How to Protect Yourself as a “New Media” Professional

It doesn’t cost a crazy amount to file a claim in “small claim” courts. In fact, it can cost a third-party as little as just $100 to file claims of up to $25,000 and more in damages. Furthermore, even if you don’t believe you’ve done anything wrong, claims can still happen. It’s the unfortunate reality of being a working professional in a litigious society, and as a new media professional, you face a far higher risk of having a claim filed against you if a client or a third-party alleges your negligence, error, or even misinformation has caused their financial loss.

What do new media professionals need to protect their way of business – and their livelihood?? Professional liability insurance designed for new media professionals is designed to offer financial assistance for legal expenses as well as potentially settlement fees if your client or a third-party names you in a lawsuit.

It’s more than just insurance – but insurance is a non-negotiable purchase that protects you if something slips through the cracks. In this article, we’ll break it down further for you.

Tips for New Media Professionals

While insurance is non-negotiable, there are some means to protecting your business that don’t involve its purchase (as a start.) These, layered in with the right insurance coverage, may give your business the boost it needs – as well as peace-of-mind for you and your team.

• Be mindful about what goes online. As a new media or digital professional, your reputation is in your online presence. Avoid attacking others and always use your best judgement possible when creating your own posts. Steer clear of profanity!
• Depending on what you work in, it’s best to avoid taking any sort of stance on public social media when it comes to politics. This is especially true if you want to work with specific clients or protect an existing client’s information.
• Have a presence on social media, but don’t overshare. Popular networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram are all important for networking and professional brand building.
• Always keep sensitive business information under wraps, even accomplishments that you might be proud of.
• Don’t feel the need to post constantly. Figure out the best time to post – ideally not during the middle of a workday, or in the middle of the night – and post consistent, good-quality content. Depending on your industry, participating in industry-related discussions over social media may elevate your own personal brand.
• Be cautious of scam, phishing, and other cyber-related activities that could result in an attack. You’ll want to be monitoring the emails/accounts sending you messages. If need be, encrypt your information when sending it to team members and clients.
• Never leak sensitive client information.
• Train your employees about proper cyber hygiene practices.

New media professionals are new to the workforce, as these jobs may not have existed a few decades or only just a decade ago. The field of online media may look similar to that of traditional media, but new media professionals face risks that other media professionals do not. A small mistake – accidental reputational harm when posting an ad, sending an email, connecting with clients, etc. – can result in massive ramifications for you and your business.

Purchase New Media Professional Insurance

Insurance is a fall back, not something you should rely on. To ensure your business is kept safe and that you can manage your rates (as a higher risk business will see higher rates) it’s best you do whatever you can to ensure you are making the best decision businesses possible in addition to purchasing professional liability insurance for new media professionals.

Liability claims can happen to new media professionals for any number of reasons. Maybe a client believes you promised one thing and did not deliver and sues you because they missed a due date on an upcoming project. Or, maybe you’ve done a piece of work and posted it online for a client, but their competitor believes this post to have slandered them and sues your client. Your client comes back to you and sues you to make up the costs.

Having professional liability insurance can cover you in instances like this. Ideally, you’d never have to face these claims to begin with, but you can never truly know what to expect in our increasingly litigious society!