by Scott Harris
This hasn’t been the best month ever for Tiger Woods, John Edwards and Mark McGwire. I believe they would all disagree with P.T. Barnum, who is often credited, along with Mark Twain and Mae West, with first saying, “I don’t care what they say about me as long as they spell my name right.”
All three are very well known public figures, all three cheated and all three got caught. Their chosen paths were pretty similar, though the respective endgames are still playing out in the press. First step: cheat. Second step: express shock and indignation at the ridiculous charges. Third step: acknowledge at least some truth to the charges. Fourth step: damage control. I have been asked a number of times how these situations should be handled. The simplest answer is one that seems to get overlooked: Don’t cheat in the first place. However, assuming that advice is ignored – and the history of mankind proves that it will be – let’s take a look at good old Plan B.
My mom always said, “If you have to cut off your leg, don’t do it an inch at a time.” The same can be said for bad news and the press. With today’s 24-hour news cycle and a strong belief (right or wrong) that We, The People, own the private lives of our public figures, the goal is to get it out of the public eye as soon as possible as soon as a story breaks. The best way to do that is to come clean – completely clean – as soon as possible: acknowledge your mistake, apologize and ask for forgiveness. The American public likes nothing more than to forgive fallen stars – once they’ve apologized, of course.
The same can be said on the corporate side. Toyota is suffering because of the ridiculous effort to blame an obviously faulty accelerator system on driver error and floor mats. It didn’t work for Audi in the late 1980s and it didn’t work this time, either. Most of us understand that mistakes happen, even ones that lead to death. Toyota’s reputation for quality and safety could have carried it through, if the company had simply acknowledged the problem and taken responsibility. However, Toyota execs are now being viewed as callous and accused of putting profit ahead of human lives. Toyota is big enough to survive this debacle, but they could be damaged goods – not because of the manufacturing problem, but because of how poorly they handled the publicity issues.
Most of us do not lead public lives or run multi-billion-dollar corporations. However, many of the lessons learned here can be extended to our own businesses. If something bad happens and the press comes calling, remember the following advice: Be candid, be quick and be complete. Take your hit (limit it to one) and move on. The rest of the world will find something else to gossip about quickly enough.
What about good news? Here’s a bit of advice that may surprise you: Less is more. It’s generally true with perfumes, spices and disco music. It’s almost always true with public relations. A perfect economic storm is hitting most media outlets. With advertising revenues down, editorial staffs (those who review press releases) are reduced and, at the same time, many companies want to take advantage of public relations, so-called free advertising, so submissions are up. Companies and PR firms are inundating media outlets with release after release, many of which have little to no news value.
To get noticed, here are a few tips. Send press releases, or story ideas, when you believe it would be of interest to the reader or viewer. If it seems like it might not be newsworthy, take another look. If it seems like it might be a bit self-serving, it probably is. Put yourself in the place of the editor reviewing the release. Is it simple, easy to read, filled with actual news? Is the contact information readily available? Keep in mind it is the media’s job to serve its audience and that audience’s needs, not yours.
Make the media’s job easier and your job will be easier, too. Stay in touch with media outlets, but don’t become a pain. And remember, whether breaking bad news or pitching good news, the successful format is the same: Be candid, be concise, be complete.