When a client was suddenly thrust into protecting the most vulnerable population from COVID19, all of our planned good news stories and announcements were put on hold. But as they immediately adjusted their business strategy, we also modified our PR strategy.

We announced when Loretto starting using telehealth in its Restorative Care Unit two years ago, and again when the organization expanded its telehealth to serve patients in their homes directly in the community last year. The organization planned to announce yet another expansion of its telehealth services in March of this year – but then coronavirus hit the U.S. and all other news or announcements seemed unimportant.

What we quickly discovered, however, was the latest expansion of telehealth and other technologies actually helped the organization – along with its employees, residents and their families – get through the pandemic much more comfortably. And so a slight modification to our original PR strategy led to an amazing feature story.

When another client was inundated with calls from customers concerned about the stock markets and the economy, we again had to put other good news and announcements on hold. But instead of sitting on the sidelines while the organization focused on communicating directly with it’s customers, we took the Chief Investment Officer’s words of wisdom to the masses and secured interviews on popular radio programs and feature articles in business publications across multiple states.

So when your business strategy suddenly needs to change, don’t abandon your planned public relations. Pivot your PR strategy, and make sure your new stories are “HAPPI.” (Yes, that’s a reference to another post and more advice from us!)