Stories by Seth Arenstein

Our latest survey of PR pros finds uncertainty about the future is a major issue. On the other hand, nearly 90 percent believe PR will come back from the pandemic as strong as it was or stronger. Their thinking is that PR’s strategic importance has come to the fore during the pandemic.

Today, June 1, 2020, we are suspending our social posts and essays to take time to reflect on how we as writers and communicators can stand in solidarity with the Black and Brown communities in the fight against racial injustice and inequality. The following article, published May 29, seems even more important today. Our staff wishes you health, peace and well-being today and in the tumultuous days ahead.

One of the pandemic’s few bright spots is that it has been a catalyst for communicators’ creativity. Examples abound, including a virtual red-carpet/press screening that National Geographic Channel staged for a new series recently.

There’s no more iconic symbol of US business than the NY Stock Exchange (NYSE). Specifically, its floor. That floor reopened today. How its president Stacey Cunningham communicated it likely will serve as a template for other businesses.

Nearly everyone’s hurting from the pandemic, so when big brands ask for relief when the little guy isn’t able to, it could hurt brands’ reputations. Accordingly, brands need to be particularly aware of the court of public opinion when they seek financial relief. Careful messaging and other tactics can help soften reputation damage, PR pros say.

Data provided to PRNEWS confirms what media relations pros have been feeling since the pandemic arrived–communicators are pitching more than they did prior to the novel coronavirus. Fortunately, journalists are opening more pitches than they did before the pandemic.

Did you ever wonder how a biotech company communicates its news? The answer is like everyone else, more or less. Often its press releases are unreadable to the general public. Moderna’s news release about its potential coronavirus vaccine actually wasn’t too difficult to understand.

Did your brand or organization’s messaging around the novel coronavirus seem authentic to audience members? Did consumers read it or delete it? Did the sexes react to it similarly? Those were some of the questions Clyde Group asked in a recent survey of 1,000 consumers.

Reopening the country is too important to have it infused with politics. Unfortunately, important guidelines for reopening apparently are politically loaded, which could result in sickness and death. It’s time for clear communication to come from a central source.

With so many companies expecting layoffs during the pandemic, how can communicators make sure speculation about job cuts doesn’t end up in the media before about-to-be-furloughed employees are alerted? We offer a bevy of tips and tactics.