I often hear friends – and some clients – say they don’t watch or read the news much these days because “it’s all bad news”. In some respects, I get it and have to agree with them, particularly as countries around the world grapple with the global pandemic – its various stages, variants, ebbs, flows and in some cases, its resurgence!
Of course, an abundance of heavy and heartbreaking stories isn’t simply a product of the pandemic. A major multinational study conducted in 2019 and published by America’s National Academy of Sciences examined the prevalence of negative media stories across 17 counties. Unsurprisingly it found that “news coverage of current affairs is predominantly negative… [because audiences] are more physiologically activated by negative than by positive news stories”.
It stands to reason that subsequent media coverage of the aforementioned report made for fairly grim reading! But, when I did some further digging through the findings, I managed to find some news that gave me a lot of heart. In their time speaking to thousands of people around the world, the researchers found “there would appear to be a good number of individuals with rather different or perhaps more mutable preferences”, which, in layman’s terms means, there is always an audience for good news, and, I would suggest, the audience is craving it.
Over the past 25 years, as I’ve helped hundreds of SMEs develop their publicity plans, I’ve always tried to lead by example and engage with them – and their ideas – in a positive way. That’s not to say I haven’t heard my fair share of dud pitches over the years and dealt with some pretty dull people too. However, I am a firm believer, when it comes to garnering publicity – and particularly when you’re seeking free publicity – it pays to be positive, both in what you’re pitching and how you pitch it.
Take, for example, a property developer I’ve worked with for many years now whose goal it is to get more Australians into their own homes. In our time together, we’ve set ourselves the mission to create solutions to the umteen problems thrown up by the multitude of housing market reports released each week. Simply by choosing to dwell on the positives and find the possibilities within these reports, we’ve been able to achieve some fantastic media results. In fact, some journalists now turn to my client specifically when they’re in need of an uplifting positive story. It’s certainly a nice space to play in and is a great reminder that by making a proactive choice to be positively contrarian you are also making a very clear publicity decision to stand up and, hopefully, stand out.
Of course choosing to be positive doesn’t erase the fact that there are negatives in the world and that we will all experience the downs of life from time to time. However, a positively-focused PR outlook can help turn frowns upside down on both a micro level and even at great scale. At particularly difficult times in the newscycle, I often encourage my clients to think about how their product or service can go some way in overcoming a challenge or addressing an inequity. This sort of creative thinking by SMEs – when coupled with genuine benevolence – can be a great launching pad for positive PR.
Finally, it may sound trite, but I do believe it always pays to be humble and kind. Even when you’ve got plenty to gloat about from a business perspective, and you want to use the publicity megaphone to help get your message out, there are classy ways to do it. Whether you’re looking to celebrate a big business win or proclaim your dominance in a particular market, it never hurts to think about how the claims you make right now could come back to bite you. Two reminders: good times don’t always last and bad publicity can take a long time to turn around. So, strategically, it just makes sense to proceed positively.
By Kate Engler