I often get media inquiries and I check them to see if a request would fit one of my clients. Usually they’re straightforward and I don’t think much about them, but recently, I saw this one from a freelance writer:For a story in a national publication, I’m looking for input from experts and pizza restaurant owners on preparing for a weather-related disaster (floods, tornadoes, fire, hurricanes, etc). The story covers how to set up an emergency plan, train staff, and make sure the business has enough insurance coverage – before a disaster strikes.
What I found intriguing about this press request was that it was about pizza, but not about any scary story, such as when employees do gross things when making pizzas. We usually think of videos of bad employee behavior as “disasters,” but this press request is about real disasters and how pizza places handle them.
This media request is a reminder that you should be prepared for a media crisis. People often think that crisis communication is needed for a natural disaster, sex scandal, or government corruption. Even if you believe there’s no chance of you having such problems, you still need to think about what you would do if you or your business faced a crisis. A crisis for you may not be the same for someone else, so decide what plan of action you want to take, and how you want to respond. Create a “dark” area of your website with links, think of statements you’d make to the media, and decide who will be a spokesperson.
