If you own a company or run a team, this post is for you.

I am giving away a PR plan.

Free of charge. Anyone can take it and use it.

The best thing about it? It works–if you truly want it.

Better yet–your customers want it.

Your employees want it. And if you listen hard enough, the response may be the most important voice of your company and brand.

Here is a free PR plan for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and environmental society and governance (ESG) efforts. Heck, apply it to your company’s employee resource group (ERG) efforts–I’m not picky.

I’m taking a page out of Google and its open-source technology. With so many companies putting the kibosh on DEI and ESG within their organizations, I am doubling down on my efforts to promote it–so much so, I am handing out my secret sauce for everyone to use. 

It’s sad that it has come to this point, as His Royal Pain In the Ass (also known as the United States’ 47th President), Robby Starbuck and conservative advocacy groups are promoting fear in the marketplace. The promotion of these bad marketplace messages and negative juju need a swift kick in the keester; I am stepping to the plate to do something about it.

Let’s be clear here–I know one person’s plan won’t solely solve the problem. But all a solution needs is one person to share an alternative voice. Maybe, just maybe, change could happen.

Plan Infrastructure

As with any good PR plan, research is needed to substantiate your strategy. Unfortunately, there is content abound about why DEI, ESG and other forms of ethical conflict are facing us. 

Look no further than Lululemon, where shareholders of the company saw a drop in stock price and refuted the company’s DEI efforts. Look no further than McDonald’s, when the company removed ESG references. Put simply, corporate stakeholders have been fed false bills of goods about DEI and ESG because human resources and communications teams have over promised and under delivered. Empty promises only go so far–just ask Target.

Messaging and corresponding actions were great for short-term headlines and stock jump spurts to show “leadership.” But REALLY GOOD leadership holds people accountable for their actions and being purposeful with their choice of words. So, a PR plan for these efforts need to systemically measure what can be done and who can be impacted by corporate investments.

Importantly, these investments have to be more than just financial in nature. They need to invest in people who will champion the causes–think of these people as your spokespeople. Champions need to be able to absorb the brunt of objections and demonstrate how their actions are creating impact. Key messages should integrate the ability to listen to all parties involved. Efforts like DEI and ESG need to be accepted as “the right thing to do” while respecting the objections of those who don’t believe in it.

I know many PR folks who hate creating media lists. But researching media who objectively cover these conflicts and dilemmas is crucial. While I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, the goal of this media list should be a series of invitations that bring media, influencers and creators together for panel discussions so different sides of the story can educate one another.

I would bet more than a few dollars that such brands as Lowe’s, Tractor Supply and Harley-Davidson didn’t conduct this sort of research. If they did, they would have recognized their customers are begging for these efforts. After all, a recent Harris poll showed that one in 4 U.S. shoppers have shifted their spending with brands as a result of their attempt of aligning with His Royal Pain’s efforts.

P(ractical) R(esponse) Execution

Are you ready to execute this free plan? Great!

Start by pitching reporters and editors on the myths and facts shaping your company’s DEI and ESG policies. Highlight how your company’s champions/spokespeople are embracing the tenets of DEI and ESG in their organizations and–at the onset–sharing them with audiences that have little to do with shareholders. Why? Put simply, the efforts and actions needed to recognize real worth needs to be more deeply appreciated by those who touch the organization’s work-product. Shareholders are worried about stock price, not quotas. 

Next, create realistic measurements of DEI and ESG. Nothing is worse for a PR/comms team than back-tracking on previous messages; equally as bad is a publication issuing a retraction. So why give these folks ammo to do that? Making small, obtainable expectations (and not promises) will put ESG and DEI on a path of acceptance and not denial.

Last, merchandise your results to other stakeholders who are willing to listen.  A tent of my practice of PR is that we need to “resell” our results so that they live and breathe as assets and not server links. Finding like-minded partners, constituents and proponents can be powerful drivers of starting new conversations that fuel your vision for human capital growth.

So, there you go. I hope you use this free advice. If you still need help, the door is open to help you make your beliefs come to life.

We’re all depending on it.