Over the past few months we have shared plenty of good news for our client, Edible Arrangements. From opening a second headquarters in Atlanta to earning delicious PR for their new granny smith apple donuts, Edible has been on a roll! This week, we made yet another exciting announcement- Mike Rotondo has been announced as Edible’s new Chief Executive Officer.
Is your company poised to make a big announcement of its own? Before you make your biggest hire a matter of public record, there are a few pieces of the puzzle that need to fall into place.
Get your ducks in a row
Make sure you have everything ready to go before the announcement goes out to the public. Do you have high-resolution photos of your CEO to distribute? Is the press release 100% finalized? Have you created company-facing content (like a blog) to support the news to your internal constituents too? Do you have a list of targeted media to contact? Most importantly, ensure that your CEO is available for interviews, and have their contact information in order to schedule the requests that will come in.
Know your talking points
Put together a list of talking points for your CEO that will prepare him or her for each interview. Think about what this announcement means for your company. What message are you trying to send? Is this part of a rebranding effort, a push towards more franchise development, or just the beginning of your company’s next chapter? Or, all of the above in the case of our most recent headlines! Once the messaging is clear, prep your new CEO to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Choose your media contacts
Consider sharing the news with select media contacts ahead of the announcement going out widely. This gives those media contacts priority access to interview the new CEO, the ability to go beyond what is in the press release, and the potential for more in-depth stories. Those stories then can lead to additional interview requests and expand the reach and interest.
Announcing a new CEO, or any high level position, can be a great way to highlight what’s on the horizon for your company and generate a wave of high-profile media placements.
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