When Opportunism Becomes Offensive in Media Outreach
By: Christian Bochicchio, Public Relations Specialist
The Oldest Trick in the Book
Public relations encompasses much more than media relations this day and age, but earning traditional news bureau coverage continues to be an important part of the job for many of us. Since the beginning of time (or at least the beginning of PR), one of the most effective media relations tactics has been the art of tying a client to relevant current events. It’s much easier to contribute to a conversation people are already having than it is to invent the conversation yourself. Clients’ products, services and/or expertise become instantly attractive to a journalist when they have a direct correlation to a headline-dominating current event.
As you might expect, in an era where PR specialists outnumber journalists by nearly 5:1, inserting yourself or your client into a national conversation has never been more appealing to those of us on the PR side of the fence. “Cut through the clutter” is a jargony, but oh-so-true adage for a reason: it’s how effective media relations happens. It’s critical to stand out among hundreds of other emails in an inbox. But not all major events are an appropriate springboard for scoring earned media.
Some Things Are Better Left Unpitched
Robin Williams’ death is the latest reminder to the industry that there’s a significant difference between being opportunistic and offensive when it comes to media outreach. Attempting to piggyback on tragedies will get you labeled as the latter more often than not. I’m pretty sure that’s what The Washington Post’s Alyssa Rosenberg was trying to communicate when she dedicated an entire column to exposing some of the worst public relations pitches pegged to Williams’ death. I’m 100% sure that’s what Hamilton Nolan was going for in his post on Gawker, where he called global PR giant Edelman “soulless” for their blog post citing Williams’ suicide as “an opportunity to engage in a national conversation.”
Reputational Risks of Pinning Media Relations Efforts to Tragedies
By ignoring the human element of certain events and pushing out pitches with utter disregard for timing and tact, you run the risk of damaging your own professional reputation, the reputation of your employer, and the reputation of whatever company you’re responsible for promoting. I think we can all agree that none of those outcomes would constitute success.
Here’s where it gets tricky for some: Edelman isn’t far off in their initial assessment. Williams’ unexpected death does shine a spotlight on mental health and expose the need to open up a more serious dialogue about the challenges that millions face on a daily basis. But by blatantly utilizing his sudden death to prop up their own business agenda - especially so soon after the tragedy itself - Edelman and the droves of others who thought along the same lines (or did not think at all) wound up doing more harm than good.
Putting it in Perspective
If you ran a car dealership and someone you knew totaled their car and lost their life in a terrible accident, you wouldn’t head to the funeral in hopes of signing the family up for a test drive, despite the fact that they need a new car. It’s an extreme example, but at its core, it highlights the same fundamental element of human decency that sometimes gets lost in our quests to secure media placements.
Think Twice
Don’t get me wrong, monitoring the news to identify current events and trends remains an important and viable public relations practice, especially when it comes to effective media outreach. But it’s equally important to understand when those events shouldn’t be looked at as opportunities at all. Sometimes it’s better to humbly stay quiet than to arrogantly proclaim the wrong message. The better we understand that, the better off our entire industry will be.