It’s quite the maelstrom out there right now. There are plenty of opportunities in media outlets if you have a hot take on the controversy du jour. Most B2B company leaders know that not all press is good press and can be understandably risk-averse. Most of the time, the coverage isn’t worth alienating clients, shareholders, board members and other important stakeholders.
At the same time, communicating a point of view and a strategy on controversial subjects is increasingly unavoidable. You can’t be blindsided (by media and customers, partners, and employees) by the inevitable topics flooding the mainstream, from DEI initiatives to tariffs — and all have a clear impact on business. The more chaos or churn of change, the more executives need to determine guardrails, have a clear POV and gain the skills to navigate increasingly gray areas.
There’s a way to take advantage of meaningful media opportunities and thoughtfully respond to inquiries without creating a damage control exercise afterward. It’s all about moving away from being the “all press is good press” quote machine to focusing on objective analysis, a thoughtful POV and some actionable advice.
Break down (quickly) what’s happening, organize it around your business or product, give practical advice or explain your actions. Most importantly, live your values.
Know Your Elevator Pitch and Keep Saying It
Your elevator pitch quickly resets folks to correctly understand what your company does and why your work there sets you up as an authority. A consistent statement of what you do, who you are and why you’re qualified to speak provides continuity in chaotic times.
Even if your brilliant PR team creates an opportunity, reporters are constantly pressed for time. They’ve talked to other people who may have portrayed you, the market or the situation differently.
Simply say, “Let me take one second and remind you of us (or my background).” This statement should be short — 30 seconds or less — and quickly position what the company does, who it does it for and some measurement of success that establishes authority. Your elevator pitch can also establish authority by discussing the source of your information, the number of folks surveyed, first-party data, etc., to kick off with credibility and build a foundation of facts.
Foundation in Facts
Look around, and you might feel that facts are fleeting while the person shouting the loudest is considered the authority. At times, opinion and belief break through, and facts are out there somewhere, untethered in the distance.
Business at least has some guardrails. Running a business carries responsibility — to investors, shareholders, customers and employees. Embellishment or sloppy work on the facts has actual revenue, profit, share price, and legal and reputational consequences for the spokesperson.
Like traditional journalism, sources and attribution are critical parts of your research. You can find almost any obscure fact to support a position, but it’s the source and authority of that source that’s critical. Double-check your internal data. Googling and ChatGPTing will deliver lots of facts, but are they timely or accurate? A source that lacks credibility delivers blows to your credibility.
You know what’s a great source? Your customers. What pains, problems and successes are they telling you? Understanding and connecting with these challenges is one of the best ways to establish credibility — and sell products. Your colleagues aren’t your customers; their advice should reflect customer and market needs.
Spend some time doing a little homework. And don’t forget: If the facts are unclear, don’t wing it. Say the facts are unclear, do more homework or think about something else to focus on.
A Problem-solving vs. a Problem-screaming POV
You’re starting with facts. And even if you’re unveiling a fact (like research), the real value in your communications with the media is your POV on what it means for the industry, what may happen next and suggested actions for navigating it.
Bringing clarity to uncertain areas is valuable, but the real value to the reporter, your customers and all your audiences is helping to solve the problem. The more divisive and chaotic the times and the more gray areas exist, the more value is well throughout POVs grounded in problem-solving (vs. problem screaming). What are the next steps?
Part of your POV and problem-solving is also recognizing there’s often more than one right answer or next step. One of the most valuable things you can do is quickly present two paths and identify what’s possible and problematic with each. This doesn’t mean that you can’t share a POV on the best path. In fact, using your experience to put a path forward is very valuable.
If you can’t contribute to resolving the problem, reconsider whether you have business talking about it.
Values Ground You and Your Feelings
I own a business, and at times it feels impossible to separate feelings from the spreadsheet. There are great times. There are bad times. There are chaotic times. All of them rev you up and drive you down, purshing you toward good and bad decisions.
Your North Star is always your company’s values. Don’t know what to do? Guide your words with your values. Under duress and facing tough inquiries and questions, fall back on your core beliefs. Great values are rooted in what’s right and will hold up under pressure.
And if your personal values don’t align with the corporate ones, or you’re not living those values, well, that’s a problem greater than media relations.
Pause Under Pressure
There’s a lot of pressure in life and business. It can break you with questionable, rash decisions and statements. Or it can harden you with just a bit of time. One of the most important things you can do under pressure is pause.
Now, don’t get me wrong. In a crisis or other situations, time is ticking. You can’t freeze up. But taking a measured pause to get some clarity and offering to respond shortly with the right answer is a lifesaver. And if you need more time, holding statements that reiterate your values and provide what information you can affords you the time to get the answer as right as it can be in a reasonable amount of time.
One of my favorite David Gray song lyrics is, “The trick ain’t work the time it buys.” In your communications, winging it with a clever comeback or stunt or shouting in the absence of facts can certainly get you attention and a whole news cycle. But in the end, it’s simply a disservice to the company and the investors, employees and customers who are counting on you.
