Be Prepared: How to Get in Front of the News

News is unpredictable — except for when it’s not.

Often, we can forecast what’s coming, even if we’re not entirely sure when it will arrive.

Hurricanes and tropical storms batter the Southern coastal states every summer and fall — and they are growing more intense as the years pass.

We know that Election Day is coming and that the outcome will impact policy priorities.

Earlier this year, we had plenty of notice that the Supreme Court was going to render a decision on abortion rights.

We don’t know when and where the hurricanes will hit. It’s anyone’s guess which party will control Congress. And we spent weeks in suspense wondering exactly where the highest court would land.

But in every case, there is opportunity to prepare.

If you’re an environmental organization, you can have your media strategy ready for the next big disaster.

If your organization advances policy, you can game out election scenarios and have your talking points and opeds ready to roll when the final votes are tallied.

If you had a stake in the Supreme Court’s decision on reproductive rights, you could have prepared what you were going to say and how you were going to say it whenever the decision came down.

Too many organizations wait until the outcome is decided to develop their media and thought leadership for significant events — and are slow out of the gate with statements, press outreach, and think pieces.

They are then faced with a mad scramble to get something out or figure out what they say when a reporter calls for comment.

But the organizations that prepare in advance — even if they don’t know the details of when or where the news will come down or the final outcome — are quick to respond.

These are the organizations that consistently place that timely oped, own the social media conversation, and have their experts quoted in the first-day coverage. These are the organizations that help frame the narrative moving forward.

Even if you have more qualified experts or a more refined take, when you are slow to respond, you could well miss your opportunity.

You can avoid that fate. All it takes is discipline and preparation.