Media exposure is the career builder of the 21st century.
There is nothing more valuable than to have your clientele see you on the evening news, sandwiched between an international story and a scoop from Washington. Through the media, you are instantly elevated to the role of expert.
How do you effectively work with the media? The following are some common do’s and don’ts when working with producers, editors and reporters.
First of all, don’t forget to warm up. Find a way to relax before for the interview. For a three-minute interview, learn to warm up in 10 seconds. Warm up any way that makes you comfortable, so that when that camera rolls, or the radio goes live, you’re on. Talk to yourself in the car, swap jokes with the cameraman, do anything that puts you in a social, extroverted mood. You know you’re warmed up when you’re relaxed and actually enjoying yourself.
The trick to garnering great media attention is to fulfill the needs of the media while managing to achieve your own aims as well. To do this, you must take control of an interview. Many professionals sit back politely and wait to be asked the “right” questions by the interviewer. This may never happen.
It is not the interviewer’s job to guide you with questions that will explain your business and put you in a flattering light. Find a way to guide the interview into the areas you want to discuss. Answer questions and segue gracefully into a quick statement about your company.
If you are asked your opinion on the economic impact of the Asian financial crisis, for instance, you might respond: “I think people are overestimating the impact of the Asian crisis. I work for Asian Marketing Research in Santa Barbara and we’ve seen little or no reduction in business.” If you make the sentence about your company captivating, viewers will call in to ask about you and the producers will ask you back.
Mention your location. Often an interviewer will forget to mention where you are located. This can be especially devastating when doing a national interview. As you can see from the previous example, it’s easy to work your location in when referencing your company.
Use sound bytes. A sound byte is a pithy or catchy phrase that succinctly illustrates your point. “It’s the economy, stupid,” is a great one. Polish your three most important points until you can get them across in three quick sound bytes. As you answer the interviewer’s question, work in as many sound bytes as possible.
You may only have three to five minutes. Make the most of it. It’s not a joke to reduce your life’s work to a series of sound bytes, it’s brilliant use of the media.
Smile! Even over the radio, you can hear the smile in a voice. If you’re on TV, smile or risk looking embalmed. Move around, use your hands, laugh. Practice with a friend. TV is a two-dimensional medium, and movement, smiles, and gestures make you far more visual and interesting. Don’t hug the back of the chair. Instead, relax, lean in to illustrate a point, change positions, and use your hands.
Be confident. The antidote to shyness is passionate belief. You’ve got a great story and everyone should hear about it. Don’t concentrate on yourself, but on your story, your product, or your message. Can you help people? Can you make their lives better? Then let us have it!
Don’t hide behind your facts. Be personable with your interviewer. Use short, humorous stories to illustrate your point. This makes for great media and makes you look charismatic and relaxed. You want to be authoritative and professional, but you also don’t want to be a wooden “talking head.” It’s a dialogue, not a cross examination.
Try not to use trade jargon, it will only look pretentious. An excellent tip is to practice until you can explain yourself in a simple, humorous way to fourth graders. This is the energy, passion and simplicity you need for TV and radio.
Become a versatile media resource. If the topic is within your realm of expertise, take it. Producers and editors are intelligent, hard-working pros who will be glad to put you on their list of experts, if they know you can handle it.
One renowned attorney refused to be interviewed about anything but his specialty, ERISA. Another attorney volunteered to comment on a wide range of legal problems, from wills to divorce to lawsuits. The second attorney was called all the time by the media, because they knew he’d deliver.
Remember that the media do not need you. Some professionals assume that their story, or business, is so fascinating that the media cannot wait to interview them. This na & #271;ve attitude is prevalent and dangerous. The media get thousands of stories a week. If you want your story to make the news, develop a relationship with the media.
Consider hiring a public relations firm, or if you choose to pitch the story yourself, do your homework and learn the do’s and don’ts of contacting editors and producers.
Finally, get over the idea that seeking media attention is embarrassing in front of your colleagues. This is a threshold you may have to cross. It’s not demeaning to attract and control media attention it’s smart business, and everyone from Queen Elizabeth to Bill Gates is doing it.
You may have to switch focus somewhat from your colleagues to your public, but it’s worth it. The media is the single most powerful business tool available to us. Learn to work with it, and it will serve you well.
Ann Convery is media director for Anthony Mora Communications Inc., an L.A.-based public relations firm that specializes in media placement and image development. She can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
Entrepreneur’s Notebook is a regular column contributed by EC2, The Annenberg Incubator Project, a center for multimedia and electronic communications at the University of Southern California. Contact James Klein at (213) 743-1759 with feedback and topic suggestions.
