Communicating inclusively: four top tips for PR practitioners

PR professionals know that to undertake communications activity on topics of diversity and inclusion requires tactful planning and an appreciation of the sensitivities involved.

A lack of such care carries the risk of securing media coverage for all the wrong reasons, as demonstrated by Dove’s soap advertisement in 2017 that was described as ‘racist’ and criticised for having ‘missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully.’ 

This need for tact and caution is arguably never more important than for PR practitioners working on gender identity topics.

Reading the morning newspapers would convince the average person that the so-called ‘trans debate’ is the headline of the day, most days. In fact, the UK media publishes an average of 154 articles on trans-related topics every month; this is despite just 0.2% of the UK population identifying as trans. 

One of the most recent high-profile examples of PR practitioners handling these challenges was the announcement in January 2024 that Scottish Government Ministers would consult on ending conversion practices. Conversion practices are ‘any treatment, practice or effort that aims to change, suppress and/or eliminate a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression’ and are most commonly referred to as ‘conversion therapy’. SNP Ministers had been elected with a manifesto commitment to outlaw these practices, but it was clear that introducing the necessary legislation would add further fuel to the fire, in the aftermath of the Scottish Government’s attempts to make it easier for people to legally change their gender identity. 

The Scottish Government’s Equalities Minister Emma Roddick launched the consultation on ending conversion practices in January 2024. Within the first week, media monitoring service Critical Mention found that Scottish broadcasters delivered 143 unique pieces of content across TV and radio about the consultation. Indeed, this coverage remained consistent throughout the 12-week consultation period, with 675 unique pieces of coverage being tracked and over 60% of that being for TV broadcast. 

Analysis of this campaign highlights four key top tips for PR practitioners to consider in the future: 

Communicate with purpose

It’s a basic rule of PR practice, but when it comes to sensitive subjects it’s all the more important to communicate with clarity, intention and purpose. Quite simply, why are we communicating if there’s no clear message? Trans artist Jet Dwyer wrote that the increased reporting on trans and LGBTQI+ issues has ‘left [trans people] to be dragged through the mud [and] used as far right talking points’ and that visibility has not resulted in better outcomes. Unfortunately, the rise in anti-trans discourse is stark and the impact is profound, with reported transphobic hate crimes increasing by 11% in the year ending March 2023. 

So, rather than launch a big performative campaign and get accused of ‘Pridewashing’ or risk attracting attention for all of the wrong reasons (the ‘Bud Light fiasco’ being an exemplar case study of getting it wrong), make small but regular changes. In other words, bring people on the journey to avoid alienating the mainstream, and trust that incremental changes can have a big impact. 

Smith’s Context, Action, Result (CAR) model can enable the PR practitioner to construct a captivating and emotive story to appeal to the heart of the media consumer. The context sets out the main character and provides background to their life, to resonate with the reader. Next, the action tells the story and events. Finally, the result is explored. This approach requires careful consideration of the strengths, drawbacks and ethics of fronting the campaign with real people, especially when handling sensitive topics; the Potter Box provides a structured approach to undertake this analysis and balance stakeholder needs and desires, to deliver maximum impact whilst protecting those involved.

Inclusion is everyone’s job

Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) was once the art of the HR professional, a long way away from the world of PR and communications. Not any more. 

EDI is the responsibility of everyone. The CIPR’s code of conduct expects PR professionals to act ethically and with integrity, and for government communicators this extends to portraying government policies with accuracy and transparency. Messages should, therefore, be transparent and honest with the consumer. For Government communicators, this can involve striking a careful balance between setting out the clear objectives of the legislation whilst offering reassurance for people who might disagree. Being inclusive to these competing perspectives was critical in delivering a message that appealed to the mass public as far as possible. 

So, how can a PR professional ‘be inclusive’? 

Learn! The rapid rise of transphobia hasn’t gone unnoticed, and has been challenged by a wealth of opportunities to learn about (and from) LGBTQI+ people, their culture and experiences. Develop your transliteracy by engaging with the broad range of content put out by LGBTQI+ influencers in a range of formats, such as the What The Trans!? Podcast. 

Recognise the gaps in your own skills and knowledge and reach out for support when it is necessary. Specialist PR agencies have emerged in the wake of the rise of a transphobic media narrative and these services should be engaged with. You’d use the services of a media buying agency or SEO experts, why not engage the experts in inclusive communications too? 

Honesty’s the best policy – be upfront about the limits of inclusivity in any piece of work. People value transparency and it is increasingly considered critical in the work of effective government. Delivering PR activity on a government consultation involves being honest about the strengths and the shortfalls of the legislation. There might be good reasons for these shortfalls, such as to create a Bill that can get voted through, or is within devolved competencies – but this will disappoint some people. Recognising this uncomfortable truth can, however, benefit the long term support of the proposals. It can also highlight issues in the policy that you need to return to the drawing board to consider.

Nothing about us, without us

These five simple words get to the heart of what inclusion is all about. Whether it is the conversion practices consultation or another piece of EDI activity, don’t be limited by your own worldview to guide a campaign. A range of views makes for a more culturally sensitive campaign that appeals to a broader range of people. 

Don’t sit back and relax just yet! Working together with people with lived experience, also known as co-creation, doesn’t mean you can hand over the work and leave it to others. This is still your project! It’s your responsibility to learn and engage with people with lived experience and build this insight into your campaign. To not refine your work as a result of this feedback may make the engagement process seem tokenistic – conversely, you know the intricacies of your PR campaign and need to weave in these insights appropriately so that you continue to meet your PR objectives. 

Quite often, the comparatively small size of government PR teams means that nobody has direct lived experience of the issues that they are communicating about. To include the voices of people with lived experience, practitioners need to reach out, recognise the limitations of their own experiences, and be willing to accept counsel and critique. This might be through informal networks, or a more formalised process such as a consultancy arrangement with a charity with experience of supporting people affected by a particular issue. 

Other less formal and low cost methods of delivering community engagement can include speaking to community groups, running surveys, and building stakeholder networks. Don’t forget: whilst inclusion is everyone’s job and you should build your literacy of equalities issues, seeking advice from people with the relevant experience is always important. 

Identity is complex

Diversity and inclusion isn’t static, and it is important to reflect and adapt to social, cultural and linguistic norms to ensure that your PR activity continues to hit the mark and deliver your intended outcomes. 

Key to this is recognising the intersectionality of audiences and how, despite our best efforts as PR practitioners, we cannot neatly divide audiences along community-based lines. Audiences are complex and in the words of Ngugi and Rhooms, the PR practitioner must ‘think about communities, not community’ as identities and characteristics intersect with one another. 

In any PR campaign dealing with equalities issues, recognising and engaging with this intersectionality was crucial. Individuals who are subjected to conversion practices are often not only LGBTQI+; they might also be from an ethnic minority group, identify as Disabled, or hold a religious identity, to name but a few. Delivering a campaign that wasn’t sensitive to the complex, intersectional identities of its audience would risk disengaging them from completing the consultation, or worse, alienating a vulnerable group of survivors of these abhorrent practices. 

To mitigate this risk, PR practitioners should pay particular caution to visibly representing a diverse range of people in all campaign materials, developing materials in different languages, as well as engaging with a broad range of outlets that are targeted at varied audience groups. PR coverage for the conversion practices consultation included broadcast and radio coverage on both national and local stations, print coverage in mainstream and LGBT specialist titles and paid adverts on LGBTQI+ mobile dating apps including Grindr and Scruff – a rare approach to government communications!  However, this diverse PR approach clearly worked, and led to high levels of public awareness of the campaign across a range of audience segments. The search term ‘conversion therapy Scotland’ witnessed an 80% increase in search volume during the consultation.

Where to begin

Put simply, an inclusive approach to Public Relations is complex. However, it is an undeniably critical component of an effective and engaging PR campaign, especially for those campaigns that have a diverse audience group. As said by Aby Hawker, founder of Trans-specialist PR agency TransMission PR, getting this right can be ‘PR’s chance to make a difference…by seeing beyond the headlines and the fearmongering’. 

Yet, Rome wasn’t built in a day and it will take time and effort to get this right and deliver outstanding PR activity that captivates diverse audiences. Start by defining your purpose. Build your transliteracy. Speak to people – remember, nothing about us, without us. Appreciate the beautiful intersectionality of our communities. Most of all, work together and refine your work. Feedback is a gift. 

If you’re worried about putting pen to paper, remember: to not include the communities we communicate about would be a disservice to the very real issues that they face. 

Jhon reflects on his studies for the CIPR Professional PR Diploma

What do you see as the key benefits of having the PR Diploma qualification? 

The CIPR Diploma provides both recognition of my PR skills and an opportunity to further develop them. In an increasingly complex and fast-paced media environment, understanding the latest PR methodologies is an invaluable opportunity. Learning these skills, testing them in the assignments, and achieving a qualification is a great way to support my continued development and career progression. 

What has been your favourite part of the CIPR PR Diploma course so far? 

My favourite part of the course so far has been undertaking the research for writing my thought leadership article. I particularly enjoyed getting to research a topic I have a particular passion for, and develop my own thoughts and recommendations for meeting a gap in the literature. I was very proud to complete the article and receive positive feedback from my assessor. 

Have you yet been able to apply any of the learning, and if so, how? 

I’ve applied my learning of how to use data-led approaches to benefit my work. In the first unit, I examined how PR practice could help to deliver a priority project in my organisation and it was rewarding to identify new and creative ways to benefit a project using the techniques that I have developed. This has been useful in my day-to-day work, as it helps to enhance the reputation of Public Relations as a strategic function that can benefit the organisation.