Doctor SpinThe PR BlogCrisis CommunicationsPR Checklist for the Covid-19 Pandemic

PR Checklist for the Covid-19 Pandemic

Over-communicate, tone your sales pitch down and go digital-first.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

The Covid-19 panยญdemยญic will emphasยญise the importยญance of PR.

Many busiยญnesses will perยญish due to the finยญanยญcial impact of the Covid-19 panยญdemยญic. Itโ€™s sad, and there are no two ways about it. 

However, no matยญter how bad things are for your busiยญness, tough times are no excuse for comยญmuยญnicยญatยญing worse.

If anyยญthing, we should all strive to comยญmuยญnicยญate better. 

The silยญver linยญing is that a crisis is an excelยญlent opporยญtunยญity to improve your pubยญlic relations.

Here we go:

1. Balance Your Covid-19 Communication

Businesses are known for exagยญgerยญatยญing posยญitยญive news and downยญplayยญing negยญatยญive news. In times of Covid-19, neither is a good PR strategy. The marยญket will trust and appreยญciยญate busiยญnesses that promptly provide balยญanced and accurยญate information.

2. Donโ€™t Withhold Any Information

Building and mainยญtainยญing cusยญtomยญer trust is a long game. Even if you might see potenยญtial advantยญages in withยญholdยญing cerยญtain informยญaยญtion for release later, there will come a day of reckยญonยญing when your conยญduct will be scruยญtinยญised and evaluated.

3. Communicate Clear Actions

Many busiยญnesses are recitยญing mesยญsages already conยญveyed by the relยญevยญant authorยญitยญies. Instead, your busiยญness must explain what actions have been taken and what steps you will take. In these cirยญcumยญstances, actions speak the loudest.

4. Tone Down Your Sales Pitches, Please

Consider pausยญing your email autoยญmaยญtion and surยญveyยญing your runยญning advertยญiseยญments. Now is not the time for any hardยญcore sales pitches. Sales are the lifeblood of all comยญmerce and should conยญtinยญue, but be mindยญful of your tonality.

5. Donโ€™t Capitalise on Public Unrest

The Covid-19 panยญdemยญic (and the subยญsequent unrest) might open up speยญcifยญic busiยญness opporยญtunยญitยญies. Be careยญful in raisยญing prices or preyยญing upon irraยญtionยญal pubยญlic behaยญviours. Whatever upside your busiยญness might stand to gain short term, the long-term reperยญcusยญsions could be severe.

6. Over-Communicate

Due to the Covid-19 outยญbreak, many busiยญnesses will not mainยญtain their norยญmal serยญvice levels. Strive nevยญer to surยญprise your cusยญtomยญers; always explain the situยญation, take action well in advance, and trust that your marยญket underยญstands your concern.

7. Donโ€™t Be the Hero, Donโ€™t Be the Victim

Avoid bragยญging about takยญing on extra corยญporยญate social responsยญibยญilยญitยญies to supยญport the comยญmunity. And donโ€™t cry for empathy due to how tough your finยญanยญcial situยญation might become. Keep your marยญket informed without askยญing them to feel anyยญthing extra for your business.

8. Increase Communication Budgets

Communicating less in a crisis is like removยญing any grease from the cogยญwheels that are your busiยญness. Instead, share more than your busiยญness usuยญally does. Itโ€™s okay for your marยญket and employยญees to worry about the realยญity, but not over lack of information.

9. Avoid Talking to People Like Children

Many busiยญnesses see the Covid-19 outยญbreak as an opporยญtunยญity to embrace a fathยญerly role. However, the marยญket is not stuยญpid, and you would be wise not to speak to them as if they were your chilยญdren. Donโ€™t tell them what to do; tell them what youโ€™re doing.

10. Update Your Website 

In times of treยญmendยญous presยญsure, offerยญing just-in-time supยญport on an indiยญviduยญal level might be impossible. Anyone with quesยญtions regardยญing your busiยญness should find all answers on your website.

11. Postpone Physical Events

The first months of the Covid-19 panยญdemยญic will not be suitยญable for celยญebยญratยญing othยญer news than medยญicยญal advanceยญments and storยญies of human colยญlabยญorยญaยญtion in adversity. While there might be reasยญons to keep ahead of the comยญpetยญiยญtion, donโ€™t expect the usuยญal launch exposure.

12. Go 100% Digital for IC

There is no shortยญage of alternยญatยญives for internยญal comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions using variยญous digitยญal platยญforms. This is an excelยญlent time to explore how much of your daily busiยญness operยญaยญtions can be run without physยญicยญal interaction.

Read also How insights can help you improve your Public Relations durยญing a crisis (Whispr Group).

Follow the WHO webยญsite for coronavirยญus (Covid-19) reports.

Signature - Jerry Silfwer - Doctor Spin

Thank you. Please supยญport my blog by sharยญing artยญicles with othยญer comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions- and marยญketยญing proยญfesยญsionยญals. Please also conยญsider my PR serยญvices or speakยญing engageยญments.

Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Kaufmann, Whispr Group, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Cover Photo

The cover photo isn't related to public relations obviously; it's just a photo of mine. Think of it as a 'decorative diversion', a subtle reminder that it's good to have hobbies outside work.

The cover photo has

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