How best to communicate corporate
responsibility initiatives to journalists has become a hot topic over
the past year. EP offers some practical advice on what to do
Not
so long ago few businesses were willing to put their heads above the
parapet to publicize their corporate responsibility programmes.
Increasingly, however, companies are more confident that they now have
a good story to tell. When it comes to CSR, however, normal media
communications rules need not apply. If you’re trying to demonstrate
socially responsible business practice, then presenting a glossy,
spin-laden version of events could well be counter-productive. EP,
which has had long experience of being on the sharp end of CSR
communications, has these suggestions to offer:
Admit past mistakes and current failings
Your
company has not always been socially responsible. Any journalist’s eyes
will quickly glaze over if you claim that it has. Too many businesses
also try to pretend to the media that everything is rosy, which invites
scepticism and may lead to your story being dismissed as lacking
credibility. Journalists and their audiences will find your message
more attractive if you accept mistakes have been made and that you are
still not getting it quite right.
The media like stories of companies turning over a new leaf
This
is where honesty comes into its own; by admitting that you have made
mistakes in the past, the fact that you’re now trying to rectify them
provides an interesting angle for any journalist.
Find a new or ‘newsy’ angle
Don’t
assume that your CSR initiative in itself is enough to attract
attention: hang it on an anniversary or a milestone. Your community
initiative may have recently helped its 100th disadvantaged teenager,
you may have just completed a pilot for a larger scheme, or be about to
enter a new phase of work. Think about whether your CSR programme is
linked in some way to a ‘sexy’ issue of current media interest: if s0,
this may be a good time to present it.
Let CSR practitioners do the talking
The
corporate press office is useful for fielding bread-and-butter media
enquiries, but whenever possible allow staff with a thorough knowledge
of your organization’s CSR activity to talk directly to journalists.
They will know more, and will therefore be in a better position to
answer questions fully. They will also be more effective at conveying
the nuances of any CSR initiative and, hopefully, less inclined to put
spin on a story. As a general rule, keep public relations agencies well
away from CSR communications, unless the work is routine or they can
demonstrate real expertise in the area.
Face-to-face works better
A
briefing between a journalist and a CSR executive increases commitment
and understanding on both sides. Generally it also allows more time
than a telephone interview, and establishes a rapport, thereby reducing
the possibility that the journalist will adopt a negative stance. It is
easier to convey detail and there is less scope for confusion if you
can see the whites of their eyes.
Involve people at the top
When
a senior executive – the CSR director or, even better, a committed
chief executive – talks to the media, the message becomes stronger.
Journalists are just as impressionable as anyone else, and the fact
that the head of your organization has time to speak to them suggests
he or she considers the topic important. On a practical level,
journalists are also keener to have quotes from senior executives as
opposed to someone lower down the chain, as this suggests they have
access to the people that matter.
Be selective in your approaches
Some
organizations continually send out press material about their CSR
activity. This shows willing, but they are over-exposing themselves and
as a result the press releases often go in the bin. No media outlet can
keep running stories on the same company. Maintain contact at sensible
levels.
Do your homework on the journalists and who they work for
Approaching
media outlets with stories or ideas that are not relevant to their
audience or don’t fit in with their general editorial content is a
waste of time. Make sure you’re familiar with their product before
offering anything; if nothing else this will show you’re both well
informed about, and interested in, what they do. In particular, don’t
assume that you can always treat online media journalists in the same
way as those working in more traditional media; ask them about their
special requirements.
Accept that you’re rarely going to get the ‘perfect’ article
Don’t
expect too much. Unless you write a programme script or an article
yourself, you’re not going to be entirely happy with everything that’s
in it. That’s life. Better to focus on the fact that you’ve at least
got your story out there, and to accept that if you had written it,
then it probably would have been in corporate-speak. If you have
problems with an article, address them with the journalist, but try not
to make a meal of it. Above all, don’t let any disagreement affect the
long term relationship.
