A strategic press office is essential for leaders and companies that want to communicate their positioning accurately and strengthen relationships with strategic audiences.
Business reputation is an indispensable asset. Increasingly, leaders are including its management in strategic planning, recognizing that assertive results do not depend solely on communication, but that publicity is essential to reach their priority audiences.
A strategic press office goes beyond sending texts and press releases. It builds long-term relationships, positions the company through its priority themes, increases brand recognition and strengthens its reputation in the market. More than just disseminating information, this role aligns the organization's strategy with the business challenges. It is part of a company's reputation management.
5 benefits of having a strategic press office
- Building bonds of trust with journalists and opinion makers
- Knowledge of the company's history/narrative and recognition
- Strengthening the spokespersons
- Resilience in times of crisis
- Differentiation and protagonism
What does a strategic press officer do?
A press office develops and implements PR and institutional communication projects to inform and provide clarity about the company's positioning, drive its strategic objectives and build long-term value for all stakeholders.
Among the actions of these positioning, relationship and communication projects aimed at priority audiences of companies, institutions and leaders, are:
- Press relations
Building strategic connections with the aim of strengthening ties with journalists and media outlets to ensure qualified and recurring visibility, aligned with business objectives and challenges.
- Influencer management
Identification, selection and activation of relevant influencers who share the company's values to expand and reinforce reputation among segmented audiences, amplifying strategic messages.
- Digital Positioning and LinkedIn
Optimization of online presence and leadership profile on LinkedIn, with a focus on strategic content to strengthen the authority of leaders and brands, engage stakeholders and expand knowledge about the company and business.
- Crisis management
Preparation and execution of strategic communication plans to protect reputation in challenging times, such as in a reputation crisis, to minimize damage and restore trust.
- Internal communication
Development of initiatives with clear messages aligned with the organizational culture to engage, inform and connect employees to the company's purpose and strategic business objectives.
- Executive presentations
Development of strategic presentations and intelligent design for leaders, conveying the desired message, based on a clear and impactful narrative for target audiences.
- Corporate content
Creation of institutional and promotional materials that convey the organization's identity, positioning and information in different formats (articles, videos, manifestos, reports, lectures, conferences, presentations) for its own channels, the press and stakeholders.
- Cases and awards
Production of success stories and registration of impactful initiatives in relevant and strategic awards, valuing achievements with greater visibility and recognition in the market.
5 goals of a strategic press office
A press office creates the conditions for strategic visibility for brands and leaders through a qualified presence in the media. When it is strategic, the press office works intelligently on this set of goals, according to the moment and objectives of each cycle, whether of the company or the leader. In addition to building authority and reputation management, with narratives aligned with the institutional positioning and business objectives, it acts in crisis prevention and management, ensuring a positive history in search engines and strengthening the company's public image.
- More visibility
Development and implementation of integrated communication strategies to position the brand in relevant channels, aimed at target audiences, reinforcing knowledge and recognition, expanding business opportunities.
- Authority building
Strengthening the institutional image and positioning of companies and leaders, consolidating their credibility and influence among stakeholders of interest, through storytelling, articles and interviews, among other tools.
- Reputation management
Implementation of customized solutions to manage the image of leaders and companies on an ongoing basis, aligning discourse and practice, monitoring perceptions and reinforcing positive attributes to expand knowledge and recognition, gain power of influence and build legacy.
- Reputational crisis management
Agile definition of strategic and tactical support plans to mitigate reputational damage in adverse situations, with communication solutions that preserve achievements and seek to restore public trust in leaders and companies.
- Positioning in search engines
Creation and promotion of relevant content that positions the brand positively in search engines with relevant content and SEO strategies that help build the digital reputation of companies, institutions and leaders. In addition, implementing the use of the institutional website in a strategic manner in communication.
What does a strategic press office do?
A press office plays a fundamental role in building and managing the image of companies and organizations. Based on guidelines created to disseminate strategic messages for the company, which arouse the interest of press professionals and their audiences, the press office becomes a bridge between the corporate world and the news, aligning business objectives with opportunities for positive visibility and building authority.
- Creating agendas that interest journalists
A consultancy identifies real stories and topics that are relevant to the company and the leader, which are of journalistic interest, translating corporate themes into subjects that make sense for the news and attract the attention of the press.
- Relationship with reporters, editors and columnists
Builds and cultivates trust with media professionals, ensuring that client information reaches the right people effectively and accurately.
- Content production (releases, articles and press releases)
Transforms corporate language into objective, clear texts with informative value, developing materials such as releases, articles and press releases, with information in a clear and strategic way.
- Media Relations
Acts as a bridge between the leader or company and the media, managing the flow of information, responding to demands and seeking opportunities for favorable exposure.
- Event organization
Plans and executes actions such as interviews, launches and corporate events that generate a positive impact and good visibility in the media. Seeks to generate qualified visibility and ensure that the company's key messages are well understood.
- Crisis management (monitoring)
Monitors public perception and, in delicate moments, acts quickly to mitigate crises, preparing strategic responses and adjusting communication to protect the company's image.
- Spokesperson training (media training)
Prepares leaders and representatives to interact with the press in different favorable situations, in a clear and assertive manner, aligning speeches and posture with the brand's positioning, strengthening the client's reputation.
- Positioning leaders in strategic channels
Identifies opportunities for leaders to occupy relevant spaces, such as interviews, opinion articles and public speeches at strategic events, becoming references in their sectors.
Learn more about ANK's methodology for Reputation Management
The importance of strategic communication
Good communication is a necessary condition for a positive reputation, which drives results for companies and leaders. It is not enough to carry out well-intentioned actions. It is essential to communicate these initiatives effectively, ensuring that the message reaches and is actually understood by the target audiences.
Assertive communication is a strategic pillar for achieving and consolidating results in the current corporate scenario and must take into account the context of the attention economy and the reality of media outlets.
To generate engagement and credibility, communication needs to be humanized, reach all relevant audiences and reinforce the organization's values and identity.
In the journey of building reputation, it is necessary to work on the aspects of “being” and “appearance”. “Being” is what the company really does, how it operates and the real connection of its practices with its declared values, principles and positions. It encompasses attributes such as integrity, coherence and consistency, in addition to ensuring the delivery of the promise of value made to its audiences and society. “Appearance” is the extent to which this truth of the company is known and recognized by its audiences and by society in general, becoming a strategic asset. It is related to professional, intentional planning and the intelligent management of different communication strategies, which combine, among others, networking, occupation of relevant spaces, positioning, content segmented by audience for visibility, evidence and influence.
Leaders are key agents in the quality of communication
Well-positioned leaders with communication skills and protagonism are key agents for assertive communication, especially with strategic audiences for the business. Corporate reputation depends on the ability to align actions and speeches, promoting trust and influence among stakeholders. Companies play an essential role in offering support, resources and training so that professionals in strategic positions develop or improve communication and relationship skills, as well as being able to use different communication channels efficiently and without reputational risks, especially social networks.
By communicating assertively, an organization strengthens its connection with its audiences and builds an authentic narrative, creating a reserve of credibility to face future challenges.
Telling one's own story, sharing values and practices, is an opportunity to manage the construction of public perception, because the better informed people are, the less room there is for mistaken or distorted narratives. As a result, communication ceases to be just an instrument, becoming a bridge to corporate success and protection against vulnerabilities.
5 examples of strategic corporate communication
Corporate communication plays a strategic role at different moments in an organization's trajectory. It is essential for highlighting innovations, repositioning the brand or managing crises, connecting the company to its stakeholders and consolidating its reputation.
Assertive communication enhances the visibility of leaders and expands the brand's reach in qualified channels, strengthening its influence in the market. The following examples detail some of the main contexts in which communication becomes essential for corporate success.
- Launching an innovative product or service
Communication promotes engagement by educating the public about the uniqueness of the new product. For example, when introducing disruptive technology, explanatory campaigns become essential to avoid barriers to understanding.
- Image repositioning
It helps transform perceptions and align company values with the new strategy. An example would be a brand that transitions from focusing on cost-effectiveness to premium positioning.
- High-impact corporate changes
Events such as CEO succession, at the C-Level or on the Board of Directors, corporate, administrative and structural reorganization require clear, respectful communication with the public and at the right time to build trust and reduce uncertainty, ensuring stakeholder engagement.
- Consolidation of executive leadership
Promotes visibility and credibility for leaders, highlighting their expertise through occupying spaces and public exposure in events, interviews or articles in reputable media.
- Brand projection in qualified vehicles
Ensures that the promise of value is perceived by strategic audiences, strengthening the company's influence in the market. Publications on specialized portals, for example, increase the perception of authority.
PR: Institutional communication with purpose
In the corporate environment, press officers who work in the PR (Public Relations) area are responsible for creating and maintaining a positioning that reflects the company's truth and generates a positive perception of the brand.
This work is done through strategies that include, in addition to the typical activities of a press office, knowing how to manage current communication tools in the digital world. Broad access to data, statistical analysis, market intelligence research and better use of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) are essential for more assertive communication, saving time and costs.
In the current context, PR work is increasingly associated with marketing and digital communication. All of these areas today work with data, basing their content on statistics, research and in-depth analysis, market intelligence and SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
SEO effort refers to a set of strategies and practices aimed at improving a website's visibility in search engines such as Google.
The focus is always multimedia, with offline and online actions, involving traditional and digital channels, which include everything from news portals and social networks to influencers. It is this combination that, assessed on a case-by-case basis, allows communication with purpose, reinforcing reputation and power of influence.
Learn more about PR and Institutional Communication and the ANK methodology
Communication transformations as a strategic priority for CEOs
The digital era has redefined the corporate communications landscape, introducing new tools and strategies to reach and engage diverse audiences. Digital media, such as blogs, podcasts and social networks, offer endless possibilities for disseminating information. With creative and interactive campaigns, these platforms allow brands to get even closer and more assertively to their consumers.
This is what happens when using Instagram to promote products or LinkedIn to share corporate leadership content.
Corporate influencers also play a growing role in strengthening a company’s reputation and authority. These professionals act as brand ambassadors, promoting values and services in an authentic and targeted way. A sustainability expert, for example, can reinforce a company’s environmental actions, expanding its credibility and reach.
Own platforms, such as websites and institutional channels, have taken on an important role in digital strategy. These mechanisms ensure control over the company's narrative, allowing exclusive content to be presented in adaptable formats, such as infographics, short videos or newsletters.
Integration with SEO ensures that these materials reach relevant audiences, consolidating the brand's online presence and influence.
Second research conducted by ANK Reputation, the digital transformation front was considered a priority by 40% of CEOs.
