With vacation season upon us, we're spending more time talking to voice mailboxes than to PR practitioners, a phenomenon which unhappily reminds us of a key media relations
mantra: In a 24/7 news environment, there are no vacations. That means there should always be someone available to answer press inquiries, whether it's 3 a.m. or a holiday
weekend.
That doesn't mean media relations staffers can't take a vacation (or a night off). It simply means the entire media relations staff can't take a vacation at once. And it means
no press releases should be distributed featuring contact information for the one staffer who is out of cell phone range that week.
Companies with a true understanding of today's media environment increasingly are devising simple systems for fielding journalists' queries anytime, anywhere. One media
relations maven we know includes not only her phone and email address on all press materials, but also a cell phone number. The cell phone goes with her everywhere. Has she had
the occasional annoying interruption? One or two, she says, but for the most part, her strategy has only served to deepen her credibility with key reporters who always know
they'll be able to reach her when they need her. Other communications staffs take turns being "on call" for the press, with one staff member taking a pager or cell phone home at
night or on the weekend in case any stray calls crop up.