Dear Evan Hansen, you could use a few PR lessons.
The Broadway musical about an anxiety-ridden high school outsider recently swept the 2017 Tony Awards with six wins, including Best Musical. The critically acclaimed production won over audiences with the way it touches on themes of love, loss, loneliness and relationships.
There are plenty of life lessons you can learn from the show as the web of lies Hansen creates inevitably begins to unravel.
It’s also the first major Broadway show that brings social media technology to the stage, so here are a few lessons that PR pros can take away from Evan’s on- and offline missteps:
1. Don’t create a false backstory.
“Dear Evan Hansen’s” plot revolves around a letter Hansen wrote to himself as a therapy assignment, which ends up in the hands of classmate Connor Murphy. The letter is found with Murphy after he commits suicide, leading people to assume that it was his suicide note. The assumption raises questions about the friendship between Hansen and Murphy that nobody realized existed.
At first, Hansen is unable to tell the truth about the letter’s origins. What begins as a lie of omission turns into a complicated backstory about the alleged friendship that involves everything from fabricated anecdotes to fake backdated email conversations between him and Murphy. Eventually—and despite all the attention the lie has brought him—Hansen can no longer keep up with his web of lies and the truth comes out.
As PR pros, we want to create the most interesting backstory we can in order to gain more attention for our clients. Tempting as it might be to inflate the truth, a good reporter will do his or her research and seek out the facts. If there are holes in your story, they will eventually come to light—where they can cause damage to your relationship with the journalist and your client’s reputation.
There’s a difference between selecting an appealing angle for your tale and manufacturing a story. Make sure yours is always rooted in the truth.
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2. Anything has the potential to go viral.
In today’s constantly connected world, anything can go viral in a matter of seconds. A blog post you write can get circulated by an outlet that reaches millions. A sentence you utter could get picked up by a hot mic or tweeted by someone who overheard you. A casual conversation that you assumed was off the record could spread publicly and come back to haunt you.
Hansen learns this lesson the hard way as he tries to convince his classmate Alana Beck of his story, as she grows increasingly skeptical of the truth of Hansen’s alleged friendship with Murphy. In an attempt to convince her the friendship is real, Hansen shares a copy of Murphy’s “suicide note” (his own letter to himself), which Beck publishes on the internet without Hansen’s permission. It promptly goes viral.
Organizations’ leaders, spokesmen, and PR pros—along with anyone with a public presence—should always assume that anything they say or write could easily become public fodder.
3. Always have a response prepared.
If you seek attention and eventually receive it, be prepared to respond to whatever comes your way.
When Hansen’s letter was found beside Murphy’s body, Hansen began receiving the attention from others he previously craved. Because Hansen cannot not process an appropriate response at first, assumptions are made about his relationship with Murphy. It’s Hansen’s initial lack of response that lays the foundation for his large, intricate lie.
PR pros are often tasked with seeking attention for their clients and must be prepared to respond when that attention finally comes.
For example, when a journalist responds to a story idea you have been pitching, have a spokesman ready and available to speak with that reporter on the original topic or storyline you presented.
By always having a response prepared, you ensure you don’t miss out on valuable opportunities to bring desired attention your way.
Dee Donavanik is a vice president at Scott Circle (@ScottCircle), a full service communications, conference and event management firm based in Washington, D.C. Connect with her on Twitter: @donavanik.
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