With Halloween fast approaching, we feel it’s our duty as your friendly neighbourhood PR agency to provide some guidance around how you can prevent your brand from falling victim to a Halloween horror story. Here are some common pitfalls that keep us comms people awake at night… 

Trend or Treat?   

Whether it be a celebrity scandal or a strange new social craze, as a brand it’s important to know which trends to jump on – and which stories to ghost.   

It can be tempting to hop on the bandwagon when things are blowing up, especially when every other brand seems to be, but sometimes doing this can do more harm than good. Jumping on every trend might make your brand appear inauthentic and interested in appealing more to relevancy than to originality. It’s also important to weigh up the risk of backlash, especially if a story is controversial or sensitive – which could lead to a PR nightmare and lasting damage to your brand reputation. (Read our full blog post on this here.)  

Before jumping on a trend, consider: Will this trend resonate with our audience? Is this trend contribute anything relevant or original? Does this trend align with our brand image and values? If the answer to these questions is no, then consider sitting it out – not every trend is a treat.  

On not ghosting your audience 

In life, mistakes are inevitable. It’s how you respond to those mistakes that makes all the difference. Number one crisis communications tip: whatever you do, DO NOT avoid addressing the issue.  

When something goes wrong, it can be tempting to resort to silence and hope the problem clears itself up, but this can often make things worse. As a brand, you should prioritise addressing criticism and concerns head-on, where appropriate. Communicating openly with your audience and taking accountability can help build trust and prevent a simple mistake from spiraling into a full-blown PR crisis.  

You can’t always stop a PR nightmare from brewing, but you can always control how you respond to it. TLDR: don’t ghost your audience! Listen to their concerns, address them appropriately and show that your brand cares.  

No spooky surprises   

PR isn’t always just about what you communicate to your audience. A huge element of the work surrounds how you and your client team communicate behind the scenes. Trust us when we say the quickest way to spook anyone is poor communication: being left in the dark, missed deadlines or unexpected surprises from both sides can damage trust over time.  

Strong, long-lasting partnerships are built on clear communication. That means setting clear expectations from the outset, flagging issues as soon as they arise and being open and honest at all times. 

Don’t bleed your brand dry   

When working on PR projects, time and resources should be handled with care – yet sometimes brands can find themselves pouring everything into activities which offer little benefit in return.  

This means any opportunity which could potentially drain your resources and suck the life from your communications strategy – like focusing too much on chasing every media opportunity rather than being selective and strategic, or investing in an activation that doesn’t cater to your target audience.  

As a brand, you should ensure that all of your PR activity has a clear purpose. Set measurable objectives, prioritise opportunities that align with your goals and regularly review what’s working and what’s not- and don’t be afraid to say no to opportunities that aren’t the right fit. 

To put it simply: don’t waste time, money and effort on PR activities that won’t move your brand forward. Retire what doesn’t work and don’t try to reanimate dead!  

Keep the scares at bay   

In short, successful communication is all about making smart decisions, building trust and knowing where to focus your energy. By staying authentic, communicating openly, keeping everyone informed and making the most of your resources, you can avoid common PR pitfalls that could come back to haunt your brand.  

This Halloween, make sure your PR toolkit is full of treats, not tricks!  

Looking for a PR agency in Belfast to help keep your brand reputation scare-free? Get in touch with our team…