How to Create Breaking News Content Respectfully

There are three phases to life now: before COVID-19, during, and after. During the height of the pandemic, brands are wrestling with a delicate challenge: how to stay engaged with relevant content in a respectful way. In fact, by providing useful and relevant content with a respectful and empathetic tone, businesses can make stronger emotional connections with their audiences, as discussed in a recently published Harvard Business Review article, “Ensure That Your Customer Relationships Outlast Coronavirus.”

Now is time to adjust your content calendar to include relevant, breaking news-style content on your website.

Current events should always be considered when planning your content calendar, whether it’s responding to industry trends, government reports or legislation. But as people turn to the internet during a time of crisis, you want to be at the forefront of the search results with the right information that conveys the appropriate tone. Breaking news content requires forethought of what people need in this moment in time, combined with expert craftsmanship and execution. 

Why Consider News in Your Marketing Strategy During a Pandemic?

Now is not business as usual. If you aren’t re-evaluating your marketing content during a global pandemic, you can end up like Sandals resort, sending travel offers when travel is restricted. From blogs to social media, make sure you aren’t running into similar blunders. 

COVID-19 is all-encompassing. It’s changing the way consumers talk, eat, work, play and interact. If you can identify how your particular industry and company fits into the global conversation, you can act on search trends and deepen your understanding of your audiences.

Key Parts of Breaking News Content

Breaking news content isn’t a news article. Don’t try to compete with legitimate sources of information (or even with illegitimate sources). Instead, breaking news content revolves around shifting the conversation from the pandemic to the solution. 

For example, a regional college that also provides online degrees should be writing with authority around online learning, remote work, virtual workspaces, and faculty experience with online teaching, while using the current novel coronavirus as a timepeg for the article. If these articles perform well, the timepeg can be removed to create evergreen content later. 

Tips for creating breaking news content:

• Know your audience. Social media is full of brands who are struggling to say something to their followers about coronavirus. Dig into your audience data to speak with authority around topics people want to hear about from you specifically. 
• Tone and voice are key.  Put yourself in the mindset of your audience. On the one hand, they’re certainly online more. But their mindset has changed dramatically. They’re likely feeling scared, uncertain, and stressed. Do a gut check on your brand’s voice and how you communicate – being authentic to your brand and considerate of what your audience is feeling right now.
• Be relevant to the conversation.  This type of article is not for everyone. If you do not have anything helpful to add, look for other strategies. 
• Be specific to your industry.  People are not looking for CDC updates from your website, but they may be looking for specific information about what you do in response to the virus.
• Think outside the main keywords.  You are not going to rank for the term COVID-19. You could rank for “at-home workouts during quarantine.”
• Consider your distribution channels. Social media is overwhelmed. If you have something valuable like a course, class, or webinar, consider investing in paid media. Otherwise make a wide umbrella of keywords for organic visibility. 

Brands Doing It Right

While it’s tempting to find brands that are doing this incorrectly, it’s more useful to look at brands who are trying this strategy successfully.

Acorns

Microinvesting platform Acorns is where many young people are trying out investing. It’s also where those same users experienced a major market crash a few weeks ago. Since then, Acorns has created a daily money market email summarizing what nascent investors need to know during this economic downturn. They aren’t competing with Bloomberg or The Wall Street Journal, but they use their established voice to make confusing financial times easily digestible for users. 

Deepak Chopra

While mindfulness and wellness are always click-drivers, many people are turning to the web to find solutions for pent-up anxiety and energy. Deepak Chopra chose this time to launch a 21-day meditation class to help people find some calm during the storm. It’s on-brand and timely. 

American Airlines 

The travel industry has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading many airlines to struggle to assuage anxieties and stay relevant in a time when few are traveling. American Airlines has created a robust hub of information ranging from how to cancel your ticket to how the idea of social distancing plays out on board. 

IDX

We’ve been thinking about what businesses need to hear in the time of coronavirus and creating content tailor-made for the moment.  The IDX blog is full of breaking news content, including:

• 5 Tips for Your CEO to Manage Crisis Communications
• 3 Strategies for Successful SEO During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Best Practices for Working at Home

Right Now, Voice Matters

Now is not the time to test if your internal team knows how to write great email copy. Successfully handling fast-paced news with demanding turnaround times, advanced keyword analysis and a thoughtful understanding of your voice and tone takes experience. 

IDX’s performance marketing team is fully versed in these strategies. If you’re interested in expanding your content offerings in the time of COVID-19, we can help. Reach out today.