Professional services firms can use reactive PR by giving journalists quick, informed comment on breaking news, such as a Budget announcement, and explaining what it means in practice for businesses and individuals. The firms that get used are the ones that prepare before the news lands and reply while the story is still being written.
Journalists need informed opinion and practical explanation, often from people who can say how a government decision will affect companies and individuals. For tax advisers, accountants, insurance brokers, wealth managers and other specialist firms, that reaches audiences who might otherwise never hear of them. The hard part is getting that expertise in front of the right journalist at the right time.
Why does the Autumn Budget matter for PR?
The Autumn Budget is one of the most closely watched events in the UK business calendar, and national and specialist media alike put serious resources into covering it.
The Budget on 28 October 2026 included measures for entrepreneurs, businesses, investors and households. One was a proposed Founders’ Relief, which would give qualifying founders and early investors in high-growth, innovative businesses a 10% capital gains tax rate on up to £10 million of lifetime qualifying gains, for disposals from April 2027.
Although Founders’ Relief was a good headline policy, the detail behind it makes it far less attractive than it might have been. Never-the-less it gave tax specialists a clear opening to explain what it could mean for entrepreneurs, how it might affect business disposals and which questions remain unanswered. The media value sits in interpreting the consequences, not repeating the government’s explanation. A tax adviser who can show how selling a business before or after a tax change could alter the outcome gives a journalist something concrete to work with.
What makes reactive PR for professional services effective?
Reactive PR means responding to developments in the news with timely, relevant comment from people who have something useful to say – and the right direction to say it in a way that will cut through.
The comments that get used tend to share four traits.
- Journalists want a clear opinion on what an announcement means and whether it will do what the government intends. Simply describing the announcement adds little.
- Practical implications matter, because a specialist’s value is making complex information understandable. What does the measure mean for a business owner or an investor? And will it change their behaviour.
- The comment has to suit the publication. National business reporters may want the wider economic picture, and regional papers the local effect. Trade titles usually expect more specialist analysis.
- Speed counts. With a major announcement the chance to feed into the first wave of coverage is short, and a strong comment that arrives after the journalist has filed is unlikely to be used.
Preparing before the news breaks
The response happens in real time, but the groundwork needs to happen before hand. Ahead of a Budget, a firm can work out which announcements fit its expertise, prepare background material and confirm which partners are free to comment. It can also build a list of journalists likely to cover those subjects. A firm specialising in business tax, for example, might pick out reporters covering entrepreneurship, capital gains tax, business sales and wealth management, so that spokespeople stick to areas where they know the detail.
Draft comment can be prepared around likely themes, but anything published must reflect what was actually announced. That preparation is what lets a firm reply quickly and still get the detail right.
Journalist relationships matter most when news moves fast
When news moves quickly, journalists lean on specialists they already trust to explain a complicated subject and answer within tight deadlines. A PR agency that knows the firm can point it to the journalists who cover its subjects and package comment the way those journalists like to receive it.
It also helps to know when to stay quiet. A specialist pensions announcement may matter a great deal to the financial trade press and very little to a general news reporter, unless there is a wider consumer or business angle. Relevant, dependable comment tends to bring further requests for interviews and background briefings.
Making more of a comment once it has run
A comment written for a journalist does not have to stop there. Adapted for a different audience and checked for accuracy, it can become the start of more content.
A longer article on the firm’s website can go into the detail. LinkedIn posts can pull out the key points and give partners something to share with their networks, and the same subject can feed a newsletter or client briefing as more information emerges. With the Autumn Budget, a first comment on a tax announcement could be followed by a fuller explanation of how the proposals might affect particular types of business.
Should every firm react to every story?
No. Not every firm has a natural link to events like a Budget, and not every major story is worth a response. Good reactive PR takes judgement about which developments deserve one.
Insurance firms might look to regulatory changes or significant court decisions. Legal practices might comment on new legislation, and financial services firms on changes to investment, business financing or regulation. The aim is for the firm and its specialists to become credible sources in their chosen areas, and a steady run of relevant comment does that far better than the odd attempt to ride a high-profile story.
Where TMCC Marketing can help
At TMCC Marketing, we work with professional services businesses to find media opportunities, develop expert comment and share specialist knowledge through the press and their own digital channels, as part of our public relations services.
Frequently asked questions:
What is the difference between reactive and proactive PR?
Reactive PR responds to news that is already happening, such as a regulatory announcement or a court ruling, with comment from a specialist. Proactive PR starts with the firm, for example a survey, a research report or an expert article it chooses to put forward. Most firms need both, because proactive work builds the profile that makes reactive comment more likely to be used.
What should a media comment include?
Keep it to a few sentences, with a clear view on what the news means and its practical effect, in the spokesperson’s own words. Add their name, job title and firm, plus a contact number so the journalist can follow up. Put it in the body of the email rather than an attachment, with one line on why it matters to that publication.
Do spokespeople at regulated firms need compliance sign-off before commenting?
Often yes, so it is worth agreeing the process before news breaks. Firms regulated by bodies such as the Financial Conduct Authority or the Solicitors Regulation Authority usually have rules on what they can say publicly, and many have their own approval steps. Agree who signs off and how fast they can turn comment around, so approval does not cost you the deadline.
How do you measure whether reactive PR is working?
Count the pieces of coverage that quote the firm, and note the publications and journalists involved. Look for repeat requests from journalists, which show trust is building, and for knock-on effects such as new enquiries and visits to the related web page. Judge results over months rather than single stories, because one comment rarely tells the whole story.
Which events besides the Budget create reactive PR openings?
Scheduled moments include interest rate decisions, inflation figures and official government reports. Unscheduled openings include regulatory announcements, major court rulings, company failures and new legislation. A firm can keep a simple calendar of the scheduled events and watch its sector’s regulators and courts for the rest.
This article was written by TMCC’s Managing Director, James Simpson.