As COVID-19 continues to spread and more local businesses are forced to close for the foreseeable future, we’ve shifted a majority of our day-to-day work to supporting clients with their crisis response plans. Part of our efforts includes staying closely connected to media, which is now almost exclusively covering stories about the virus. We know everyone is eager to continue driving PR coverage as soon as possible, which will be a key part of each brand’s recovery as we all work to come out of this.
As your PR partner and industry colleague, our team is working daily to stay plugged into the current media landscape, so we can provide you with the latest insight and recommendations on how to keep your brand appropriately top-of-mind with consumers even while they’re social distancing or forced to stay at home.
Over the last several days, we’ve seen a high frequency of stories that highlight the ways in which companies are helping people through COVID-19, from converting manufacturing facilities to producing essential products and offering services virtually at no cost to sharing recipes and providing resources for working remotely.
But we’ve also seen several media outlets get back to business as usual, producing stories related to the impact of COVID-19 but more aligned with their normal content and story development. Our team is not only seeing these stories as they publish, but also hearing directly from our media contacts that their readers are asking for this variety of content.
With that, our team is now working with clients to identify the best opportunities to be proactive and get them back into the current media conversation — in a positive, professional, and meaningful way. We want to show consumers how you’re doing right by employees, franchisees, and customers during this time and make sure they see you as a valuable resource and brand they can trust.
Following are examples of the various coronavirus-related story angles we are developing based on what the media is seeking. Your senior account leader will be touching base with you to get a sense of what you’re doing and can offer as a brand, so we can leverage these stories in the near future.
- Restaurants converting to grab-and-go models following local and statewide dine-in restrictions
- How brands are helping franchisees and employees during mandated closures
- How small businesses are stepping up to support their local community in creative ways
- Ways to keep your family and children educated and energized during a quarantine
- Maintaining a clean and safe environment at home
- Personal finance and cost-cutting tips during COVID-19
Please feel free to reach out if there’s anything else we can do to support you. We value your partnership and promise to keep you informed as this situation progresses.
