TRENDING: The Great Resignation

As a brand with a story to tell in a market that’s saturated, you always want to be the first to a trend. If there is a movement in the femtech space, and you’re a femtech company making waves, you’re going to want to be linked to that movement. If you’re in the beauty space and there’s a new study showing positive results from use of an ingredient you’re working with, use that to your advantage. It’s a conversation starter, and it’s currently trending -- it pops in the inbox header. In this series TRENDING: we break down top strategies to follow trends and maximize your brand reach. Each post will cover a new story we are seeing take shape in the media and ways you can capitalize on the news in real time.

For today’s post, we’re discussing The Great Resignation. 

What is the Great Resignation?

The reality of the pandemic drove people out of their jobs in search of more money, more flexibility and more happiness. Many began to rethink the personal value they place on work, how they are valued, and how they pass the time. According to NPR, “It's leading to a dramatic increase in resignations — a record 4 million people quit their jobs in April alone, according to the Labor Department.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic gave us the uncertainty and stress of the worst U.S. recession in history, it also gave us time to think. The Great Resignation was born out of the realization that work habits take up 40+ hours of every week and ultimately shape our wellbeing. When stay-at-home orders went into place, workloads and conditions were suddenly carried out in our own homes. No water cooler talk? No commute to take up the day? Cue the proverbial light bulb. 

This pandemic created an opportunity to continue the minimum wage conversation, to restructure employee benefits, to define hybrid or remote working conditions, and to critique the American work week holistically. With Fall looming, September 1st leases coming to an end, and the delta variant creeping up, this is a conversation we’re bound to see continue in the news.

How does the Great Resignation translate to pitching?

By nature, any small business founder can speak to the Great Resignation. This movement creates conversations around restructuring the workplace cultures, pandemic challenges, business patterns, and talent retention, all of which is familiar territory as a business owner. And if you’re in the workplace, employee resources, HR, or family benefits spaces, use this moment to lend your expertise and give your brand an organic boost. 

Now that you have identified a relevant trend, you just need to be able to position yourself to speak to it in a way that matches current coverage angles!

How can you pitch yourself/your products to fit a trend? 

You want to fit into angles on which reporters are looking for feedback. For a movement like the Great Resignation (or any unique holiday or event) we’ll start by including the term in our daily media monitoring. Then we can take note of recurring verbiage, update our key terms accordingly, and pass along editors reporting related stories to the relevant clients. Next we build personalized pitches.

You can position yourself as an expert to speak to any trend if your business background is relevant. 

Because a trend is only ‘trending’ for so long, it’s crucial to know what boxes your brand falls into and what you can speak on. Or at least what you feel comfortable speaking on. A unique brand identity locked down ahead of time will keep your pitching consistent and ready to go at all times. Sometimes these opportunities come and go over the course of a day so it’s always good to be prepared. 

For example, we recently flagged Black Women’s Equal Pay Day as an expert opportunity for a workplace diversity expert client and it led to commentary placements in well-viewed outlets such as CNBC, Cheddar, BET, and HBR. Because we were able to anticipate the observance, we could position the client in the editor’s inbox beforehand. 

*Important to note*

When pitching yourself as an expert with industry, product, or business knowledge, you should make sure you’re following every possible path to coverage. Don’t forget to pitch content opps with a longer form, such as contributed articles and podcasts. While they take a bit longer to actualize, you can’t know how many listeners they’ll ultimately reach. 

Find more expert positioning advice here. 

Email kristen@sevenhillscommunications.com to learn more about positioning your small business to fit what’s trending.