Remote management

Leading different types of people while working remotely

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This is a guest post from Richard Middleton, leadership consultant at Middleton Consultancy Ltd and senior consultant with Engaging Business.

As a leader you may be feeling pressure right now to balance maintaining performance, creating a flexible and supportive environment, and managing your own energy levels. In addition to the fact that this may be the first time your team has had to work apart for an extended period.

Easy? Probably not. Especially if your world now includes the added challenges of relentlessly checking for the next available Click & Collect slot, answering your children’s questions arising from your home schooling sessions or working out how to use an endless range of video conferencing apps with family and friends.

Through my company and work with Engaging Business, I coach leaders of all levels across the private and non-profit sectors and am privileged to get an insight into their challenges and successful strategies in tackling them. There are three key areas I see consistently delivering results that should help you now and in the future.

1) Build your self-awareness
Higher levels of emotional intelligence are fundamental to being a better leader. Understanding both you and your teams’ personality preferences will help you to tailor how to work with them most effectively. Take a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment – available free through Engaging Works. It’s based on the work of Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung and is a great way to get started. Initially consider whether you’re more ‘extroverted’ (energised by talking things through, working in groups, getting stuck into activity) or ‘introverted’ (energised by thinking things through, working more on your own, reflecting for longer prior to taking action). Don’t confuse these words with social confidence as the meaning here is different.

People often lead as they like to be led – especially if they’re experiencing stress. Right now, if you’re an extrovert, that may mean you’d like longer or more frequent video calls, a lot of discussion and speed to pin down actions. What will this be like for an introvert? Likely, not great. Send information in advance, use the chat function alongside video to allow more reflective people to post, take more quick breaks or just stop the conversation for a minute. If you’re more introverted, you might not have considered how extroverts may miss the banter and chat of the workplace. Recreate some of this with an online team lunch, encourage working ‘alongside’ each other on a video call or post-work drinks if that works for your team. Ask your team what they need.

2) Seek input and agree clear outcomes
It can be very easy to slip into micro-managing when you can’t ‘see’ your team getting stuck into their workload. Working near them may have given you a better sense of where they were at which can leave you feeling in the dark now. Uncomfortable as it may feel, it’s the outcome you need to focus on rather than how it’s achieved.

Use open questions to understand your team member’s views and tap into their experience, agree key milestones to check in and give them time to describe the result they’re picturing as well as sharing your view. What will this work actually look like when it’s done? Keep discussing until you can both describe the same outcome in detail. Give them the space to work out how to achieve it, remind them you’re available to help and resist the urge to keep checking in outside agreed updates.

3) Invest in reflective practice
Don’t underestimate the power of taking time to review how things are going. Reflection doesn’t have to usurp hours out of your already stretched diary – even taking ten minutes daily while you’re having a coffee can lead to useful observations.

Ask yourself what’s working well and what could be better? What could this mean for when things change again with some form of return to the workplace? Encourage your team to do the same. Don’t assume the team will or should work in the same way – capture their views on a survey such as the Working from Home Survey from Engaging Business if this is available in your organisation.

Overall, learn from this period of time. While it may be challenging, it’s also a fantastic opportunity to expand your skills as a leader.

Gemma Seager

Fitness Blogger Spotlight with Gemma Seager, Lipstick, Lettuce & Lycra

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‘Explosive moves don’t necessarily need a lot of space, just a sturdy floor!’ – here to help with keeping fitness levels up (or raising them higher than ‘nothing’ – your mileage may vary), is fitness blogger Gemma Seager of Lipstick, Lettuce & Lycra.

While Gemma’s blog launched in very different times back in 2008, looking after yourself never goes out of fashion and is more important than ever here in 2020. Read on for insight on self-care, making use of your sofa for workouts, and keeping on top of your mental and physical health when the going gets tough.

What keeps you enthusiastic about the fitness blogging sphere?
The fitness blogging sphere is so varied and I find it fascinating how many different angles people can take on one topic. But what really keeps me enthusiastic is feedback. When I get a message from someone saying I’ve helped or inspired them to do something they’d never considered before, or made them realise that you don’t have to be a stereotypical ‘fitness’ person to be more active, that really makes me happy.

What’s your favourite thing to post about and why?
This sounds awful but my favourite thing to post about is me! I like to post from my own experience, so I write about products I love, workouts I’ve tried, and things that have helped me along the way. I can’t write about something I haven’t experienced and I think that the thing blogs offer that magazines and other outlets can’t is that personal connection with the author.

How have you had to change your approach and content now that people are self-isolating?
I haven’t really. Because I always write about my own experience and I’m having the same lived experience as many of my readers I’m just writing about how I’m dealing with the situation. Obviously, some of my planned content has changed. There are races I was signed up to that aren’t going ahead so I won’t be reviewing those now! Largely, I’m focusing on the idea of self-care and that exercise should be there to support your physical and mental health, not as some kind of punishment.

Gemma Seager 2

What exercises would you recommend people with a high-level of fitness swap in to their routine if they can’t get out to run/swim/cycle?
At home HIIT workouts are everywhere at the moment, so if someone already has a high level of fitness, they are a great thing to take on if you want to do a high-intensity workout. Explosive moves don’t necessarily need a lot of space, just a sturdy floor! I would caution that even if you have a high level of physical fitness it’s important to take care of your mental health, too. A lot of people who spent a lot of time at the gym are finding that their motivation to workout at home is low or non-existent. It’s important not to beat yourself up about it, and maybe schedule just short workout breaks into your day.

What routines are worth trying for those with a low level of fitness who want to start to improve it from home?
Bodyweight strength workouts are ideal for those that want to get started. If you’re starting from the beginning, then you really don’t need to be adding weights early on. I have a few 15-minute bodyweight sessions on my blog, but there are tons of others out there. Look for progressions and regressions, such as starting push ups on your knees before moving to full push ups and focus on keeping your core solid with any exercise.

What household items are great for incorporating into a workout?
If you want to add weight then using tins of beans and water bottles as light weights really works. Personally, I think a sofa or chair is one of the best household workout accessories! You can do tricep dips, elevated pushups or use them as a support for single leg squats. You can also use a pair of tights as an impromptu resistance band for some exercises!

Gemma Seager 3

With Mr Motivator making a comeback recently, who are some of your workout heroes from the past?
When I was little, my Mum had a Lizzie Webb aerobics video. She was the TV-AM workout guru in the 80s. I was also a huge fan of the Callan Pickney Callanetics workout in the early 90s; I think it’s where my obsession with core stability has come from.

How do you collaborate with brands, and which kind of brands do you really like working with?
I’m always open to suggestions for different ways to work with brands. I love working with smaller innovative brands, but I also love the opportunity when bigger brands have a budget to really support some creative content.

I prefer to create content that shows how brands can add to your life and support your wellbeing and activity, rather than just straight product reviews. I worked with our local council to promote a borrow a bike scheme, and that was really fun because I could show how I learned to get more confident on the bike and how it changed my everyday life. I’ve also worked on some great campaigns with footwear and vitamin brands to create content about staying active and supporting your health that included the brand’s aims as part of a wider health and activity message.

For PRs looking to work with you and your blog/website, how would you prefer they approach you and with what kind of content?
I’m always open to emails, I find them easier to keep up with and track than contact on social media. I don’t use Twitter much, so I’m likely to miss anything there, but an Instagram message is fine, too! I’m always open to products to review, and I often post a monthly round-up of things I’ve tried and loved, which has better reach than a single product post. I love it when brands are really clear about their message, budget and what sort of content they are looking for when they approach me so that there’s no confusion!

What other blogs are you checking out regularly during lockdown?
I’m spending a lot of time on Instagram during lockdown as I find it’s a lot more positive than Facebook and I’m trying to stay upbeat! I read a lot of the blogs on the Fitness Blogger Top 10, especially The Tales of Annie Bean and Fat Girls’ Guide to Running. I also like to read Cakes Vs Scales and Girls Gone Strong.

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PRCA

Loans, furloughing, pay cuts and redundancies – the latest data from the PRCA

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‘We need to be honest with ourselves – the industry will end 2020 smaller than it began it,’ is how PRCA director general Francis Ingham sums up results from the industry body’s Pulse survey examining how PR is adapting financially to the current crisis. While the data makes for sobering reading, there are strong signs of readiness for the period of recovery that will follow these times of furlough, pay cuts and redundancies.

The survey of 62 industry professionals found that:

– 15% of respondents have applied for business interruption loans, with a further 10% planning to do so
– 60% have furloughed staff
– 50% have implemented pay cuts for staff, and a further 10% expect to do so
– Almost two-thirds of staff pay cuts have been in the 10-25% bracket
– 60% have been financially impacted
– 50% expect to have to make redundancies

‘Given these numbers, the low take-up of business interruption loans shows that there is something wrong with the current system. If the loan model cannot be made to work, then the Government should give serious and urgent consideration to a grants model instead,’ says Ingham of the findings.

‘At a time when business leaders are making painful decisions for their colleagues, it is good to see that they are sharing the financial burden personally.

‘The inherent strength and flexibility of PR means that we should nevertheless be confident about the future, and confident about the strength of the recovery that lies ahead.’

Full data from the PRCA survey with The Pulse Business can be found here. Find resources for working during the COVID-19 crisis by downloading Navigating uncertainty – the Vuelio toolkit for communicators.

Steph and the Spaniels

Pet Blogger Spotlight: Stephanie Walton, Steph and the Spaniels

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Meet Steph, Sev and Lily – the posting partnership blogging about pets, style and adventure at Steph and the Spaniels, one of our top 10 UK pet blogs.

Steph has had to change her focus while staying indoors with the spaniels – read on for how they’re coping with the lack of dog-friendly travel and adventures, and how you can keep your own pets calm and comfy at home.

What keeps you enthusiastic about the pet blogging sphere?
Sev and Lily are no doubt the reason why I love sharing our life and adventures, showcasing our little life together. I’ve blogged for such a long long time now, I couldn’t really imagine not doing it – it’s my online diary and I love looking back at our adventures.

What’s your favourite thing to post about and why?
I love travel and adventure posts, because that’s such a passion, being able to travel with your pets (though, obviously, not during the current lockdown). Never leaving the dogs behind is something we want to share with our readers.

Spaniel and camp fire

How have you had to change your approach and content now that people are self-isolating with their pets?
Lots of Instagram accounts can have a persona that doesn’t seem like real life, with stunning imagery and locations and although I love creating those things, at this time it’s important to show homely inside shots and reach out knowing we’re all in this together. As well as that, we’ve started TikTok – I’m very, very new to it but loving the pet content on there so far!

What would be your top pieces of advice for keeping pets entertained/not freaked out by how much more time they get to spend with their humans right now?
This is really important and something to think about. Both of my dogs suffer from slight separation anxiety, so although it’s nice we can be together, after this it may be harder to leave them.

If you’re working from home, it’s a great idea to have them in separate rooms when possible and let them get used to this.

I also love interactive toys and lots of chews and games. Devil Door Direct is our number one go-to store for lots of fun activities and treats to help with boredom.

Spaniel in lockdown

Which animal charities should people be supporting?
I don’t think there’s a right and wrong to this answer – just support any that mean something to you and you’re close to. For us, we love Dogs Trust as my family dog was rescued from one of their centres, and we’ve worked with them on the blog. I think making sure you have enough information about the charity and wanting to help is great!

How do you collaborate with brands, and which kind of brands do you really like working with?
I do all sorts of collaborations with brands, from photo shoots and reviews to product placements, but I love being creative and working on a full campaign that I can really get into. Showcasing my work, my photography and my blogging in the best way, without too many limits.

I work a lot with travel brands, but also a variety of dog businesses and human brands so we can bring me and the dogs together in a collaboration that works for them too. I’m really open to what we can do and work on. If it’s fun and creative, I love it!

For PRs looking to work with you and your blog/website, how would you prefer they approach you and with what kind of content?
My email is always the best way – there are links to this on Instagram and my blog, and I’m always checking and replying. As above, I love being able to be creative – giving me an idea and concept to roll with gets me more excited than just placing a product in a photo (for example!)

What other blogs are you checking out regularly during lockdown?
I love Honey, I Dressed the Pug, so much. I’ve noticed blogs are getting more and more popular and I see links popping up through the dog-friendly Instagram community more. I always like to swipe up or follow their links to have a little look at the posts through the day.

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Parenting while WFH

How do you balance parenting with WFH? Part 2

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We’ve been speaking to PR parents who are balancing home life with work from home life. In this second part, you can pick up advice and reassurance from peers managing focus, sharing and ‘remote babysitting’. This is part two – read part one here.

7) Changing up your workspace

‘I’m juggling responsibilities to my clients with looking after Joe, my 17-month-old son. My partner Robbie is on furlough and is doing a great job keeping our son entertained but it hasn’t stopped him being disruptive. Joe’s run naked into my ‘home office’ (a squeezed corner of the sitting room) during Zoom calls with clients, has climbed onto my desk shutting down my MacBook, and is generally causing havoc every single day. When Joe naps late morning it’s great and I can be productive for up to two hours. But I have resorted to sitting in the car to do quiet work when things have gotten too much…’

Grainne Byrne, account director at Represent Comms

 

8) Giving more consideration to the split of parental responsibilities

‘I thought working from home would make it easy for me and my partner to balance parenting roles and responsibilities and give me more opportunity to be there for the special moments I always missed when I was at work. But in fact, it has illuminated a startling disparity between workloads and pressures.

‘While I try and do as much as possible, and share in our baby’s formative months and experiences, balancing my job and home ‘work’ is proving difficult. It’s swings and roundabouts though; at least I’m not commuting for three hours a day and that’s time I can now spend with my daughter – and I’m always home for her bedtime routine!’

Dan Plume, head of content at Branch Road

‘My wife and I decided to equally split caring for our son and working. In the mornings, I get up with my son, prepare breakfast and get ready for the day. Often, we go for walks or do grocery shopping. Once he naps after lunch, I start my working day. It’s working well for us.

‘As I work as part of an international team, the time difference partly makes up for the first hours of the day where I’m unable to work. I have communicated my working hours to both our clients and my colleagues and everyone fully understands the situation.’

Jan Christoph Bohnerth, strategic director at Life Size

 

9) Being upfront with your team (and yourself) about what you can accomplish

‘I’ll be honest, I went into full on panic mode as soon as I heard we were in lockdown. Luckily, after a few phone calls to my always-supportive MD and CEO, I had a bit of a breakthrough. They managed to reassure me that they understood if my work output wasn’t up to scratch during the lockdown period, and that I’d be able to rely on members of the wider PR team should I need any additional help in picking up some of my everyday tasks. Despite the stresses that have accompanied the past month, we’ve been really lucky.’

Lauren Wilden (@growingoutandup), head of PR at 10 Yetis Digital

 

10) Remote babysitting

‘With a separate office in the house and pre-school age children, I’m lucky I’m not perching a laptop on the kitchen table or trying to educate kids too – it’s much, much harder for those who are.

‘While it’s unusual having my husband and both kids permanently here too, the ability to work shifts and share care means we’re managing well. Screen time rules have gone out of the window, but we’re thankful for the baby’s decent naps and my parents and in-laws ‘babysitting’ via Zoom for an hour a day with the eldest.’

Claire Foss, owner of Waterfall PR

 

11) Staying focused on what really matters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘After a couple of days of feeling overwhelmed and bad at this parenting lark, we’ve decided to pick and choose what we focus on, both for the kids’ sakes and for ours, so that they can keep learning but also enjoy the fresh air and sunshine we so fortuitously have right now.

‘Do we feel guilty that they are not learning? Do we feel failures that they are more interested in teen-orientated American “comedy” shows and their tablet computers? Do we get exasperated at the latest meltdown for all our neighbours to hear when they’re in the garden? Yes, to all the above. But as my wife said, we’re keeping them safe, and right now, that’s all that really matters.’

David Alexander, managing director at Calacus

‘The hardest part has been shifting my mindset; understanding that some days I’ll need to be Mum more than PR lead, and others the opposite. And that’s okay. So many of us are in the same boat. And if you’re communicating openly with your teams and your clients, setting expectations, and continuing to do a great job, that’s what matters.’

Rebecca Mulgrave, head of PR at Branch Road

‘Balancing being a parent and WFH does come with its challenges, but I think looking at the experience as a positive is the key to it not becoming overwhelming.

‘I break probably once an hour, even for just five minutes, to play with my son – it can be the ultimate tool for reducing any stress or frustrations because when you do go back to sitting at your laptop, you’re doing it with a smile on your face! It’s really hard at times, but this is time at home watching our kids grow up – enjoy it.’

Mark McMeekin, digital PR consultant at AGY47

 

12) Go easy on yourself

‘I think that one thing is not to think that you have to be a home-schooling guru as that will only add pressure to what is already a testing time. Our school is now using Google Classroom and we have a full day of on and offline work for the children to do – what I would say is to remember that you can be seen and heard by those on a school call so get dressed!

‘It’s important that you do not go on social media and get caught up in the whole home-schooling competition. Yes, someone might be creating amazing art and teaching their kids Japanese as an extra, but don’t believe the hype! The main thing is that you are all happy and healthy and as long as they are doing their best, reading each day, not living on their screens and getting some fresh air and exercise, then that is great!’

Natalie Trice, PR consultant, coach, and trainer

Want more resources for working during the COVID-19 outbreak? Download Navigating uncertainty – the Vuelio toolkit for communicators.

Parenting while WFH

How do you balance parenting with WFH? Part 1

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Are you struggling to keep up with work while keeping children fed, watered and entertained during lockdown? You’re not alone. A recent Marketing Week and Econsultancy survey of 1,990 of our cousins in marketing across the globe has found that almost half of those with children (46.6%) feel they are working less efficiently than normal.

While 86.7% of those without children can work in a quiet space for at least five hours a day, just 59.1% of those with children under 16 are able to, with 60.4% saying their home situation has interrupted work-related calls.

Concerns about job security are also higher in those with children at home, as well as feelings of ‘deep stress’, but it’s not all bad – parents working from home also had higher levels of focus and being productive.

If the balance of parenting while working from home is something you’re struggling with, take some advice (or simple reassurance) from peers also struggling, and succeeding, through sometimes stressful home working situations…

This is part one, read part two here. 

1) Breaks, baths and Joe Wicks

‘We’re attempting to stick to as strict a routine as possible, starting the day, like everyone else, with Joe Wicks (although what happens if he gets coronavirus? We’re all counting on you, Joe) followed by reading, writing, some jumping on the trampoline and eating a lot of oat cakes and M&Ms. All while attempting to Slack and email, which is surprisingly easy to do, actually. This morning I “listened” to an entire book being read by my son while arranging an interview with a client. MULTI-TASKING.’

Lee Simpson, content and client account manager at Fourth Day

‘This is an alien situation for everyone – don’t expect miracles. Compartmentalise your day. Dedicate an hour to clearing through emails and mapping out a to-do list – ideally done before the kids are up, if possible. Secondly, prioritise communication – establish a daily plan and inform your team; my husband and I split the day in two and take it in turns with childcare, so my team know when I am able to respond to emails or be on client Zoom calls.

And take some time out. Once the kids are in bed, don’t jump back onto your laptop. Take an hour to have a bath, eat a decent dinner, go for a jog or read a book – whatever helps you switch off. Burning the candle at both ends won’t benefit us, our kids or our jobs.’

Chloe MacDonagh, senior account manager at Sellers PR

Leor Franks

‘The key for us with two kids (nine and six) has been a set routine. When everyone in the house knows what they have to be doing and when, competing priorities are easier to manage. The kids value having time off from parents and we value having time to focus fully on work. A simple shared Outlook calendar seems to be doing the trick!’

Leor Franks, chief marketing officer at Augusta Ventures

‘I’m a single mum to my 15-year-old daughter, who was recently been diagnosed with learning differences. I feel completely inadequate to teach, however together we are learning via BBC Bitesize and other online tools and I’m certainly developing my skill in patience.

I have set working hours each day – 8am until 2.30pm (during this time, my darling teenager catches up on her beauty sleep). After a well-deserved cup of tea, I sit down with her and we crack on with schoolwork for a couple of hours. By 5pm, I’m ready for bed!

We’re a team of two who have managed to compromise and find a routine that works for us both. Prior to lockdown I hardly saw my daughter, so I am thoroughly enjoying spending more time with her.’

Jo Lowe, PR director at Spring PR

2) Breaks for everyone, in fact

‘Breaking the day up into chunks helps, you’re never going to sit down and do three straight hours of work, but you can do an hour, then have a break to do something with you child or get them a snack (which they seem to need all day long!) – that helps.

Sit them at the table with you when you’re working and give them colouring, painting or Play-Doh – set them a little challenge, too.’

Sarah Twyman, client services director at Smoking Gun

‘As a single mum of a lively two-year-old, running a PR agency in lockdown has been an eye opener. It took time to find our feet, but now we are further into lockdown, we have a little routine in place with things that seem to work for us both. I aim to limit screen time (although this doesn’t always work!) and replace it with indoor exercise or arts and crafts. We also were introduced the Caribu app for video calls with family and friends while the children can read interactive books or draw pictures on the phone with each other.

I make sure I allow time for a good lunch and down time is key. When Zuri takes her nap, I jump on my Peloton bike – it’s a must for my wellbeing and mental health. And if all else fails, an ice lolly and Paw Patrol is a great way to get through a Zoom meeting with clients!’

Lucy Dartford, managing director of We are Lucy

3) Using what’s online

‘We’re really lucky that a lot of the baby classes my daughter has been used to attending are now available online – TinyTalk baby signing is her particular favourite – so we are able to keep some sort of normality for her too.’

Annie Brafield, account director at Cartwright Communications

‘I won’t lie, it’s hard work. I have a 10-year-old son, who only has a desire to play on his PlayStation and watch Netflix, so we had to set rules early on (we were self-isolating before the schools closed, too). We try and start everyday around 9am with #PEwithJoe, like a lot of the country, and we found a great app early on called IXL to help on the English and Maths he should be learning in year five. Who knew how much English had changed?? I’m head of PR, and write content daily, but sometimes I just don’t have a clue with some of these terms – concrete and abstract nouns, anyone?’

Claire Beaumont, head of PR at Igniyte

‘The Moshi: Sleep and Mindfulness app has been particularly useful over the last few weeks. Goldie’s Five-Minute Brain Break has become my go-to when I need the children to simply calm down. The ‘brain break’ works as a five-minute wind-down technique – a great way to install moments of calm throughout the day for little ones, as well as allowing parents like myself to take a step back and refocus before the chaos inevitably starts again!’

Natalie Linder, PR & digital content manager at Luminous PR

 

4) Using ‘local’ resources

‘I had a little meltdown at the prospect of working from home as a single parent with a very demanding nine-year-old, 15-year-old and autistic 19-year-old. However, my 19-year-old sat down and constructed lesson plans for my nine-year-old and took over the childcare! He’s teaching her about Egyptians as we speak, and I’m at my desk!’

Martina Mercer, freelance PR and editor of Sunday Woman

5) Investing in the right tech

‘I run my agency remotely, so working from home isn’t new to me, but having our littles ones out of nursery and with no in-laws available right now, it is a very different household. The main problems I’m running into are the noise and time it takes to get back to work once I pop out of the third bedroom for a break. To help with these, I’m using my headphones a lot more, which helps stop me getting sucked into tantrums or the boredom elsewhere in the house…’

Darren Kingman, founder of Root Digital

Find more advice (and confessions) from other PRs balancing family with working from home in Part two here.

The Pet Paw Post Blog Featured

Pet Blogger Spotlight: Rachel Spencer, The Paw Post Pet Blog

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Meet Rachel Spencer – the human (and self-confessed ‘Crazy Dog Lady’) behind The Paw Post Pet Blog. As well as trying out new gadgets with her canine co-blogger Patch, Rachel is busy blogging about the good work of charities improving the lives of animals like Street Paws, StreetVet and Canine Hope.

Helping domestic animals to live their best lives is what Rachel really enjoys about blogging – if you’re currently cohabiting with a pet who’s confused about how much more time you’re spending indoors, read on for how to keep their tails wagging.

What keeps you enthusiastic about the pet blogging sphere?
I think it would be seeing the massive joy that our animals bring to our lives. I don’t do a lot on Instagram but I love going on there as my feed is wall-to-wall dogs and the occasional cat or tortoise!

It’s such a nice way to switch off. What I love about blogging is you can go a lot deeper on a subject, whether you’re talking about dog yoga or someone doing something AMAZING to help animals like Janey Lowes, who is a vet working out in Sri Lanka. I’ve been blogging for three years and have been a journalist for 20 and I still get so excited when I have an amazing animal story.

What’s your favourite thing to post about and why?
I love sharing real life stories and people doing incredible things – like Janey, Jade and Sam at StreetVet and the rescues I’ve worked with like Dogs4Rescue in Manchester and Beds for Bullies in Norfolk. I love to create content that inspires and brings out emotion, and I won’t lie, I do get emotional quite a lot when I speak to people. I was in tears during a visit to Dogs4Rescue to talk to its founder, Emma.

Travel pieces are something I really enjoy, too. Our dogs are a huge part of our lives and I love going to new places with Patch to explore. I always look for dog friendly travel pieces myself – it’s great to see the posts rank well on search engines and to get messages from people saying they enjoyed them.

Rachel Spencer

How have you had to change your approach and content now that people are self-isolating with their pets?
I have tried to make it as relevant as possible, which is what I try to do as a general rule anyway. When I had Daisy, I did a lot of posts about senior dogs and the issues owners face. When she passed away, I covered bereavement. When we adopted Patch, aged two, I covered how to train a young dog.

With lockdown, owners are at a loss as to how to support their pets. The first week, I did a massive round-up of resources that are out there, covering everything from diet and nutrition to puppy training and grooming. My blog is for the readers – as I do each post, I try to think about what they need. This week for example, I’m writing about how to keep your dog cool in lockdown as the weather is set to warm up.

I’ve been sharing lots of content from dog behaviourists, groomers and other experts on social media, as well as what Patch is up to.

What would be your top pieces of advice for keeping pets entertained/not freaked out by how much more time they get to spend with their humans right now?
Don’t overwhelm them. I spoke to a trainer the other day who was talking about how our dogs will be feeling at the moment and she explained it would be unsettling. So, while it’s lovely to be at home (I’m at home with Patch anyway, as I work from home) they need space. Yes, enjoy activities with your dog and work on their training and tricks, but make sure they get down time and the sleep they need.

The trainer I spoke to explained separation anxiety and how those who usually go out and work all day should consider going and sitting in their car for some time each day so the dog gets used to being on their own – in fact, I need to do a post on this!

The Pet Paw Post Blog

What are some of the weirdest things you’ve dealt with as a pet owner?
Oh, it has to be the dog Reiki where Daisy did a poo on the woman’s floor. We also did a Pawsonal shopping experience at Pet London where Daisy was basically like a doggy version of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman (the bit when she goes shopping).

How can people be dissuaded from buying animals/exotic pets that aren’t suited to living so closely with people?
I think whatever pet you have, please, please, please do your research first and make sure you have the time and right lifestyle to support them. Charities are over-run with animals who were taken in on a whim and being a pet parent is a huge decision and not to be taken lightly.

Which animal charities should people be supporting?
Now that’s a tricky question – there are so many fantastic charities out there and they all need our help at the moment. What I would say is to choose one that is close to you, that you have an affinity with – for example, you may have adopted your pet from there. Perhaps think of the smaller ones that are struggling, also.

How do you collaborate with brands, and which kind of brands do you really like working with?
I work with brands who are in line with the feel of my blog and my values. For example, I did a sponsored post with Petplan at Christmas, and that’s because I use Petplan to insure my dog.

I don’t do lots of collaborations with brands, to be honest. I tend to write about products that I like and it’s often people I have just spotted online and on social media. With Reg&Bob, for example, Sarah the founder approached me, and it was just after I lost Daisy. I loved her products, so I had an influencer friend – Layla The White Boxer Dog – review them for me. I’ve since gone on to buy products and she has kindly gifted us products, too.

Another is The Cosy Canine Company, I love Lottie’s walking bags and have bought two myself and a fair few as gifts, and she has given discount codes to readers, which is lovely.

If a brand would like to work with me, I am open to this. Particularly dog-friendly travel destinations, although we can’t go very far at the moment.

I also write for other websites too, like Dog Friendly Retreats, and I offer consultancy services to pet businesses who need support with content and media coverage. If anyone is interested in working together, just drop me a message.

For PRs looking to work with you and your blog/website, how would you prefer they approach you and with what kind of content?
The best way is via email, and the main thing I’d like to get across is that I create all the content on my blog.

I don’t have guest posts or content written by anyone other than myself, and I will write it from a journalist perspective. It’s about what I can give to the reader rather than it being a promotional post for the brand.

This feels more authentic to me, but I understand not everyone wants to work this way. In pitches, I’d like them to think about what they can offer to my readers. When PRs do this I’m much more likely to say yes!

What other blogs are you checking out regularly during lockdown?
I love The Dogvine. Patch is in LOVE with Belinha. We met up last year and he was just mesmerised. I have never seen anything like it! So I love checking out her posts and wishing I didn’t live so far away.

Another is Dotty4Paws. Kate is a friend of mine and she has a new Jack Russell puppy called Gertie she got just before lockdown. She’s been doing puppy diaries, which are so cute and really helpful for puppy owners. Gertie is like Patch, but with brown patches instead of black and I feel like her stalker!

Mark at Adventures of Monty Dogge really makes me laugh every time I see his Facebook posts. On Instagram, I love LeCorgi and the work he does with his human Aurelie and Doug the Pug Therapy Dog.

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East London

Re-thinking growth in post-COVID London

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Julian Ellerby is the Director of Local London – a strategic partnership of eight boroughs in the east and north east of the capital. The national pandemic means we need to review how we approach growth while faced with a potential recession. In this guest post, Julian describes some of the potential solutions. 

It’s time to review our approach to growth.

The implication of this pandemic will be wholesale reassessment of how we go about so many aspects of our lives.

Take digital and virtual working. Parliament has reconvened in a hybrid state of physical and virtual meetings. Will that become normal?

The most important lesson we can take from this emergency is resilience. How ready were we, and how ready would we be should something equally catastrophic happen again?

We will need politicians to build harder resilience into policy making to manage future traumas.

The greatest hit however has been on our economy and ability to work.

The use of furlough, grants and tax relief is papering over the cracks, but the fact that more than one million have registered for universal credit is a strong indicator of the impact.

Working here in the most deprived part of the capital, I have seen that COVID-19 will leave our communities even further behind.

With the global financial crash and now the health crisis, we’ve had two international traumas in a dozen years. Who can say when the next will be?

Here in East London we work as a strategic partnership of eight local authorities as a collaborative called Local London. We work for good inclusive growth. That means ensuring benefits are felt by local people and they also have the power to influence how growth impacts on the places they live and work.

To ensure growth is meaningful there are 10 areas that will make it more resilient:

1. Level closer – you must reduce inequality to mitigate future challenges
The greater the levels of inequality, the lower the resilience to manage trauma. Access to the right skills, well-paid employment, secure housing tenure, strong in-work training and a properly funded benefits system all reduce pressure on the system during the calm periods and are essential during times of crisis.

2. Change place thinking to respond to changing habits
The whole concept of workspace is changing and home as ‘office’ is now the norm. We should provide much more collaborative workspaces for those industries that need them and stronger digital capacity. In East London, we need to invest in creating a small number of multi-purpose centres for work, leisure and retail in the same way Stratford has grown following the Olympics. The key is to rethink workspace so that it pre-empts the attitudes and habits of those that access it.

3. Third sector funded effectively and brought closer to local government
The third sector needs sustainable funding arrangements in place that are closely aligned to local government. The finances should be ring-fenced and a proper package of training, development support put in place.

4. Digital infrastructure prioritised over other infrastructure
Digital investment is essential to enable new types of working and a new economy. In the same way major transport infrastructure gets significant attention, we need to apply that to digital. We also need to create effective governance at scale so that all parts of the country have the best digital infrastructure.

5. Devolve responsibility for land to give local accountability
Devolve decisions about industrial land, permitted development, housing builds, workspace and even the green belt through a clear policy framework. Let local government plan strategically for their areas and coordinate strategic planning with neighbouring authorities.

6. Support SME sustainability all year round
SMEs make up over 95% of local businesses across Local London. Six out of 10 new businesses will be gone within three years of inception.  Put in place funded enterprise agencies, better loan schemes supported by training packages and flexible apprenticeship programmes.

7. Address the gig economy up front
There is fragility in employment – low paid zero-hour contracts have inbuilt risk. Employers and employees need to have mitigations in place against risks. This means employment rights, contracts, pay, pensions and job security need a full-scale review.

8. Supply chains monitored and managed
Local authorities are using their own contracts and procurement systems to support local suppliers. But there is not enough knowledge about business interdependency. Agree standards and invest in monitoring supply chains.

9. Invest in innovation as a cross-cutting theme
Invest in innovation across public sector bodies constantly and put money into sharing best practice to scale up.

10. Create regional financial reserves for local government
Introduce regional pooling of reserves, funded initially by Government. This ensures broader strategic decisions are made on where to invest or how and when to call on them.

Building greater resilience into the approach to growth will benefit everyone who lives and works in this part of London and must now be a priority.

 

This guest post is part of a series on Vuelio’s political blog Point of Order, which publishes insight and opinion to help public affairs, policy and comms professionals stay ahead of political change and connect with those who campaign on the issues they care about. To find out more or contribute, get in touch with Vuelio Politics.

Webinar – After the storm: Planning for preparedness post COVID-19

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While the COVID-19 crisis presents challenges for agencies, business and organisations across all levels, their communications teams are under increasing pressure to prepare and plan for strong recoveries when the wider economy starts to improve.

Our next live webinar After the storm: Planning for preparedness post COVID-19 at 3pm on 5 May will cover how to define objectives before building your strategies, planning conversations during times of crisis, insight-led frameworks and setting up for success in time for the eventual upswing.

Sign up to join the live webinar on 5 May 2020

Guest speakers joining the conversation and answering your questions on engaging with stakeholders for best practice planning include Hotwire chief strategy officer Chris Paxton, Question & Retain founder and CEO Annabel Dunstan and Fielding Communications director Kate Fielding.

Join us live for the webinar and Q&A on 5 May or sign up to receive a recording after it airs.

parliament closed

Lockdown Lobbying: Public affairs in a time of isolation

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The latest Vuelio webinar heard from an expert panel comprising of Robin Gordon-Farleigh, a former Downing Street communications strategist and adviser to two former Prime Ministers, Nicole Wilkins, Publisher of Foresight News and Rob Dale, PRCA Consultant of the Year 2019.

The panel reflected on the fact that much of what the public affairs sector does, in terms of building and nurturing relationships with a wide range of different stakeholders at meetings, conferences or other events, simply cannot happen in the usual way at present. It is either happening online instead or is being postponed indefinitely.

The speakers provided practical advice to help listeners maintain policy engagement and ensure that corporate strategies could be updated and revised to cope with the pandemic. They also addressed how public affairs professionals can continue to engage with the policymaking process and have a positive impact in this fast-changing environment.

Dale said in his experience, MPs now fully grasped the ‘enormity’ of the COVID-19 crisis and welcomed engagement from organisations where they already had a link and where people could offer case studies or an international perspective on the pandemic. He recommended against any engagement with MPs where there was no historic link, but did say that All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) could in some cases still work virtually and ‘plug the gaps that Government can’t fill’ in terms of their inquiries.

Gordon-Farleigh explained that most Government departments were ‘forging a new normal’ and life won’t be exactly as it was before for Government any more than it will for anyone else, at least for some time. He said this offered all organisations the opportunity to ‘recalibrate strategies and priorities’ as well as the suggestion that public affairs professionals should ‘review all of their messaging across all channels and be more human centric with an empathetic voice’.

Asked by several listeners about the EU trade negotiations currently underway, the panel thought the Government was benefitting from negotiations not generating front page news in the way they were previously. Gordon-Farleigh suspected that the transition period won’t be extended and pointed out the talks were continuing through this pandemic.

In terms of keeping in touch with stakeholders and updating stakeholder maps, Wilkins said it was important to keep track of people on furlough or those no longer moving roles due to the crisis. Dale said stakeholder mapping is really important and he referred to recent projects he has been aware of that achieved extra support for the fishing industry and for cycling shops in the current crisis, which came about by coordinated pressure from MPs across the House of Commons speaking to Ministers with one voice on behalf of those key sectors. He added: ‘Politics is still about being in the room, body language and relationships, so you should be thinking about what you can do when things return to normal’.

In terms of practicalities of arranging events in parliament or elsewhere, Dale advised booking two or three dates for rooms now allowing for a staggered return to normal business if refundable bookings are possible.

In terms of advice on organisations seeking coverage of their campaigns, Wilkins advised that people should target individuals in the ‘political and media spheres, who you know are interested in your issue’ so that these people are already aware of the issue and to ensure that the campaign stands the best chance of gaining traction.

Asked by listeners about delays to the Government’s next Spending Review or a possible emergency Budget, Gordon-Farleigh said he could perceive such an emergency Budget and added: ‘A lot of spending will be reviewed. Government will want to prioritise boosting the economy to turbo charge our recovery’.

Finally asked about tips for public affairs agencies, Dale advised that agencies should: ‘Keep talking to clients, deal with the here and now but also look at what you’ll be doing in six months to help their members out of it. Retaining clients will be a big focus as many will be looking to reduce their spend’.

PR Guide to the NLA

The PR guide to the NLA

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You may know the NLA as the company you have to pay a licensing fee to for access to print and online monitoring clips and coverage. It was founded in 1996 by publishers including Associated Newspapers, the Financial Times, Guardian Media Group and ESI Media to licence their copyrighted content for use by businesses, government bodies and public relations agencies. If you work in PR, it is a necessary investment for sharing the coverage you get in newspapers, magazines and news websites with your clients, co-workers or shareholders.

Here’s what else you need to know about the service, and which licence might be best for you.

What is the NLA?
NLA media access, in its own words, is ‘a publisher-owned rights licensing and publisher services business’. It manages collective rights on behalf of its members, enabling access to paper and digital copies of newspaper, magazine and news website content. It is used by media monitoring firms, press cutting agencies, PR agencies, in-house PR teams and freelancers – over 150,000 businesses are currently licenced by the NLA.

If you want to share coverage you or your clients get in the media with customers, or internally at your agency, the NLA is the place where you can get a licence to do that.

Why do PRs need an NLA licence?
Not having a licence and sharing copyrighted content would be like burning a DVD of a film and passing it on at the pub, but on a much bigger scale and with fewer 2001 vibes. The technology for sharing and using copyrighted content has (thankfully) moved on – a NLA licence will enable you to access and use the copy they manage, both internally and externally of your organisation or agency. A subscription to a media database or media monitoring service isn’t likely to include an NLA licence as part of the contract because it needs to be held directly by the end-user.

Which NLA licence should you get?
Which licence you’ll need depends on the size of your business, whether you’re working in-house, and where you’ll be sharing NLA-licenced content.

A PR Client Service Licence, exclusively for PR agencies, will grant you the right to supply articles from publications represented by the NLA in any format for your clients – but you’ll need to pay a flat fee for each client you have. If your agency has a team of five or fewer, this licence will also allow for internal copying.

Standard PR Agency Licences also grant agencies the ability to supply those articles, but those shared with clients will need to be itemised – by format (hard copy, web), by client, content type and delivery. Find out more about the price list for this licence on the NLA website here.

There is also the Business Licence, for agencies who monitor the media for their own purposes and circulate content internally-only, and the Web End User Licence, which is the same but for online content.

And if you post clips on your social media pages or corporate website, a Corporate Website Republishing Licence is what you’ll need.

Want something more simple? That’ll be The Simplified Licence, which permits copying from all the newspapers, mags and websites represented by the NLA just like the Business Licence, the Web End User Licence, and the Standard PR Licence. It doesn’t do the same job as the PR Client Services Licence or Corporate Web Republishing Licence, however, so check out more information on the differences over on the NLA Media Access website (along with some interactive forms for applying for the right one once you’ve found it).

How much does a licence cost?
It depends on the number of users, the size of your business, how many titles you monitor and how much you wish to share – work out how much it would cost for you on the NLA Business Licence page.

Which publications does the NLA cover?
Many – but not all of them. The NLA mostly licenses UK newspapers and news websites, but also some international titles and magazines. Look through the current list of publications an NLA licence can cover on the website.

Does the NLA affect titles with paywalls online?
Whether a title is paywalled or not, if the outlet is a member of the NLA, a licence from them is what you need.

Is an NLA licence all a PR needs to start sharing media content?
Well, not quite. Publishers decide which organisation will collect copyright on their behalf – some work with the NLA, some even manage this directly themselves, like the Financial Times. Thousands of other magazines and websites are licensed by the CLA (the Copyright Licensing Agency) – a CLA Media Consultancy Licence allows PR and comms agencies to copy and reuse published materials from these publications internally and with their clients. Search for what you can share with a CLA licence here, and find further information on the CLA website.

Lockdown lobbying: How is public affairs surviving in a time of self-isolation?

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Join three experts in the UK public affairs sector to discuss how the sector is reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic and what should be done to maintain policy engagement.

It has been confirmed by the First Secretary of State Dominic Raab that the UK lockdown restrictions will continue for at least another three weeks, and many will now be well-adjusted to remote working, not least in the public affairs sector.

Parliament, for example, has adapted to allow virtual questioning of Ministers for the first time in its 700-year history using Zoom once it returns from recess on 21 April.

The House of Commons Commission chaired by the Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has announced that following the delivery of ‘hybrid proceedings’ for questioning Ministers and for PMQs led by Dominic Raab in the Prime Minister’s absence, the House will then consider extending this model for debates, motions and legislation as soon as possible.

MPs are also able to consider new temporary arrangements for remote voting. Many select Committees have already held virtual committee meetings thanks to platforms like Zoom and this is set to increase in number when the House of Commons returns.

As the First Secretary of State set five clear conditions that must be met before the Government, led by its Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) Committee, will consider relaxing any of the measures brought in to reduce the spread of COVID-19, this situation is clearly set to continue into May and perhaps even longer. Raab said in terms of relaxing the strict health and economic restrictions: ‘We will only do it when the evidence demonstrates that it is safe to do it’.

MPs are finding that their workload in terms of constituency casework and enquiries has increased significantly. One senior MP advised Vuelio that they are seeing an increase in cases of people ‘trying to access the various business support schemes’ as well as those stuck overseas and trying to return to the UK, or people trying to access benefits through the DWP and needing assistance. MPs are also seeing traditional lobbying continue as well, with various advice and suggestions on how to deal with the pandemic being sent to Ministers and backbenchers daily.

With this ongoing challenge for the public affairs sector in mind, Vuelio is hosting a webinar to discuss some of the key issues for our sector including:

  • How to keep your political audiences engaged during lockdown
  • How COVID-19 could impact policymaking for the long term
  • The implications for your organisational strategy
  • Tactics for updating your stakeholder map
  • The opportunities that exist for you to maximise engagement

The webinar guests are Robin Gordon-Farleigh, a former Downing Street communications strategist and adviser to two former Prime Ministers, Nicole Wilkins, Publisher of Foresight News and Rob Dale, PRCA Consultant of the Year 2019.

Sign up to attend the webinar or, if you can’t join us live, to receive the recording afterwards.

Hayley Hall

Beauty Blogger Spotlight with Hayley Hall

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‘The beauty industry is so intrinsically linked with how we feel about ourselves and has such a great power to boost our mood – which has never been more important.’ There’s much more to beauty than many people realise according to top 10 UK beauty blogger Hayley Hall. Read on for her looking-after-yourself-during-lockdown tips and make some plans for staying in this weekend.

What keeps you passionate about blogging on beauty?
The fact that there’s always something to talk about, always something new to experience. But mainly because the beauty industry is so intrinsically linked with how we feel about ourselves and has such a great power to boost our mood – which has never been more important than now. Beauty has long been pinned as vacuous and superficial, but it’s an industry powerfully intertwined with wellbeing and confidence.

What’s your favourite thing to post about and why?
More thought pieces about trends, or explanations on ingredients; my background is in beauty brand development and marketing, so I like to be able to use my knowledge and understanding to build content that’s more than just ‘this is pretty, buy it!’

How have you had to change your approach and content now that people are self-isolating?
I’m still sharing reviews, recommendations and information – as the majority of my content is evergreen and relevant no matter the time. But I’m also adding in suggestions of things to do during lockdown, products that help (i.e. the best hand creams for cracked skin) and my own thoughts and observations. My content is always led by what’s going on in the wider world, and this is no different.

Hayley Hall 2

What beauty advice would you give people who are unable to get out and access the new beauty releases?
Shop your own stash! We all have so many products lying around that we forget about, so have a rummage in your cupboards and categorise them into products you can use daily and those you can reach for a treat; there are also so many things you can make from home – and Pinterest is a great source for that.

What makeup tips do you have for looking good on cam during video chats for work and keeping up with friends?
To be honest, looking good on Zoom is the least of our worries at the moment! But a decent radiant CC Cream fixes all issues, while a pop of lipstick makes you look more awake than anything else could!

Do you think the big beauty brands are open enough about their cruelty-free status?
They’re getting better, but more transparency is needed on their supply chain and the ingredients they use; a lot of them undermine their own good work by only telling us half the story.

What have been some of the worst ‘gimmick’ products or trends over the last few years in beauty or makeup?
Vibrating mascaras – utterly pointless. Those awful lip plumping vacuum things that caused people to look like they’d been in a fight. And super long pointy nails are not my thing; how do you get anything done?!

How do you collaborate with brands, and which kind of brands do you really like working with?
Most of my collaborations start either with a pre-existing relationship or a query from a brand that loves what I do; a conversation usually ensues around what they want to achieve, what their budget or constraints are and what ‘must haves’ are in place. The best partnerships are two way and involve me in as much of the campaign as possible, right from the beginning of the brief writing process, and are long term – trust and engagement takes a long time to build, so a singular Instagram post won’t build the level of sales most brands want alone. It’s part of a much bigger puzzle.

For PRs looking to work with you and your blog/website, how would you prefer they approach you and with what kind of content?
Always on email (please don’t Insta DM me – it’s unprofessional, intrusive and hard to keep track of) and always with an angle or story, never a long list of expectations. If you ask me to guarantee coverage in return for a sample, I won’t engage with you to be honest; but leave me to my own devices and I’m likely to share it in a way that’s authentic and beneficial.

What other blogs do you check out regularly (whether beauty-related or not)?
Too many to mention! I have hundreds in my feed.

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CIPR Progress Launch

CIPR launches free Progress mentor scheme for members

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The Chartered Institute of Public Relations has launched Progress, a free mentoring scheme for its members providing a space for discussion, opportunities and planning out future career paths.

Progress launches with 48 mentors who will offer their perspectives on current challenges. Mentees can connect with CIPR Fellows with specialisms in career progression and comms as well as those with experience in specific industry sectors including corporate and finance, health and medical, and local public services.

‘I’ve always given the advice that everyone needs a mentor, no matter what level you’re at, and I am so pleased that we’ve been able to offer one for free,’ said chair of the CIPR Fellows’ Forum and project lead Laura Sutherland. ‘I’d encourage all CIPR members to consider their needs and if they feel a mentor would be of benefit, visit the website and find your match.’

Visit the Progress website here for mentor profiles and more information on connecting with them.

Dr Philippa Whitford MP: Lockdown shouldn’t end until the COVID-19 peak has passed

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 The SNP’s Shadow Health and Social Care SNP Spokesperson, Dr Philippa Whitford MP, writes that extensive testing and contact tracing must be established before the current lockdown can be reviewed.

Boris Johnson’s Government was apparently warned in mid-January about the threat posed by COVID-19, yet took little significant action, beyond advising us all to ‘Wash our hands’ until mid-March. Nor, despite the failings highlighted by the 2016 flu pandemic exercise, Operation Cygnus, were efforts made to prepare health and social care services, by purchasing additional ventilators and PPE while they were still available.

As late as 11 March, the day COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the reality of asymptomatic spread was still being denied by the Secretary of State in the House of Commons.

During the ‘containment’ phase, the UK chose not to follow the WHO guidance on testing, contact tracing and isolating cases to break the chain of infection. This meant that when, on 16 March, the UK Government finally recognised the potentially appalling death toll of sticking with their ‘herd immunity’ policy, the only option left to them was to initiate physical distancing; followed on the 23 March by lockdown.

Prior to the lockdown, the number of new infections was accelerating exponentially as every case of COVID-19 was able to infect two to three other people who could each, in turn, infect three others. Cases were doubling every few days but, for a long time, the numbers seemed quite low and UK Government ministers appeared complacent.

Having missed the opportunity to contain the infection, maintaining ‘safe distancing’ has become critical to minimising the number of people ill with COVID-19 at any one time and ensuring health services are not overwhelmed but have sufficient resources to treat everyone, including those who become ill from other causes during the outbreak.

There have been suggestions that the number of new cases is stabilising rather than accelerating. While any improvement is welcome, it is simply too early to tell when we will reach the peak. The number of people infected is still rising and, while the UK might be approaching the peak, it is certainly not yet coming down the other side.

To avoid taunting the public, it would have been better to be honest from the start, as was the case in Scotland, that the lockdown would require about 12 weeks rather than be up for review in three. The suggestion that those under 30 years could soon come out of lockdown is particularly concerning as the young have often, mistakenly, thought they were immune to COVID-19 and may now start to rebel against current advice. Based on the predicted mortality of 0.03% for those aged 20-30 years, this could result in the loss of 630 young adults – surely far too high a price to pay.

Throughout this crisis, there has clearly been a tussle within the Cabinet about the balance between the health impacts and economic damage. The leak of recent Home Office discussions has raised concerns that the dangerous herd immunity strategy is still being pursued, particularly as the UK Government encouraged construction and manufacturing to continue in England despite the supposed ‘lockdown’.

No reduction in the lockdown should be considered until the peak of the epidemic is passed, and extensive testing and contact tracing established. Otherwise we are likely to see another surge in cases and further loss of life.

The UK Government failed to use its two months’ grace to properly contain the epidemic or prepare healthcare services for what they would face. They must not now compound those mistakes, through impatience, by lifting the lockdown prematurely.

Dr Philippa Whitford is the SNP’s Westminster Spokesperson for Health and Social Care & Europe. She is the MP for Central Ayrshire.

Government support for charities is welcome to ensure they survive this crisis

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The Head of Media at the Charities Aid Foundation, Caroline Mallan, welcomes the additional Government support for charities announced last week by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

At the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), we were very pleased to see the Chancellor’s package of assistance for charities announced just before the Easter break – it was a welcome first step for so many charities facing uncertain futures. Moreover, Mr Sunak’s recognition in his remarks of the value of civil society – the charities, non-profits and advocacy organisations that speak for those who so often have no voice – set a gracious tone for those of us working to ensure that the charities that we rely on in our day to day lives are going to be there for the months and years to come.

We need them to survive not just because of the invaluable support they are providing on the frontlines of the battle against coronavirus, but also because when the day finally arrives when we emerge from this crisis, their mission will not have diminished.

At CAF, we have created an emergency fund for small charities, offering grants of up to £10,000 to help them survive the effects of the COVID-19 crisis. It is very telling that the fund had to pause accepting new applications after just one week when more than 5,000 organisations applied for help. Their requests totalled more than £37m, even though the initial fund was created with just £5m – a sum that we are hoping to grow thanks to the generosity of CAF’s many donors.

The statistic that has always struck me out of our extensive research into charitable giving is one from a couple of years back, that found that three-quarters of all households in the UK had used a charity in some way in recent months, but three in 10 people did not even realise that they had done so. It is just one number, but for me it speaks to the inherent role that charities play in our lives.

If you have cycled on a canal tow path, you have used a charity. If you have visited a historic palace, you have used a charity. If you have attended a small theatre production, you have used a charity. If a loved one is ill and needs to go into hospice, you will be using a charity. If a loved one suffers from dementia and spends time in a day centre – vital to offering respite to primary care givers living with people with complex and emotionally taxing health issues – then chances are that service was provided by a charity.

Charities are everywhere, they clothe the poor, feed the needy and care for the vulnerable – both people and animals. They are the guardians of our natural world and for many, they are the only connection to the world outside their own homes.

Our work at CAF is to champion charities. I can honestly say that we have never been busier or more focused on the job we have ahead of us. Many of our private clients took hours, not days or weeks, to get in touch to ask us how they could help. Our charity clients have been candid and forthcoming in helping us tell the story of the need that exists out there. The businesses we work with have never been more engaged as they strive to help in any way they can. It is heartening during some difficult times to see the depth of generosity that exists and gratifying to be able to play a small part in telling their stories and helping charities to navigate these unprecedented, choppy waters.

Caroline Mallan is the Head of Media at the Charities Aid Foundation.

PRCA

PRCA makes series of measures to reduce costs

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The PRCA is reconfiguring its model to deliver services by reducing central costs. Changes announced include director general Francis Ingham reducing his pay to zero, pay reductions for all staff, and a furloughing of a third of employees for at least the next two months.

These cost reductions will enable PRCA’s new focus on virtual engagement that will include conferences, such as 20-21 May’s PRCA International Summit; group events like 16 April’s B Corp Group event; interactive online classrooms; and support programmes such as its Global COVID-19 Communications Taskforce.

The association will continue to support the industry with its legal helpline for all practitioners, lobbying of central Government for further business support and the six-month free individual membership initiative for those who have lost jobs or income as a result of COVID-19.

Director general Francis Ingham said of the measures: ‘We know that more than ever, members need support and the industry needs a voice, and we are determined to fulfil both of those roles with energy and determination. These staffing changes will help us do just that by cutting back on back-office functions and focusing on what matters right now.’

‘These are unprecedented times for every sector and it is vital that the PRCA continues to support the industry and its members,’ said PRCA chairman Jim Donaldson. ‘The measures being taken represent significant sacrifices for PRCA staff members and I know all of us hope they will be temporary until the height of this pandemic is over.’

Read more about the resources and support the PRCA are offering during the coronavirus crisis here.

Carie-Barkhuizen

Making the right name for yourself during challenging times

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This is a guest post from Carie Barkhuizen, founder of Seymour PR, on building a positive brand identity during unusual times.

Your brand identity is how customers perceive you. During these unprecedented times, it can be more important than ever.

Right now, consumers are sensitive, exposed and changing their purchasing behaviours. Being confined to the home means we’re inevitably scrolling, browsing and consuming much more information than we usually would. In fact, a generation that hasn’t typically engaged with digital media is learning to do so in order to stay connected with the outside world.

For businesses of all sizes, it’s now more important than ever for your digital presence to be strong, clear and active – whether you do business online or not.

It comes down to the fact that in today’s world, you are who Google says you are. Fact. A simple way to look at it is to view your online brand as a person; someone unique, with their own beliefs, values, look and feel. Your brand identity is what sets you apart from others.

However, the difficulty here, both now and outside of a global crisis, is that building an online profile can take time. And it can be costly. We are regularly approached by start-ups and small businesses who want to build their presence online but have limited budgets, which could potentially be even more limited when we come out the other side of COVID-19.

To help with this problem, my team at Seymour PR has partnered with digital marketing agency Brandlective to launch Profile Kickstarter; a service that offers businesses without huge PR and marketing budgets a means to quickly build brand identity online.

During the course of developing this service we’ve learned some lessons about what to consider when building an online profile:

1) Start with your story
We’re all consumers, so we know that the best brands are those that sell us an authentic story. Often, start-ups and small brands leave PR until the end of their marketing plan, which can have a major impact on the quality of storytelling that they can produce when the time is right. But the story is how we connect with a brand and ultimately what leads to purchasing decisions.

When telling your brand’s story, assess whether it includes some, or all, of the core news values; impact, timeliness, prominence, proximity, bizarreness and conflict. Effective use of these values will guarantee your name in headlines.

Right now, timeliness is the most important. The world is feeling sensitive and rightly so. Don’t talk about how your brand helps with the commute, being promoted at work or family days out when the world is on lock down.

2) Be clear
To build a strong brand identity, it’s important to establish a clear mission statement and set of brand values from the get-go. Your brand must send a concise message across your website, social media, and all marketing and editorial materials.

3) Don’t be afraid of the little guys
We all want to see our name written on the pink pages of the FT, or the front cover of TIME. But when it comes to media, you’re most likely going to have to work your way to the top, so don’t dismiss smaller online media outlets.

4) The customer comes first
Your job is to be the solution to your customer’s problem. Sometimes, that means stepping outside your comfort zone. Stacey Kehoe, communications director at Brandlective said: ‘Around 79% of brands lack engagement online. You must remember it’s not about you, it’s about considering where your audience spends its time online. A common mistake that brands make is that they tell the right story on the wrong platform. Make sure you’re building your brand identity on a platform that your customers are actually using, rather than your favourite platform.’

More information on Profile Kickstarter can be found here.

PRCA-COVID-Taskforce

Support service for comms leaders is launched by PRCA COVID-19 Taskforce

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A free consultation service for communications leaders in need of support or advice through the COVID-19 crisis has been launched by the PRCA’s Global COVID-19 Taskforce.

Led by Lansons chief executive and co-founder Tony Langham and supported by deputy chairs Rachel Friend and Rod Cartwright, the service connects those in need of help with advisers from around the world for 30-minute consultations. A form for requesting this support, as well as the list of advisers available, can be found here.

‘We all make better decisions when we talk things through with someone from outside our day to day world,’ said COVID-19 communications taskforce chair Tony Langham of the work of the Taskforce. ‘The PRCA is hugely grateful to our volunteers and to the other international communications associations who have agreed to join us in rolling out on this important initiative’.

The full list of more than 50 volunteers who have joined the effort so far can be found on the PRCA website. Other in-house and consultant communications leaders who wish to give their time to help as part of the Taskforce can email Neha Khatwani ([email protected]).

Journalism

5 pitch tips from journalists

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We regularly speak to our community to find out how they work and what best practice looks like. We’ve recently been talking to journalists who use the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service to source information and receive PR pitches through the media database.

Here are five top tips from these journalists, to help every PR pitch successfully.

1. Read the request

A common piece of feedback we receive from journalists using ResponseSource is about the quality of responses they get to their enquiries. While most are great, they often get replies trying their luck at getting coverage for something completely unrelated to what they asked for. The best way to build good relationships is to respond to exactly what the journalist is after when they reach out to you.

2. Have spokespeople available

If you’re offering up an expert to provide comment, make sure they’re available for the journalist to speak to before putting them forward. This is especially important in this time of lockdown when schedules and technological capabilities are often flexible. When working to tight deadlines it’s vital you can provide spokespeople asap.

3. Embargoed press releases

If you’ve got embargo-worthy news, make sure it’s exclusive to a journalist or media outlet to break the news. This can be agreed beforehand so both parties know what to expect from the relationship.

4. The follow-up!

Every journalist has their own preference for if, how or when to follow-up on a pitch or a reply to a journalist request. You’ll score points by doing your research here, a good media database like ours, provides pitch tips on each person’s profile. You should also tap into the experience of your colleagues across the industry, many of whom have best practice stories to help you reach the right person.

5. Building your network

Every journalist we spoke to told us they build their contacts through working with PRs and experts who are reliable and can get the information they need, when they need it. Sign up to receive journalist enquiries to build out your network, and see how a detailed media database can improve your relationships across the industry.