We serve the military and are required to get their approval on any PR we share publicly. Every press release we send them for approval takes months. How do we get press releases approved and out to journalists when they're still timely and relevant?
This is something I've encountered many times - a lot of companies don't understand the importance of getting news out quickly. It's very important to make sure you have the right contact for approval and if possible, let them know to expect your press release within whatever timeframe. From there, continue to remind them of the importance of turning it around quickly. Provide them with the pros of releasing news timely and the cons that come with not. I hope that helps!
Unfortunately, this sort of bureaucracy is very hard to avoid. You can let the client know you're in a rush as many times as you want, but you will likely be ignored. And the failure of the campaign becoming irrelevant will fall on you.
Something that has worked for me in the past when facing similar situations is to create a timeline of announcements planned for the year. This allows me to limit the waiting time by having announcements planned months in advance, and giving the client enough time to go through the lengthy approval process while still ensuring our news remains relevant.
Of course, sometimes things come up that can't be planned, and in those situations, we have to go with the flow. But truly, the key to successful PR is strategic planning—and a pipeline of news is your best friend!
I would be happy to give you a hand in understanding how to create a successful pipeline of announcements. I'll be happy to take your call!
I am a Strategic Marketing Consultant with more than 22 years of experience.
When managing projects for government funded entities, many times their programs and programmatic spending is planned well in advance of launch. You can avoid the delays you've been experiencing by getting into relationship with the constituencies within the military who are responsible for planning. Once you have an idea of what things are in the pipeline you will be able to preplan events, press and relevant PR. I would strongly suggest building a working relationship with the media relations department that is warmer than that of a "service provider" so that your group is viewed as a vital partner and automatically included.
Ultimately, your focus is to align your planning/launch schedule with their budget and timing, in advance.
If you'd like to talk more about this and strategies to strengthen those relationships, give me a call.
