Strategic communications encompasses more than just a press release, blog article, or social media post. It’s based on an intentional, thought-out communication strategy aligning with your overall organizational goals.
Often, I hear start-up founders say, “We need a press release to create buzz, but we don’t know how to go about it.” That’s when I say, “Let’s take a step back.”
As a start-up, it can be easy to focus on the specific tactic of a news release. But understanding the business need is critical. I always ask founders why they want to create buzz. Is it to help build confidence with investors? Is it to build awareness with potential customers? With a clear understanding of the business goal, we can align the communication tactic to the need and better serve the business.
Here’s an example. A few years ago, I spoke to a company that was planning to hire 100 people over the course of one year. The hiring market was competitive, and they were concerned about attracting top talent. In their case, the buzz they needed to create was not with a press release about their pipeline. Instead, we talked about creating an employer brand story that showcased the professional growth opportunities for employees. The story focused on why great talent should consider working for them over other, more established companies. The pipeline was part of the story, but we shifted the focus to meet the needs of the audience they needed to reach.
In another case, a healthcare non-profit I worked with needed to reach a specific customer segment. After some analysis and research, we found this particular consumer segment valued insight from social media influencers. Instead of a press release, we initiated a campaign focused on educating bloggers who were able to share insight with their followers. This approach created more buzz than any press release could.
It is easy to default to a press release when you want to communicate to an audience, but a press release is not always the most suitable tactic. Strategic communicators understand the business need, identify the audience to reach, and use the appropriate channels to reach that audience.
So, the next time you are considering writing a press release, think about the bigger picture first. Don’t just write a press release for the sake of getting “buzz.” Make sure your news – no matter how big or small – supports the value of your brand story.