Give Em the Inside/Out!!!
No, I’m not here to write about the exceptional Pixar movie that makes the father in me both smile and cry… and I’m more than excited for the sequel coming out this summer, but that’s not my topic for today. What I’m referring to is a PR strategy that I’ve deployed a number of times on behalf of my clients called the ‘Inside/Out,’ why it was created and how it works.
The Conditions to Deploy Inside/Out
Much of the time and effort in PR is spent on the pursuit of attention for our clients or the company that we represent. Whether it is your own content, media relations or sponsored campaigns and in most cases, more is better than less.
But sometimes the aim is to prevent coverage or at the very least minimize it. For example, a product might not be ready for the public, or perhaps your client is the lead on a government contract that’s become a hot button issue politically and as a result you cannot generate attention. Yet you still need to raise awareness and educate the key audiences... ‘inside’ the situation you’re caught between a rock and a hard place.
My remedy for this was to lean into the ‘outside’ relationships that I have developed with the trade and vertical industry press. Many of these media outlets like Microwave Journal or Law360 are ‘under the radar’ for a majority of the public, which is tremendously useful in a situation like this. Additionally, trade and vertical reporters have in-depth knowledge about the space you’re in, so they bring added credibility and understanding to the table.
Applying Inside/Out to Political Challenges in Maine
My client was one of the world’s leading suppliers of large-scale wireless communications systems for police and fire departments, as well as other public safety first responders. They were working with the State of Maine to install a statewide radio network, called MSCommNet. The cost of the system, which took multiple years to design, build and deploy, was over $50 million and it was a major point of contention between the Governor and powerful members of the legislature. So much so that any coverage of the project in the local media created a lot of negative attention in Augusta. Additionally, more than 2,000 potential users were a bit skeptical of MSCommNet’s capabilities and its potential impact on their work.
This was the perfect scenario for the Inside/Out strategy. The first step was to pitch the editor of Urgent Communications on an article about the unique design of MSCommNet, which had a number of geographical challenges, including covering the country’s second longest coastline (after California) and that almost two-thirds of the state is unhabituated forest land. The editor agreed to write an article with the condition that the technology angle of the story was his exclusively and that he would have full access to the state officials in charge of deploying the system.
After several months of research and a number of in-depth interviews, Urgent Communications published a two-part series on MSCommNet. The messaging was precise, on point and the two articles totaled over 3,000 words. Not only was the client very happy, but the Maine officials were able to use the article from Ogunquit to Presque Island to help them explain the impact and timing of the innovative new system to the user community. Most importantly, the piece was also used to educate and persuade several members of the state legislature.
Inside/Out: Four Takeaways
After you reach out to from the outlet and pitch the reporter on the concept, it’s important to give them extensive (and exclusive) access to the principal components (subject matter experts, information, data and statistics, etc.) of the story
It’s important that you and your team works closely with the editor, with your client, in the production of the story in a real and genuine way, no spinning of the facts. In the end you’ll find that the resulting coverage will be on message
The positive coverage that this strategy generates can be directly distributed to key audiences that you need to educate on an important topic or technology
The endorsement of positive trade coverage will help gradually change the perception of the topic or technology or person in a positive direction. It’s the beautiful trick of an effective PR strategy!
In the end the great thing about utilizing the Inside/Out strategy is that it’s repeatable. Reach out to me at matt@thesecondrow.net and let’s talk about how we can apply it to your story and secure the results that will have a positive, impactful outcome for your organization.