Why Timing Matters for Utility Public Relations

Utility public relations efforts are often overly-simplistic in their approach.  Some utilities seem to have a “build it and they will come” attitude, but alas, it’s not that simple.  Like many things in life, when it comes to utility public relations, timing matters.

Nuances of Optimizing Utility Public Relations

In the context of emergency preparedness, there are many examples of why timing matters when it comes to utility public relations.  Here are just a few:

• Proactive public relations (i.e., news, often distributed via press release, that your company wants people to know) should be deployed when people are most likely to consume it, in order maximize reach.  Early afternoon is generally the best time, as fewer tend to pay attention to news and information early or late in the day.
• Reactive public relations (obligatory updates that the company is indifferent toward or may not want people to pay particular attention to) should be released late Friday afternoon if possible, when fewer people are consuming news and information.
• Prompt response to media personnel should be a priority, simply because the courtesy will be appreciated, thereby enhancing the requestor’s perception of the company and improving the odds that the requestor will report on the company in a more positive light.
• Events like press conferences should be communicated well in advance – at least 1 week prior – to allow people enough time to make the necessary arrangements to attend the event.  Then a follow-up communication should be sent as a reminder the day before the event.

As you can see, timing definitely matters for utility public relations.  Following the tips above will allow your company to optimize these efforts, which is critical during outage restoration events.  Check out this article for more best practices on public relations timing.