breaking news.
One of the greatest investments a brand can make is in creating a media-trained bank of spokespeople. This preparation ensures that when the right story hits the headlines, producers have a knowledgeable and articulate voice ready to comment.
When preparing these voices, it’s essential to ask: who is the right voice? Selecting the appropriate spokesperson is critical for conveying the brand’s message authentically and authoritatively.
If there is going to be an industry or government announcement we can prepare a cue sheet that can be tweaked to react to specifics, line up your spokesperson and be ready to react fast when the news breaks.
Summary
By integrating proactive and reactive PR strategies, brands can position themselves to both create news and comment on it effectively. This dual approach not only enhances brand visibility but also establishes the brand as a reliable source of insight and information.
At The Relations Group, we specialise in helping brands navigate the complexities of broadcast PR. Contact us today to learn how we can support your proactive and reactive PR efforts, ensuring your brand stays at the forefront of the news cycle.