We may have had two bank holiday weekends already this month, but the hasty industry of PR, once again, shows no sign of slowing down. As usual, agencies are constantly striving for more links, coverage and brand awareness for their clients. Once again, we at Shout Bravo have returned to take a look at the top stories in the news this week. We have done this to highlight the reactive and proactive opportunities available to agencies and provided examples of how we have done this ourselves.
Trading…
Trading and investing in stocks has long been an active topic in the news. People with money invested are constantly navigating the latest information to get a head start on others and gain the most profit. This week in the news, it’s been reported that Robinhood, a popular trading platform, will allow users to trade on some stocks and ETFs, 24 hours a day.
It’s led to many people wondering how they can get in on the act, which in turn, has seen articles pop up offering expert advice on how to begin investing in the stock market and trading forex.
Therefore, the topic can be a strong option for agencies with clients operating in the financial or trading sector, offering reactive comments to news or proactively offering advice and tips.
Travel…
With May blessing the UK with three separate bank holiday weekends, a lot of focus in the news has centred around travel and how people can spend this extra time off work by exploring new destinations. One way this travel topic has dominated the news is through road trips, with the bank holiday offering the perfect opportunity to jump in the car and visit places around the country or beyond.
The topic has seen coverage in both regional and national publications. As we get closer to the summer holiday period, travel tips, advice and destination rankings start to become more prevalent in the news – which is a great chance for agencies with travel-focused clients to create impactful campaigns.
This week, we promoted a campaign for our travel-focused client which looked at the best scenic drives around the world. With holiday plans and road trips proving such an intense focus in the news, we were able to secure national coverage for our client.
Business…
Lastly, it’s no secret that it has been a rocky week for businesses in the UK. The Government’s plans to raise interest rates, by 0.25% to 4.5%, have injected uncertainty into businesses operating across a wealth of sectors. The increase makes it much more problematic for companies to borrow in times of need and means consumer spending could be lessened as inflation continues to prove damaging to businesses.
As you’d expect, interest rates have been a large focus in the news this week with articles predicting the impact it could have on businesses. Since the announcement earlier today, the news cycle has been dominated by reactions, expert advice and further projections for the future.
This week, we landed a piece of coverage in a financially-based publication by promoting a campaign for a client operating in the business finance sector. The campaign was focused on late payments to businesses and the detrimental effect these delays can have on small businesses.
With the unfortunate topic of how businesses will manage throughout the wave of financial uncertainty dominating coverage, it’s an opportunity for agencies with relevant clients to offer advice or create impactful campaigns using suitable data.
To conclude…
Well, that marks the end of our round-up for another week, overall, we hope this summary has informed you of the top stories across assorted industries over the past seven days. In PR, keeping a constant eye on the news cycle is vital for identifying potential reactive and proactive opportunities for clients. While not every piece of news can be reacted to, it may spark an idea for a future campaign!
Next week, we’ll be back for another round-up of all the biggest talking points in the news, we’ll also provide examples of how we at Shout Bravo have used these newsworthy topics to gain reactive and proactive coverage for our clients. Until then, enjoy your weekend!
