It's your story to tell

Tell your story: don't leave it to the media to get it right. You'd be surprised at how many businesses and organizations do exactly the opposite. Whether it's fear of the media or a bunker mentality, that kind of thinking is usually a recipe for badly damaged media relations.

How do you tell your story? Over explain the issue and the response. While you're dealing with the media, take the same information directly to the public through social media and your own website.

Be ready with details. If there is a time line, be ready to produce it. When were you notified? What happened next? When did police arrive? Be ready to work with local authorities so that you're not contradicting each other.

Always think in terms of visuals. What would the media need to tell their story: people working, graphs, charts, computers. If you don't provide images, the media will likely find others that may not be flattering (picket lines, broken products, angry customers).

Make sure people know how they can get more information; things like phone number, website, social media sites, etc. Then keep all of those platforms up to date and continue to issue updates so that the media and the public can follow the progress of the aftermath.

It's not rocket science, but sometimes the simple things get overlooked.

Mack Communications | @mack_comm