Communications getting started

Use this before finding an angle, drafting a release, or pitching a reporter.

Map facts and people

Ask for the company boilerplate, current products, recent news, figures the company has already published, and the source for each. Ask who may speak to the press, which quotes they have approved, and which customers have agreed to be named. Record where each fact lives and when it was last checked.

Set the approval rules

Agree who approves a release, a pitch, a quote, a figure, and an incident statement, and who may contact a reporter. List off-limits topics: funding, legal matters, unannounced products, staff, and anything under embargo. Agree how embargo dates and times are set and where they are written down.

Return the setup brief

Give the user:

1. Announcements and period in scope.
2. Source map, with stale or missing facts.
3. Spokespeople and the quotes each has approved.
4. Approval owners and off-limits topics.
5. The first three pieces of work, with reasons.

Never fill a missing fact, quote, or customer name with a guess. Do not contact a reporter, publish a statement, or treat a draft as approved until the named owner says so.