Policy Primer

With fall approaching, now is the ideal time to dust off your policy media strategy. To help us lock in, our Health Media Insights colleagues have been speaking with FGS Global’s government relations experts for their insights on how to engage. Their conversation with FGS Global Partner Aryana Khalid gives her perspective on where leaders can anticipate action and where proactive engagement can make a difference. 

• Strategic engagement drives influence. Organizations that align initiatives with the administration’s policy priorities while remaining authentic to their own goals will be most successful. For example, areas where you can show your organization innovating or cutting red tape are most likely to capture attention.

• Know your audience. While career staff at government agencies may be getting news from traditional industry publications, political appointees are more likely paying attention to the platforms key constituents are reading and watching. Keep this in mind when conducting administrative outreach.

• Emerging technologies require thoughtful planning. Policymakers are still defining how to support and regulate AI, automation and other innovations. Organizations should keep this in mind as they think about incorporating these new technologies. 

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The media world is changing fast. Traditional outlets are shrinking, while a new wave of “creator journalists” are building influence on Substack, podcasts, YouTube and social media. For communicators, this shift requires rethinking how stories are shared, discovered and amplified. 

FGS Global’s Media School recently invited independent writer and researcher Kyle Tharp to share his perspective. With a background in communications across politics, tech and advocacy, Kyle provided unique insights into how journalism is shifting from traditional brands to individual personalities in the digital age. Here’s what we learned:

• Journalists are building personal brands. More reporters are leaving newsrooms to build independent brands through channels like Substack, podcasts and YouTube. These platforms create highly engaged niche audiences that can rival or even surpass traditional outlets. This is also true for top journalists in legacy media, like Ezra Klein or Andrew Ross Sorkin.

• Twitter/X isn’t dead yet. Despite turbulence and reputational concerns, it continues to be the go-to platform for breaking news and real-time reporting. While the quality and tone of the content overall have tanked, it’s still the first place most journalists go to share and find information.

• Substack fuels discovery. Unlike email-only newsletters, Substack recommends similar platforms and makes cross-promotion easy, which makes growing a community easier than other platforms for creators, and expands the experience of its audience. If your content has broad appeal, publishing there can significantly expand reach.

• Podcasts and newsletters are the key to unlock targeting. These formats allow direct access to specific, often hard-to-reach demographics. However, it’s important to avoid echo chambers, which requires thoughtful planning and relationship-building with creators.

• There’s no rulebook (yet). The creator economy is evolving. Authentic engagement with creator journalists and a willingness to experiment (and expand appetite for risk) are the most effective ways forward.

UK airline Jet2 skillfully turned a potential reputational risk into a brand-strengthening moment, after becoming the subject of this summer’s most viral internet trend. Users started paring a catchy audio clip from the company’s “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday” advertising campaign with videos of vacation mishaps, travel fails or unexpected moments. TikTok videos using the audio numbered in the millions, with celebrities and influencers joining in. 

Rather than distancing itself, Jet2 leaned in, posting its own playful videos, engaging directly with users and amplifying the meme’s reach. This savvy approach not only kept Jet2 at the center of the conversation but also reinforced the brand’s image as fun, approachable and in touch with digital culture. As a result, Jet2 saw a significant surge in online interest and search activity, turning a humorous internet meme into a powerful marketing advantage and boosting the visibility of its holiday offerings. 

While viral lightning can’t be bottled, Jet2’s playbook underscores how brands can benefit when they engage with viral culture instead of pushing back against it. By leaning in and engaging with the moment, Jet2 proved that authenticity and speed can convert unpredictable virality into real marketing impact.

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