Communications in the wake of the loss of our Monarch
Here in the UK, we're feeling the seismic impact of the loss of The Queen. ❤️
For many of us, this is a first in a lifetime occurance; Let alone it being the first loss of a Monarch in the age of social media and 24 hour rolling reporting.
How do we navigate this?
I shared some thoughts on Instagram yesterday afternoon ahead of the news coming through and I wanted to pop them here as well to give you a space to share any queries or concerns you might have when it comes to managing your communications at this time.
It’s a strange, challenging time at the moment anyway when it comes to managing the tone of any communications but with the blanket reporting of the death of The Queen and the imminent period of national mourning, we are finding ourselves tipped into an even more nuanced predicament when it comes to our communications.
Whether you are a royalist, anti monarchy or indifferent, you may want to think about how you manage your approach to these unfolding developments and any possible sensitivities of your audience.
In the PR/comms world I’m hearing A LOT of advice flying around. Much of which is perfectly valid but not all of it relevant for small businesses, creatives and entrepreneurs working hard to keep businesses thriving in a stilted and difficult few years of trading.
So I thought I’d just share a few thoughts when it comes to social media…
💕 Check in on any content that you may have planned or scheduled that could be read or interpreted in a different or awkward light given the circumstances.
💕 Think about any mail outs you might have been planning to do or announcements you were wanting to make - can they wait?
💕Ask yourself:
Do I need to say this now?
Do I need to say this to this audience?
Do I need to say this on this platform?
💕 Share what you feel genuinely moved to do so. Don't feel under any pressure for performative posting, you can stay quiet if you don't feel comfortable posting to acknowledge the news.
💕 Social media will be a noisy place and the conversation will feel saturated, however, if it feels right, get involved in the conversation - share your memories, connections and thoughts.
💕 Perhaps consider holding off on any big launches or too much proactive selling/outreach for the coming days.
💕 However, we all know that world will keep turning. You don’t have to fall silent. You don’t have to stop selling. Find the tone that feels right for you.
In terms of the media world; when it comes to the short lead media, there will be much focus on this news across the board through the period of national mourning.
News media will be covering this, and the developments over the coming days, heavily. Don’t be surprised if any interviews or stories you were working with journalists on get pushed back or shelved.
Fashion, Style & Lifestyle journalists and media will be covering the story in their own way from looking back at the Queen’s life in Style to the influence she had on the younger generations of royals to her connections with designers, fashion houses and stories of her personal wardrobe.
Politically, yes we have a new Prime Minister and of course the cost of living crisis will still be a huge presence, but there will be talk of the role that The Queen played in our modern political history. Her connections with the 15 Prime Ministers she saw pass through Parliament, what she really thought of them, how she worked as a force for peace and was fiercely passionate about the Union of the United Kingdom. There will be discussion about the Commonwealth, her role in it and its future under the new monarch King Charles III. The colonial undertones of the Commonwealth will also be a conversation - exploring how The Queen worked tirelessly to reform and give a progressive outlook to the Commonwealth.
The history of The Queen and the monarchy will be a topic to be explored over the coming days and weeks as well as the future of the monarchy and what we can expect from the reign of King Charles III
Human Interest stories across the lifestyle media will be geared around journalists asking for case studies and stories from those that met The Queen, have some sort of anecdotes, were born on the same day, have been particularly moved by these events and more.
There will also be a lot of content around how we collectively deal with issues that rise from this loss. There will be call for people to talk about their experience of grief, for grief counsellors and therapists to share advice in these circumstances.
The media will look different for the next couple of weeks; if it’s relevant for you then absolutely pursue involvement in any of the above content, but if this isn’t relevant, then maybe it’s a good time to take a pause and work on some planning ahead for Christmas in this next week or so.
If you have any questions on how to handle this; what content to post; whether to postpone a launch; how to frame your response to the news etc, please do share in the comments below ❤️