6 Things Publicists Should Do/Not Do During All These Devastating Layoffs Across the Industry
It's rough out there, but here's how you can navigate this evolving situation
It’s a rough week in the media world, my friends.
If you haven’t heard by now, there have been a slew of editorial layoffs over the last few days (links to news stories below):
Business Insider laid off 8% of it’s staff today
LA Times cut 20% of its staff
Time Magazine cut 15% of its staff
Pitchfork is being folded in with GQ
National Geographic also laid off staff this week, but I don’t have details
NBC News also had layoffs
Apparently Forbes Union has staged the first walkout in the magazine’s history starting today.
And New York Daily News is also walking out.
It’s a tough time to say the least. And we don’t know if it’s over or if there’s even more to come.
Wondering how to proceed? Much like my 9 Steps for Handling Media Outreach During a Tragedy, I want to help you navigate this devastating time in our industry with a free post (this is not information I’d ever paywall — and in fact, I’d really appreciate if you shared this post with your colleagues).
Here are some do’s and don’ts to consider:
Do pause your cold pitching. I’ve already noticed my inbox has slowed way down today … which means a lot of you have already figured out that now’s not a great time to send cold pitches. Many journalists are not in the headspace to be creative right now (which is needed to read through a pitch and decide how/what we should do with it) and our editors may no longer be at the publications we contribute to. Give us a little time to wrap our heads around these changes. We don’t want to have transactional interactions right now. And please, pause the follow-ups too.
Do continue to get info to the writers you are working on current stories with. If you have a story in the works with a writer, please get them the info you promised … we don’t have the extra mental energy to chase things down right now. Please help make our lives a bit easier if you can. We are in panic mode and still trying to crank out copy and meet deadlines even though our hearts may not be in it.
Do engage on social media posts about layoffs. The relations part of your public relations job is so crucial … reach out to your favorite writers/editors and check in on them or watch their social media accounts for updates and respond accordingly. See how they are doing. Make us feel seen and heard. Offer to help introduce those impacted by these layoffs to editors you know or clients who need content writing (or maybe your own agency needs help with brand stories for clients or press releases and wants to outsource them to excellent writers). Share and comment on social media posts from writers/editors who are looking for work to help raise visibility and increase reach.
Don’t start your emails with “Hope all is well” or “Happy Thursday!” Please be sensitive in your communications … some of your favorite writers and editors have just had their lives turned upside down. And even if the person you are writing to still has their job, they could have friends/family/coworkers who are impacted. We all feel this pain … this is a small community and we are all connected.
Don’t expect things to publish as quickly as you’d hoped. Freelancers are scrambling to figure out if their editors are still on staff or who they can reach out to about current assignments. Remaining staff writers/editors are trying to figure out how to divvy up the workload amongst themselves and get all this work done with fewer resources. Things are in flux. Things will fall through the cracks. It’s nobody’s fault, so please be patient.
Do inform and educate your clients. Please let your clients know what’s going on in the industry … it will help you manage their expectations. Don’t let them talk you into pushing things with writers/editors right now, as it will only damage your long-term relationships and that will ultimately damage their long-term editorial opportunities. Educate, educate, educate.
You really do have an opportunity to help make a difference here, in the lives of the writers and editors you work with every day. Let’s lean on each other to get through these dark times. And let’s pray this is the last of the layoff news for a while … this has been a LOT for January :(
Thank you for reading,
Jill
I'm heartbroken to keep hearing news like this. My heart is with you and appreciate your willingness to still educate us during this time. Hugs.
This is great advice! As a freelancer, it is really difficult for me when people take the business as usual approach at a time like this. I appreciate you educating your colleagues.