Prep for a Crisis Before It Hits: A Guide to Creating an Organizational Crisis Communications Plan
Let’s face it: 2016 was a train wreck. A particularly volatile and unpredictable election year was coupled with a barrage of violent domestic and international events that had multiple advocacy groups scrambling to respond in a crisis. To many, 2016 felt like a year of working from one crisis to the next, without respite. Crises…
Read MoreOrganizing a Tweetstorm to Respond to Breaking News
In a breaking (or developing) news situation, one trick up our sleeve as communicators is to organize a Tweetstorm, harnessing the collective power of allied organizations that share a policy objective. This can bring much more attention than a news story may have garnered organically, and is a great way to use social pressure to…
Read MoreHow To Respond to Opposition Interview Requests
Over the last six months, multiple spokespeople across all three ReThink Media issue areas have fielded interview requests from “opposition outlets,” from Fox News to AM radio “shock jocks.” These outlets express a very strong position and cater to a very contentious audience. In this post, we wanted to share some thoughts you should consider…
Read MoreBig News: One of Our Favorite Social Media Tools Is Now Free
One of my favorite social media tools, CrowdTangle, is now free. For everyone. For every platform that it measures (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram). We use CrowdTangle to measure when posts are over-performing compared to a page’s typical posts, signaling that this is good content to share and repurpose – and would likely also do…
Read MoreThis Year, Resolve to Be a Better Communicator
Welcome to a new year, no doubt flush with resolutions. In the spirit of some common New Year’s Resolutions, we at ReThink Media want to help you out, making you the best communicator possible this year. Say your New Year’s Resolution is to be more organized this year. This month, the ReThink Blog will focus…
Read MoreWhat Nonprofits Can Say to Influence the Transition to a New Administration – And What They Can’t
The long-awaited 2016 Election has now come and gone, leaving nonprofits racing to refine their advocacy goals and strategies in the new administration. But as nonprofits, we still need to be aware of which actions are allowed (and which aren’t) under 501(c)3 restrictions. Luckily, the Alliance for Justice Bolder Advocacy initiative has pulled together a…
Read MoreHow to Find the Right Reporters Who Cover Your Issues
You’re about to start work on an entirely new set of issues and you want to know: who are the reporters who cover them? While there’s no one easy solution (unless, of course, someone like ReThink Media has already made a list for you!) we’ll take you through the tips and tricks we have found…
Read MoreSome of the Best Ways to Engage and Build Relationships With Journalists
With the number of journalists in the world shrinking and the number of communications professionals growing, getting your experts and issues covered in the media is becoming more and more difficult. Relationships with journalists have always been an important part of being a communications professional, but it is even more critical now to your success…
Read MoreHow to Use a Pre-Existing Media Moment to Advocate for Your Issues
While much of our work at ReThink Media involves developing strategies to respond to breaking news events, a strong communication plan also anticipates upcoming opportunities for engagement. And despite the nearly constant “holidays” trending on Twitter (think: National Chocolate Milkshake Day or National Dog Day, both of which occurred recently), some of these online moments…
Read More#MuslimsReportStuff: Making a Hashtag Trend on Debate Night
Sometimes, a great hashtag campaign is born out of being in the right place at the right time. Case in point: During the second 2016 Presidential debate, one Brooklyn professor’s tweet, and a hashtag campaign that followed, won hearts and minds better than politics did. In this blog post, we’ll talk about the impetus, the…
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