Roxbury Community College (RCC) wanted to drum up attention around its 2022 Commencement Ceremony. RCC’s keynote speaker – Rob Hale, founder of Granite Telecommunications – planned to give $1,000 to each of RCC’s class of more than 150 college graduates. Half of the money was for the graduates to keep, and half was to pay forward to someone else. We wanted to alert the media of the gift ahead of the event, so that they could attend and catch the students’ reactions, but we did not want the media to announce the impending gift in advance of the ceremony and thus ruin the surprise for the college graduates. What was our solution? We used an embargo.
A news “embargo” refers to an agreement between the source (organizations and PR practitioners) and media outlets to delay the publication of a news story until a specified date and time. An embargo will give reporters time to schedule an interview, delve deeper into the subject matter, consult experts, write their story, and fact-check all before the news is disseminated widely to the public. On the source’s side, it gives the organization control over the timing and release of the information.
The RCC embargo was a huge success. We were able to get reporters from each major news station and outlet to cover the event without tipping off the students. In the end, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, WCVB, Boston 25, WBZ-TV, NBC-10, and WHDH, all attended and covered the amazing announcement.
So, how can you use an embargo to generate media attention in a controlled way? Here’s a few dos and don’ts:
- DO be selective about with whom you entrust your story. One of the greatest advantages of an embargo is that you decide who gets to hear your news and tell the story. At Teak Media, we find journalists and outlets that we trust to tell the story well and who have a strong track record of delivering accurate and reliable coverage.
- DON’T use an embargo for everything. Embargoes should be reserved for large announcements that the media would be anxious to share with the public. Creating an embargo for something run-of-the-mill could hurt your credibility with media outlets.
- DO plan in advance. There’s a lot that goes into an embargo, including aligning on target reporters, lining up schedules with your spokesperson and facilitating those interviews, sharing information and materials (including photos and data points) to reporters, fact-checking articles, and more. Plan in advance to give yourself enough leeway to do the job well.
- DON’T overlook the details. Clearly communicate the embargo terms, including the specific date and times the embargo lifts. Details, such as specifying the time zone, are essential, especially if you’re pitching nationally or internationally. Reporters are busy people – call attention to the embargo by making it easy to see. Place follow-up calls to make sure the reporters understand that the information is not to be shared until the specified details or restrictions are met.
PR embargoes serve as a powerful strategic tool to control the release of information and maximize media coverage. By implementing embargoes effectively, organizations give their stories a better chance at getting covered and in a way, they would like it to be shared with the world.
