NPR ran a story last Tuesday in part covering the SolarCity expansion to the East Coast and the solar lease. In my RenewableEnergyWorld post today, I take a look at a few easy ways that solar installers can help journalists better cover the story of solar even without the help of a major PR/communications firm.
Plain and Simple: Solar has a Public (and Media!) Relations Problem.
Many solar installers with small marketing budgets are overlooking PR based on stereotypes from TV shows like Mad Men and other preconceived notions of Madison-Avenue-style marketing.
At a time when journalists are under even more pressure to cover more stories for less of a paycheck and with solar being such a hot media topic there are some ways solar installers can help journalists get the story right.
Solar installers should:
- Write an Easy-to-Understand Press Release. Stick to the facts. Use terms consistently and omit common industry jargon and acronyms.
- Be Helpful. Provide additional follow-up resources for the journalist outside of your branded content. Give ways to contact you and times you are available.
- Be Responsive. Journalists are on deadlines. Work with them to get the story right, even if it means putting your inbox aside for a few minutes.