Stories by Kaylin Trychon

In a sense, the public has become inured to data breaches. Everyone seems to have one. Yet when one of the world’s top cybersecurity companies gets hacked, it’s a very serious situation. Fortunately, cybersecurity leader FireEye was transparent in communicating its breach, which it said occurred “recently.”

Message testing is a valuable and essential part of communication strategy. Ensuring it is part of the planning process for a PR effort can make the difference between an effective campaign and one that fails to deliver.

It’s flattering when someone asks for your opinion, which essentially is what a media interview entails. PR pros can use that knowledge and two words that will bolster relationships with content creators. These two words also will increase response rate to media pitches, says Brandon Watts, who recently wrote an e-book that required a lot of pitching.

PR pros throw around the word authenticity with abandon. A better idea is to consider empathy when creating social posts, Cisco’s Carmen Collins writes. That means thinking not only about what you want to say, but also what the social media user wants, needs and feels.

As our Media Relations Conference fast approaches (Dec. 8-9), we’re introducing readers and attendees to speakers lighting up our (virtual) stage. Here is a case study from Nerd Street Gamers and Brownstein, who will be sharing their local media approach during the conference.

A PR crisis is bad enough. It’s worse when one occurs on a holiday and potentially ruins your customers’ holiday. That’s the time to act promptly, apologize sincerely and attempt to win back loyalty and trust. Apparently, that’s not how Boston Market is managing its turkey of a Thanksgiving.

Philanthropy always played a significant role within PR—and vice versa. A public figure or corporation wants the right PR campaign for a favorable image through philanthropy. Nonprofits need campaigns and influencers to raise awareness.

While many businesses are accustomed to working virtually, essential workers have remained on site during the pandemic. In pre-coronavirus times, internal messaging routinely thanked staff, celebrated victories, updated employees and bolstered morale. During the past nine months, the volume of such messaging has risen significantly.

The goal of crisis management is to return as quickly as possible to business as usual, right? Actually, regaining public trust might be a better target. However, regaining the public’s trust takes time. In addition, it requires a change story that’s communicated consistently during the transition to normalcy. A good example is Chipotle, which continues to communicate its change story. The brand is a Wall St darling again.

One of the most enjoyable parts of PR and communication is that you’re constantly learning, even when doing pleasure reading. In this post from Crisis Insider, we learn about two novels with fictional PR crises at their center. While these novels offer fictional crises, the lessons they offer PR pros are real and useful.