The Interview

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Tricks of the Trade
As interested as reporters may seem in your story, they are really more interested in getting the facts and a few good sound-bites. To speed things up, they’ve developed a few tricks.

But those tricks are pitfalls you should avoid. I have seen several lists. Advertising CEO Walt Klein’s is the most comprehensive.

Planting negative words: E.g. Reporter: “Why do you hate the governor?” Trap: “I don’t hate the governor, I ….” Solution: "I think the governor’s policies are misguided …”

Rapid Fire Questions: Before you finish answering one question, the reporter is shooting another one at you. It makes you look out of control and under attack. When a reporter interrupts you, stop talking, wait (without making face), then calmly respond.

Hostile: When the reporter goes hostile, don’t follow him there. The reporter’s antagonizing question probably will be edited out of the piece, but your angry response will be the lead. I admit using this trick when the speaker is boring. Reporters need passion and emotion in their pieces. If you are a talking drone, they’ll do what they must to liven you up.

Hypotheticals: Don’t answer them. Stick to the facts.

Reporter: Friend or Foe? Neither.
One trick reporters use is acting as if they are your friend. They aren’t. Reporters buddy up to you because it works. If you think this reporter likes you, you are more likely to spill the beans or tell them something you otherwise wouldn’t. Republican strategist, Dick Wadhams says reporters are not your enemies and they are not your friends; it is natural for the relationship to be adversarial.

Tip: Bill Stoller at PublicityInsider says reporters really don’t care much about you or your product unless you give them something to make their job easier: a good story. If you can do that, you earn their respect and affection.

Crisis Communications: The New New You

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Retooling Your Brand
The Republican Party is in a world of hurt. After its 2008 loss, the party is trying to return to normal. It’s really a new normal. And according to Public Relations, a Values-Driven Approach, it is also the fourth – and final – stage of a crisis. It is when companies, personalities and organizations reinvent themselves.

Nix the Negatives
My sense is that the Republican Party hasn’t yet figured out what their new normal will be, but Republican candidates who focus more on their own beliefs and less on party affiliation will probably fare better than those who tow the party line. Advertising CEO Walt Klein advises: When your brand is broken, stay away from names and titles and instead focus on positive associations.

Take Your New Plan Public
But the media can have a one-track mind. Remember the 1999 Columbine shootings? For a long while after those shootings, it was nearly impossible for the school to receive any coverage that was not, somehow, tied to the shootings. The incident dominated the media’s impression. To break away from that, go directly to your public: write letters to the editor, craft an image campaign, or do something completely fresh and new.

In 1994, the Republican Party launched its Contract with America. It was their comeback plan, after losing the White House in 1992. In the Contract, Republicans admitted they had let down their public. They also outlined how they would do things differently if elected. It resulted in the Party winning back the House for the first time in 40 years.

Tip: Everybody, especially the media, likes a comeback. When faced with a crisis: come clean about the facts, deal with the issue and don’t prolong negative publicity. When cleaning up the mess, take notes on what went wrong and come up with a new crisis communications plan … so you can do it better next time.

Crisis Communications: Cleaning Up the Mess

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Crises are inevitable, failure is not.
The media love a comeback: Think Mariah Carey, Newt Gingrich, maybe even Eliot Spitzer. According to Public Relations, a Values-Driven Approach, the third stage of a crisis is the cleanup: minimize damage and move forward. Celebrities usually step out of the limelight and re-invent themselves. But companies cannot do that. They must move forward.

Be quick about it.
JBS Swift Beef Company recently recalled about 41,000 pounds of beef because of possible E. coli contamination. The recall was voluntary. No illnesses were reported. But because the company handled the recall "swiftly," it quickly ended this element of the crisis.

Get through it and get on with it. This doesn’t mean ignoring it. Ignoring a crisis won’t necessarily make it go away. The U.S. military's Defense Information School emphasizes "maximum disclosure, minimum delay."

The end is the best part.
All good stories have a resolution. People are human; everyone makes mistakes; accidents happen. But how do you plan to keep them from happening again? Are you fixing the problem? Show the media you are serious.

I recently reported on a PetSmart employee whose dog attacked another dog at the store. There were accusations the manager was violating company policy. Days later, she was back at work. The company had not put her on leave. Viewers didn’t understand why PetSmart wasn’t taking the matter more seriously.

Tip: Reporters often work non-stop with no real breaks. When hosting a news conference that requires crews to set up early, set out some juice or cookies. It takes the edge off and might make them less crabby. Consider it a courtesy, not a bribe.

Crisis Communications: Protecting Your Brand

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A Public Relations Nightmare

Politics aside, Sarah Palin is a public relations nightmare.

Her recent decision to resign as Alaska's governor stunned the political world. She claims she does not want to become a lame-duck governor and waste the state's money on defending against accusations of ethical wrongdoing. But no one is buying it. And now the media are speculating the “real reasons” behind the resignation.

Deal with the issue head-on so the media can move on.
Online Marketer Joanna Orcutt says to manage your reputation, you need to address your audience. When racism became an unavoidable issue in Barack Obama’s campaign, he interrupted his campaign schedule to deliver a speech on the matter. It is considered one of his best moments.

Change the Story
If you can’t let the crisis blow over, Branding Expert Nevil Darukhanawala says, “The best way to beat negative publicity is to increase positive publicity.” When you don’t like the story, change it. Reporters call this “feeding the beast.” Give the media something else to chew on and they might stop eating you alive.

Take the High Road
When David Letterman recently joked about Palin's daughter getting “knocked up” at a Yankee’s game, Palin should have stayed cool. I’m not saying she should not have responded. I am saying she should not have dragged out the issue.

She should not have justified Letterman’s crack with an on-camera comeback. Next time: issue a written statement and be done with it. Letterman is late night comedy. Let it go or let political surrogates fight this one. Don’t tarnish your brand by getting bogged down in bad PR.

Tip: When you need to release information that could damage your brand, try the approach politicians use … release the information on a Friday afternoon, when most people aren’t paying attention. Yes, the story might get a lot of play over the weekend (when news is slow), but it could be old news by Monday (when people start tuning in again). Sneaky, I know.

Crisis Communications: A Reporter’s Point of View

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Prescription for Better PR

As I write, I imagine the makers of Tylenol with a splitting headache. Tuesday the FDA announced acetaminophen – Tylenol’s main ingredient -- is a leading cause of liver failure. While Tylenol prepares to respond, stakeholders are watching …

Beware of Body Language: Don’t focus so much on how you respond that you overlook how you act.

When five employees became trapped in an underground hydroelectric plant, reporters flocked to the scene. The company was communicating with stakeholders and regularly briefing reporters on rescue efforts. But at the 5:00 p.m. briefing, the usually-prompt and friendly spokeswoman was late and looked angry. Her demeanor had changed and -- we knew – so had the story. Her body language put the company in the awkward position of notifying next of kin while denying reporters the truth. The rescue was now a recovery.

Never Say “No Comment:” Refusing to answer one question only raises more questions.

Recently a friend asked me how PR professionals should respond when they cannot answer the reporter’s question. Reporters don’t expect to get every question answered, they must, however, be sure they get every question asked. When you can’t answer, say why you can’t answer. If you don’t know, say so. If you are not at liberty to say something, say that.

Tip: When crises develop, prepare a response for every scenario, not just the one you want.