When the Media Comes Knocking, Don't Automatically Say "No Comment"

WHY A TOUGH INTERVIEW TODAY CAN PAY OFF LATER

Going "no comment" or sending a quick statement is the easy solution when your company is in a tough spot and the media comes knocking.

But a case I worked on this spring and summer is a great example of why it’s often better to lean in instead of closing the door.

Before I get into it, quick background on me: I spent 10 years working in national and local media before moving into strategic communications. My perspective on this is grounded in understanding both sides of the issue.

Here are a few reasons why I usually advise clients to consider taking the interview—and why, time and time again, it's been the right decision.

Case Study: Leading Fruit Producer Files for Bankruptcy

One of my clients, a leading fruit producer, received significant media interest when the company filed for bankruptcy. We had reporters from both trade and national news outlets reaching out.

The reality was that the story was already out there.

Journalists had enough information in the court filings to write their stories whether we participated or not. Declining an interview wasn't going to kill the story. It was just going to ensure our perspective and key messages weren't part of it.

There was another consideration: this wasn't going to be the end of the company's story.

We knew there would be important milestones ahead that we'd eventually want to communicate. Being responsive and helpful to reporters during a difficult moment gave us an opportunity to start building relationships we could continue as the story evolved.

So, I advised the owner to do the interviews.

We spent time preparing beforehand so he knew how to navigate the tough questions, bridge back to our key messages and feel confident going into the conversations.

The resulting coverage gave us an opportunity to reinforce some of the messages that mattered a lot to the company in that moment: operations would continue uninterrupted and customers could remain confident in their supply.

Had we simply said "no comment," the stories still would have run. We just wouldn't have had a voice in them.

The Relationship Doesn't End With One Story

A few months later, we had a very different story we wanted to tell.

Harvest was going well, and customers—many of them among the largest grocery chains in the U.S.—needed to feel confident that they'd have produce on their shelves despite the bankruptcy filing.

This was an opportunity to use media coverage as third-party validation of what we were already telling stakeholders.

I found an interesting nugget of information unique to that year's harvest and reached back out to the journalists we'd worked with around the bankruptcy filing.

They wrote the story.

That coverage helped reinforce an important message for the business: despite everything happening in the restructuring, harvest was strong and the company was continuing to deliver for its customers.

Would those reporters have covered it if we'd ignored their calls a few months earlier and then suddenly showed up asking them to write a positive story about us? 

Hard to say, but probably not. We were in a much better position to ask because we'd already established ourselves as responsive, credible sources.

One Interview Can Build a Longer-Term Relationship

Those relationships continued to pay dividends.

We started getting additional outreach from reporters looking for commentary on industry news and trends because they knew we were responsive and could provide useful perspective.

Then, when the company ultimately exited bankruptcy, we had another important milestone to communicate.

The resulting coverage was favorable and picked up many of the messages we wanted stakeholders to understand about the company's path forward.

It was the final chapter in a media strategy we’d laid the groundwork for months earlier, when the headlines weren't good but we chose to play ball with the journalists anyway.

Look Beyond Today's Headline

Media interviews can be intimidating when your company is under pressure. Saying "no comment" can feel like the safest option.

But if the story is going to be written anyway, declining to participate doesn't necessarily protect you. It may just mean giving up your opportunity to provide context, correct misconceptions and make sure your perspective is represented.

And the story you're dealing with today probably isn't the last story you'll want told about your company.

That's why I encourage clients to look beyond the immediate headline. The relationships you build when the news isn't good can matter even more when you have good news to share later.