I recently attended Blissdom Canada ’14. It is Canada’s premiere social media and PR conference. This was not my first time at the conference but what was different this year was that I was one of the speakers at this years event.
I joined the lovely LinkedIn expert Leslie Hughes and PR specialist/expert Alison Burke for a special session on advanced media training. It was a great session. We all had an opportunity to share our expertise and knowledge during our panel but what was even better was we were able to answer questions and then break off into smaller groups.
As far as media is concerned I offered a few gold nuggets for the group. Here are just a few of those.
1. Don’t Suck!
OK, I know you are thinking that I am the master of the obvious. Right? OK, well I am. It goes without saying that you should do the best job you can. I say “Don’t Suck” as a way to stress that you never want to take a media appearance opportunity lightly. No matter if it is a 30 second radio clip or a 3o minute television interview feature you want to deliver the best performance you can. Rarely will you find a producer or reporter or host taking the time to tell you that you were bad and offer tips to better your performance. They will speak by never inviting you back. So, Don’t Suck!
2. Digest News
I think it is fair to say that I shamed many in the group into watching the news. If you have a business, brand or service that you want to promote the best way to do that is via the media. The easiest way to stay on top of opportunities for you to promote your business, brand or service is by watching/paying attention to the news. You never know when a story will pop up in the news that might offer you an opportunity to add something to the story, promote a product or service that is related to
that story or issue.
3. Watch The Friday Credits
So, you want to pitch a story to a particular newsroom, show or producer but you have no idea who to talk with. Here is a great tip for you…. watch the news credits. Just about every Friday at the end of a newscast the show runs what they call long credits. During the two to three minute long credits the show lists every single person who works on the show, including producers and reporters. So now what? Well, you could simply call up the newsroom and ask to speak with that particular producer or reporter or ask for their email address. You can also check them out on the shows/channels website and find a contact name and email! Now pitch away!
I also wanted to post a few additional tips, tricks and thoughts on rocking your next media appearance.
What does the Media Want?
It is pretty darn simple when it comes right down to it.
The media wants to tell good stories. Journalists – regardless if they work in radio, television, magazines or newspapers – want to share interesting and entertaining stories with the audience … and that includes your story.
Their goal is to ensure their viewers, listeners and/or readers are engaged and learning as much as possible about a story and from you in the short time available. Sometimes the story isn’t necessarily about you but you are adding valuable information, insight or opinions about a particular story, issue, topic or controversy. Don’t think of the media as the enemy.
How Do You Get The Media To Notice You?
Frankly, it takes work on your end. Journalists are bombarded with dozens of stories, new releases and press releases on a daily basis (even hourly). This is true for most people who work in the media, including producers, editors, assignment editors and reporters. So you want to remember that when you are trying to get the attention of someone in the media. How you get noticed is really all about how you PITCH you and your story. You want to deliver a solid pitch that conveys an interesting story and makes you the best person to tell it.
Here are just a few steps/tips to help you successfully pitch the media.
The Pitch
Ask yourself a few questions first before hitting send on that email pitch. You want to be very clear ahead of time, before the media come calling, so that when you do get a yes you are ready. You might not have time to prepare when a journalist calls. They may want the interview NOW, not tomorrow, so you need to be prepared and at the ready. If it is someone in daily news they will want the interview now and you will have little to no time to prepare, so you need to be clear right from the get-go on what you want to say (don’t be afraid to ask for a few minutes to prepare, ask what exactly they are looking to get from you and then ask to call them back in five minutes).
What do you want to get out of this? Or what are you trying to achieve?
Who are you targeting with your message?
What do you want to say?
Getting clear on those things will help you stay focused and help you prepare so when the media does call you’re ready to deliver.
The Performance
So you have done your work, researched the media contacts, send out a solid pitch and then the reporter or producer comes calling. Now what? It’s time to prepare for a perfect performance. You should know what you are walking into, for example, is it a longer format sit down interview (when they say longer format they really mean two to five minutes) for a morning show or is it just a quick interview for a radio or television newscast that will be edited down to 15 second sound bites?
No matter what the format you need to remember the reporter/host is looking for clear, concise and conversational answers from you. They want short clips/snippets of information, especially when you are talking to a news reporter. You may do an interview with a reporter that lasts five minutes but they will only use a short clip or two for a total of 10 to 15 seconds when it comes down to the final report. Your interview will be heavily edited for the news broadcast. Reporters will use very short clips so you need to remember to get your message across in an energetic, informative, entertaining, clear, concise, conversational way. You want to give good tape as the saying goes!
Tips for giving a solid interview
*Be engaging and have great energy
*Know what you want to say and stay on message
*Have fun and smile… even when you are doing radio it will come through in your voice
*Make sure you make eye contact with the
host/interviewer
*Be mindful of your verbal and physical ticks – things like saying um, like, eh or if you tend to talk with your hands, sway or rock in your chair
*Let your personality shine through
*Relax and slow down.
Most common mistakes
*Memorizing answers – you want to sound relaxed, comfortable and conversational rather than rehearsed
*Not knowing when to stop talking
*Not talking enough
*Poor posture
*Looking at the camera rather than the host
