Overcoming the challenge of staying authentic in reactive PR

Reactive PR is a powerful tool for inserting brand names into relevant conversations, enhancing their credibility, and positioning yourself as industry experts. By providing timely and insightful commentary on trending or breaking news, you increase the likelihood of securing valuable media exposure. A 2024 study found that 42% of reporters view credibility as the biggest issue facing journalism; as such, maintaining authenticity throughout your reactive PR strategies is key to gaining the trust of journalists.*

Due to the fast-paced nature of reactive PR, it can be tempting to jump on as many trending topics as possible, but this isn’t always wise when helping a brand build a strong and credible identity. There are a number of guidelines you can follow to make sure you stay authentic in reactive PR.

Defining Brand Identity

A well-defined brand identity is the foundation of any successful reactive PR strategy. Before pitching your insights, take the time to establish:

• Which topics you are comfortable discussing
• The narratives you want to be associated with
• Establish a brand tone of voice 
• Subjects that don’t align with your values or messaging
  

By doing this, you ensure consistency in the topics and the stance taken across all content produced. Over time, having this solid understanding of your brand identity will help to refine the types of reactive opportunities that resonate with them.

For example, with one of our motor industry clients, we regularly produce reactive content on topics like car owner tips, travel fines, and upcoming changes affecting road users. However, we steer clear of political discussions or commentary on specific car brands and models. By taking the time to understand a brand’s needs and preferences you can curate a strong brand identity and comment on subjects which are authentic to it. 

Choosing the Right Spokesperson

One of the key factors in a successful reactive PR strategy is having a credible expert available to contribute to the conversation. In a competitive media landscape, journalists receive numerous expert comments, so standing out requires relevant and unique expertise.

The importance of choosing the correct expert and positioning them most effectively was highlighted during a recent Q&A with journalists from top national publications. They noted that they have countless ‘experts’ readily available to them and emphasised how positioning your experts correctly to cut through the noise can make all the difference when working to land coverage in top-tier publications. This is particularly important in reactive PR where there will naturally be more competition with other industry leaders also looking to contribute to the conversation and have their say. 

Selecting the right expert not only enhances the content’s credibility but also ensures that their commentary feels natural and authentic to the brand.

Quality Over Quantity: Pre-Plan and Be Selective

Choose the Right Reactive Opportunities

Not every trending conversation requires your input. Over-contributing can dilute their authority and even lead to contradictions. Authenticity is invaluable, and a selective approach ensures that your insights remain impactful and aligned with their expertise. 

You shouldn’t feel pressure to force a reactive opportunity if it doesn’t naturally align with what your brand can confidently comment on. There will be plenty of reactive opportunities that make sense for your expertise, and holding out until those come up is much smarter when establishing you as a credible source in their field.

Be Proactive 

To avoid feeling this pressure, it can be useful to incorporate proactive PR into your reactive strategies. This means looking ahead to events such as general elections, national holidays or relevant awareness days to create a reactive PR plan. 

Organisation and pre-planning will allow you to identify which events align best with the brand’s identity. This means more time for creating a reactive PR strategy together, ensuring that the content being produced remains authentic to the brand. 

Reactive Doesn’t Mean Rushed

There’s a common misconception that reactive PR is all about speed and while timing is important, thoughtful execution is just as critical. A rushed expert comment that hasn’t been fact-checked or carefully crafted could do more harm than good.

This is especially important in industries like healthcare, where new medical reports are frequently published and the topics discussed can be sensitive. Before responding, always consult with your experts to ensure accuracy and alignment with their stance. 

Authenticity in reactive PR isn’t just about jumping on trends, it’s about making strategic, thoughtful contributions that reinforce your brand identity. By defining clear messaging, choosing the right spokesperson, being selective in your responses, and prioritising accuracy over speed, you can ensure that your reactive PR efforts are both impactful and credible.

*https://www.swordandthescript.com/2024/07/journalism-statistics-pr/