Get Set in September 

The ‘summer slowdown’ is something many businesses are familiar with. Of course this is dependent on the industry, but it does hold true for PR across most sectors. Throughout August, many phones go straight to answering machines and emails head to the graveyard of holiday backlog. However, this year, it seems the established cycle of business activity has been shaken up. 

Has Covid Counteracted the Summer Slowdown?

We work across a range of industries and have noticed that there has been significant activity right through from June to August. Clients we are working with, and their partners, seem as busy as ever, and the media keen for good quality material. 

So, in our experience it seems like the 2021 summer slowdown did not appear, which could be as a result of several reasons:  

  1. Business activity has been boosted by ‘reopening’ and the relaxation of restrictions in many industries across Europe, the UK and US. Customers and businesses were eager to resume activity, events resumed ‘in person’ and there was a lot of time to make up for – resulting in a lot more PR activity.
  2. Media outlets are hungry for news following a stagnated period at the beginning of this year where we were completely saturated with ‘Covid’ news. Of course, Covid is still hitting the headlines, but a shift to normal activity has been refreshing.
  3. Working from home has become the new normal and our productivity patterns have changed. Media have become accustomed to answering rerouted calls on mobiles or responding/working at out of hours times. 

Take Stock in September

It seems like positive news that there has been so much activity over the summer. However, there are a few pointers that we need to take from this. 

  1. If your business normally experiences a summer slowdown and you utilise this time to get admin in order or take stock with your team then don’t miss this out. Get your communications in order, check the to-do list of tasks that may have slipped and try to schedule in time to manage them in the next few months. 
  2. Stay aware. Keep on top of what is going on in your industry. Taking the time to do a review of trade publications, competitor news and sector news is key as we turn another corner in the Covid-19 timeline. In order to stay ahead you and your PR team should be well armed with a knowledge of recent news, as well as competitor messaging and activity, to make informed PR decisions for the autumn and winter ahead.
  3. Review PR, marketing or sales strategy in September and reflect on the year so far.  End of year reviews are crucial, but before we know it December will be here and pre-empting plans for 2022 will help during these uncertain times. Meet with your PR team following a busy summer to review, refresh and prepare. What has worked in terms of PR? Are there any gaps or opportunities we missed? How can we make improvements? What are the company’s focuses for the end of year/2022? What news or announcements are upcoming? 
  4. Get creative. Once you’ve done your research and made some strategic plans, brainstorm some creative ideas to have on file, ready for a quiet period, or for a big boost to PR.

Maintaining the momentum

The New Year always sneaks quickly up on us before we know it, but with all the upheaval, this year seems to have flown by faster than ever. With the continuing uncertainty, but positive movement for many businesses, the most effective way to maintain this momentum is to plan and prepare for all eventualities. Keep getting your name out there, and use September to refresh and review in readiness for 2022.