The Colab Brief: 002 - It’s not laziness, it’s selective participation.

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Read Time: 2 mins

Last week we talked about “Comms Cowardice” - the crippling complex that keeps your execs from commenting in the media - and how to combat it.

But we kind of left you hanging, didn’t we?

As we’re sure you could glean, not every media opportunity is one you should participate in (“there’s no such thing as bad publicity” is so 2010). But how do you know when to speak up or to stay silent?

While there’s no perfect formula, there are a few steps you can (and should) take to evaluate every press opportunity that comes your way. Proper scrutiny and asking the right questions will help determine if it’s a good (or bad) idea to insert yourself or your business into the conversation.

🔎 Research the reporter. It’s rare that a reporter will tell you exactly what narrative they’re running with in an article. It’s even more rare that they’ll let you review a piece before it goes live. So now the onus is on you. The first thing you want to do is look at the reporter’s past articles.

• Are the headlines positive? Or are they skewing negative?

• Is their writing style more hyperbolic? Or is it more fact-based?

• How often do they write? Can you tell if this article will come out this week, or will you be waiting for it for months on end?

If you find that the reporter is constantly trying to get a scoop, framing a company in a certain light, or is consistently writing from a cynical perspective, it may be time to sit this one out.

🚀 Probe the publication. With the sheer number of media outlets in existence, it’s likely you won’t have background on every opportunity that comes your way. A few key metrics to evaluate:

• Who is their audience? How big is their audience?

• Is it regularly syndicated?

• Are their articles behind a paywall?

• Is it leaning politically in one way or another?

• Are the companies they cover ones you want to be listed alongside?

• Is the publication currently involved in a lawsuit or scandal of its own?

Discussing these questions as they pertain to your press goals will help you determine when to take advantage of a media opp.

⏰ Consider your time. This one is a little more subjective, as it depends on your overarching goals. If you’re looking at media opportunities from a quantity perspective, most links will be valuable no matter how big the publication or opportunity is. But if you’re more focused on quality, you must evaluate if the published link is worth the effort.

• Have you heard of the publication?

• Is the topic of the article or the publication relevant to your business and your target audiences?

• Is this going to be a standalone article, or will you be listed alongside other companies?

• Will you be upset if your competitor makes the article but you don’t?

• What is the time commitment?

• What is the deadline?

If you’re tight on time and it’s a publication you’ve never heard of (or the topic is only loosely relevant to your business), put it on the back burner.

📰 Presume the headline. This comes into play especially when you’re commenting on a trend, theme, or crisis that is currently making headlines in the media. Before chiming in, think about if you want your company to be linked in an article referencing a bank collapse or business scandal. If the perception can be misconstrued by someone simply perusing the news, you might want to reconsider.

🤯 Use common sense. If an opportunity seems too good to be true, it probably is. Often, paid opportunities will be positioned as editorial, requiring you to have a “quick call” before the “reporter” can commit to the article. Another red flag is when an opportunity is sponsored or hosted by a celebrity, promising airtime on elite and coveted networks like NPR. We can almost guarantee you’ll end up at a 3am slot, sandwiched between infomercials touting panini makers and hair growth supplements. Good media doesn’t come easy, and if you have to wonder if it’s the real deal, it’s probably not.

In truth, there’s no silver bullet that can tell you if a media opportunity is right for your business. But asking these questions should help you to determine when to pipe up and when to keep quiet.

Until next week,

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