“Any publicity is good publicity.” Ummm… sure. Maybe for celebrities, but many organizations know that’s not the case.
However, you shouldn’t be so focused on preventing or reacting to bad press that you forget to be proactive about good press.
YOU need to be the one getting the word out about your organization’s progress because, let’s face it, it’s not the kind of news the media will be knocking down your doors to find out about.
Who else is going to spread the word about your budget surplus? What about that sustainability award your department received?
It doesn’t always have to be something major, either. It can be any relevant information that lets the public know that you truly are serving them. However, it only works if you Keep it Simple (remember?)
With or without the media, you have a job to inform your audience. You know… the people subscribing to your newsletters, receiving your e-mail blasts, and following you on your social media websites. They’re the people you have to keep in the know—and they’re the ones who are most likely to have stake in the information you give them.
Besides, if it’s a slow enough news day, your story will be reported by a local media outlet anyways—just don’t expect it to be featured front and center.
Written by:
Hope Boyd
Director of Communications, Strategic Government Resources
governmentresource.com
The 16% 
[…] Become Your Own PR Agency – “Any publicity is good publicity.” Ummm… sure. Maybe for celebrities, but many organizations know that’s not the case. However, you shouldn’t be so focused on preventing or reacting to bad press that you forget to be proactive about good press. […]
Great insight, Hope.
Another benefit of having good news already released and available is that it can balance out other news about your community. If something tragic or simply unusual sparks the media’s interest in who you are, their research will hopefully land them on the material you are already sharing. Often, a news story about a previously unknown person or organization will mention what’s been on their Facebook or Twitter pages recently. If you fill up your social media platform with good things about who you are before the media starts looking for them, you are defining who you are in their minds in that brief but critical time between when something happens and when they start broadcasting it. Better than rapid response, it is being proactive.
Thanks, Joseph.
Being proactive is definitely the way to go. It’s not always about “damage control”; it’s about putting your organization’s best foot forward on a daily basis because, as you said, you never know who will be researching it later.
Managing perception should be our responsibility, stay proactive in getting your message out. And thanks for reminding is to Keep it Simple Hope!
Exactly, Andy! Thanks for taking the time to comment.