Rapid response to breaking news stories; can be hugely beneficial in demonstrating a spokesperson’s in-depth knowledge, especially in the cyber security industry where there is a plethora of news stories daily. If carried out correctly, it delivers positive results and shows your client’s expertise of the issues affecting the industry. However, if not used appropriately, rapid response outreach can jeopardise relationships with media and clients, whether this be through a bombardment of commentary irrelevant to the journalist’s beat or, on the other hand, flagging irrelevant stories to your clients and ultimately wasting their time.
So how does the team at éclat effectively take advantage of the rapid news cycle?
The Need for Speed
There is a small window for spokespeople to comment on breaking news, so speed is key when it comes to responding. The 24-hour news cycle is a well-known phrase in media, but the breaking news cycle is a few hours maximum. Journalists will look to cover the stories as soon as possible meaning there is a race against time to provide comments for journalists to consider for their piece.
If comment isn’t ready after a few hours, then you may be too late to the party. The éclat team has an early morning meeting every day to discuss the stories that we’ve seen following our news scans. This enables us to collaborate and share stories, choose the relevant stories, flag them to the clients and then work with them to craft and distribute comments as quickly as possible.
Make a Splash
As a spokesperson, it’s essential to delve inside a journalist’s brain and think about what sort of content will appeal to them. Does it give a different perspective on the story which may not have been thought about? Does it fit in with their style of writing?
A good PR person can really add value to a rapid response comment. Many journalists will receive generic contributions which don’t add any insight to the story. This is where the PR team can assist in helping craft a message that is useful and offers a different angle to the story. This highlights that standing out in this whole process is not about shouting louder, it’s about sounding different and having something interesting to say.
Having a timely, efficient rapid response system that incorporates the points above will prove valuable for any spokesperson looking to increase coverage and be heard amongst the noise!