The TIP Sheet: Bad Press Shouldn't Get Worse

Whether you're a small business owner, a rising actor, or a city councilperson, the thought of bad press can completely freak a person out. When individuals feel threatened by bad press, they want to defend themselves, even when they haven’t been accused of actual wrongdoing. Over-reacting and being overly defensive are the worst moves to make and prove an absence of control.

The closed mouth catches no feet. So when a media crisis happens, be as non-reactive as possible. Breathe, focus, assess, and take real control.

Ask three questions:
1. Has my reputation or career been misrepresented by a biased article?
2. Will this press threaten my business success and consumer base?
3. Is reaction, like an interview or public statement, truly necessary?

If the spotlight isn’t actually focused on you, keep it off. Don’t solicit interviews or issue a press release. Instead, prepare short concise responses to serve as statements to the media as needed. Share these responses with your employees (and I mean all your employees), family members, representatives and anyone else who could approached for a statement so that everyone knows what should and shouldn’t be said.

Respond to direct media inquiries as quickly and personally as possible. Keep the answers contained and don’t get too conversational or chatty. Maintain a cool head and strive to not let the situation go from bad to worse.

The TIP Sheet: Being Pitch Perfect

Anyone who’s ever received a letter or email addressed to “Dear valued customer,” or “Dear Sir/Madame” knows how uninspiring and deflating the experience is. If you can’t address a person individually, why do it at all?

Pitches are no exception. Tailoring pitch letters is fundamentally important for connecting to the media outlet being targeted. An editor at Glamour probably seeks completely different story content than an editor at BBC, so never address them the same or give them a generic pitch.

Know the media outlet being pitched, get as specific as possible with the details of your story ideas, explain why their audience will be interested in what you’re promoting, and get that particular editor excited!

Remember, everyone likes feeling special.

From the July/Aug 2009 issue of GOINGPUBLIC, a 720 PR newsletter

The TIP Sheet

You’ve devised a great business name. You’ve bought the URL. Now what?

If you’re brand-minded and intend for your brand to have a social media presence, you’d better keep that presence consistent. It’s imperative to maintain the same username across the social media networks that are vital to your business (you know, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn...).

Your username should be part of your brand’s definition. Staying consistent will 1) aid in searchability and make it easy to be found by consumers seeking you online, 2) assist memory recall since once a consumer knows one of your usernames, they know them all, and 3) hopefully protect you from being brand-jacked by some random person.

Visit Namechk.com to check availability for the username you want to have in cyberspace.