Recognizing Opportunity: A Public Relations Lesson from the Sandusky Trial

The Jerry Sandusky trial for child sex abuse represented the public end to the tragedy for the victims, but it also represented a public relations opportunity for a group dedicated to giving a voice to the victims of child sexual abuse.

VOICE Today, a faith-based group seeking to break the silence surrounding child sexual abuse through education and public discourse, and to providing healing support for survivors, found itself in the national spotlight during the trial thanks to the quick thinking and actions of its founder and its PR firm.

When national media outlets focused their cameras on the trial, Axia Public Relations, VOICE Today's PR Firm, together with VOICE Today founder, Angela Williams, recognized an opportunity for the group to gain national exposure while providing a voice for the victims amidst the legal clamoring.

Axia pitched Williams, also a child sexual abuse victim, to its national media relations contacts as an expert on the lingering damage sexual abuse victims suffer. The national media responded with interview requests.

Williams appeared first on CNN Headline News, and later the same day in a Tru TV In Session interview. The two appearances caused a near-instantaneous response from viewers.

“Our email box and phones are burning up!” Williams said in a Facebook post shortly after the first appearance.

As news of her appearances went viral, the emails and phone calls started including interview requests from other media outlets. Williams has several other appearances scheduled in the coming days, including another national appearance, this time on The 700 Club.

“We would have never had a national platform without Axia Public Relations and we are so grateful for their diligence and expertise,” Williams said of the effort that thrust her into the spotlight.

Coming soon: How a conversation on an airplane landed a bookstore owner on the national airwaves.