Timing
Timing
“A great man always
considers the timing before he acts.”
Chinese proverb
Timing also determines the speed with which you do
something, and it can be as important as whatever it is that you are doing.
For Every Number There Is a Season
Quarterly reports, the annual report, dividend announcements, earnings statements, and such are all part of the standard flow of information.
Assignments
1. Getting on the front page is… |
A. The secret of project/programme purpose |
2. Timing |
B. Change the meaning of your message |
3. Other events can … |
C. You should always have a back-up |
4. No matter how good your information release plan is… |
D. Is sometimes necessary to get the most out of your message |
5. Tying in your message to important events |
E. All a matter of timing |
6. Pacing |
F. The length of a sustained message |
Answers:
1.) E
2.) A
3.) B
4.) C
5.) D
6.) F
Multiple-Choice
1. Timing determines ________ with which you do something.
a. The accuracy
b.
The speed
c. The cost
d. The advisability
2. _________ expect certain numbers at certain times of the year.
a. beneficiaries
b. The media
c. Stockholders
d. All of the
above
3. Sometimes bad news gets released as ______.
a. Humor
b.
Part of a package
c. Quickly as possible
d. All of the above
4. Releasing too much information at one time can reduce _________ .
a. Accurate representation
b. Scrutiny
c. Coverage
d. All of the above
True / False
1. _____ Cover-ups are usually worse than the infraction.
2. _____ Free publicity is almost impossible to get no matter how good the timing.
3. _____ Good timing is knowing how your release reacts with other events.
4. _____ Putting bad news in the middle of something else is often effective.
5. _____ Never cancel a planned release – it will alert the media that something is up.
6. _____ Good coverage often happens if your announcement is part of a bigger story.
Answers:
1. T
2. F – Timing is almost the only way to get free publicity.
3. T
4. T
5. F – The timing may be bad due to other events.
6. T
Summary
As we have seen, there is a limited amount of space on page one of any newspaper, and only so many minutes available for any radio or TV newscast. Reporters and editors have to rank every story against every other story going on that day. As a result, there are days that one story will be on page one. That same story on another date would be lucky to get into the paper at all because other, more important news was happening. Getting the timing right requires you to understand what else is happening in your organization, your field, the stock market, the government, the news, and the economy in general, and how your release and other events could react together.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Test
1. _____ It is always good to have a contingency plan for press releases.
2. _____ Timing is often just a quirk of fate that you cannot control.
3. _____ It is a fact of life – your message will always be upstaged.
4. _____ Timing also deals with the pace of a release or releases.
5. _____ Sometimes your competitors can take advantage if you do not release information on time, no matter what else is going on.
6. _____ For maximum exposure, hire a swimsuit model to release your stories.
7. _____ Starting, running, and stopping messages are all part of timing.
8. _____ If your organization is getting a lot of unwanted media exposure, confront it boldly.
9. _____ Releasing too much information at one time is always a poor idea.
10. ____ Some releases are teasers – not really designed to tell the audience much of anything.
Answers:
1. T
2. T
3. F – Not if you plan well and respect timing.
4. T
5. T
6. F – the model will produce more exposure than your stories!
7. T
8. F – Wait it out quietly.
9. F – Not if there’s bad news that must come out.
10. T
Bibliography
Lukaszewski, James (1992). Influencing Public Attitudes: Strategies that Reduce the Media’s Power, Issue Action Publishers.
Ries, Laura & Ries, Al (1998). The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, HarperCollins.
Cristol, Steven & Sealey, Peter (2000). Simplicity Marketing.
Glossary
Timing – Knowing when or at what rate to release a message or messages
Coverage – The amount of media attention
Standard release – Time at which certain information is usually given to the media
Learning Objectives
· Covering up bad or negative news is much worse than announcing it and taking your lumps.
· Getting the timing right means you have to be attentive to the events that are happening around you.
Q&A
1. We have
some bad earnings to report due to some dubious project/programme purpose practices of our
ex-president? What should we do?
If you usually release earnings reports at regular intervals, then the current earnings should be reported at the same time it usually is. It could be part of a package that discusses how the organization was unaware of the president’s misdeeds, and how it is going after him or her for restitution. After that, the media will investigate. Be as honest and forthright as possible, and then wait it out quietly. You might be able to bring out a new product or service to prove that the president’s actions have done nothing to slow the organization down, and that the organization’s reputation shouldn’t be sullied by the action of one individual.
2.
How can we ensure that the media will cover our new service?
You can’t. The best you can do is try to time its introduction when nothing much else is happening with your competitors or sector of activity, the government, the stock market, or other things that happen regularly. However, you can be proactive and find a way to tie in the new service to a major news story, like an athletic event or trade fair. Perhaps you could tie in the entire organization to an event as a sponsor or illustrate how something bad in the news wouldn’t have happened if only the victims had had your service.
3.
How does pacing affect timing?
The speed at which you do something can be just as important as when you do it. Sometimes information releases are just teasers, that is, they get us ready for something to be introduced or announced, like movie previews. They show us just enough of the upcoming movie to get us interested in information that will be coming later. They are designed to build anticipation and excitement. However, people don’t like to be teased forever, so the timing here must be just as good. If the information doesn’t come out soon, there may be a rebound effect where people will shun or disbelieve the announcement. Also, the announcement may be “much ado about nothing” which can also lead to disappointment and a negative reaction. This is especially bad for a new product introduction.