Smooth Move Marketing

Posts Tagged ‘media coaching’

Question: What do many new spokespeople at technology companies have in common? Answer: they make similar mistakes and fall into similar traps.
Based on my experience as a media trainer, the most common ones include:

1. Misunderstanding the Media. Too many spokespeople confuse PR opportunities with free advertising. Ouch! No reporter, editor, or host wants to be a billboard for your products or service; their job is to provide interesting and useful information to their readers or audience. And if you help them do so, you’ll maximize your chances of positive coverage.

2. Misunderstanding the Spokesperson Role. Some spokespeople think that they’re on a sales call when they meet the press. So they toss out puffery and hyperbole or try to “close on the objection.” Then they become frustrated by the “poor” coverage, if any, that they receive. The key is
simple: inform, don’t sell.

3. Lacking Message Points. At first blush, it might seem that telling spokespeople to have message points is as obvious as telling them to wear clothes during an interview. But in fact, many spokespeople do arrive metaphorically naked for interviews – bereft of key message points. Deliver several strong messages well, and you might just see them in print or on the air.

4. Unleashing a Core Dump. When spokespeople feel the need to educate the interviewer about everything that could be known about their products, services, or companies, the interview loses focus. An effective spokesperson knows when to cut to the chase and assess what level of detail the interviewer is seeking.

5. Over-Answering. Most inexperienced spokespeople don’t know when to stop talking. By babbling on, they increase their chances of being misquoted or driving the interview off-topic. Don’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory – keep answers short and to the point.

6. Failing to Listen. A guaranteed way to irritate an interviewer is to interrupt or finish his or her questions. You need to establish a rapport and communicate respectfully – just as you would with a colleague.

7. Speaking in Jargon. It’s often tough for spokespeople to adjust their technical level to that of the interviewer. But it’s also critical. If you talk over the interviewer’s head, you’ll decrease the chances of an accurate write up; if you “dumb down” the information for a technologically-sophisticated interviewer, you’ll likewise decrease the chances of getting the kind of coverage you desire.
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How one expert made a splash on CNN’S Paula Zahn Now, and how you can, too

Cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Robert Kotler’s New York based publicist, made contact with the Paula Zahn Now program on CNN to schedule an appearance. Here’s what happened next.

1. Map out the segment with the producer

*I was referred to one of the *bookers* who did a quick screening and then put me in contact with an associate producer. Over several phone conversations, we worked out the subject matter of the 3-4 minute interview.*

NOTE: Once you’ve passed the *audition* with a booker you’re passed to an associate (or other less senior) producer. Often after that first “audition” you must be screened by producers at higher and higher levels. If you’re chosen then you begin to create a segment together.

2. Help the producer shape the segment

*The *backbone* of the spot was my recently published book, SECRETS OF A BEVERLY HILLS COSMETIC SURGEON, The Expert’s Guide to Safe, Successful Surgery. The associate producer and I had discussed what I consider to be the non-frivolous and important consumer issues of the book, such as how to select a properly trained surgeon and how to be certain that the facility in which the surgery is to be performed is properly credentialed and hence safe. And even the issue of having an anesthesia specialist in the patient’s service to assure comfort and safety. Those are the key gems for the consumer-reader-viewer.*
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Bimboism is rampant in today’s media climate where those who do get their fifteen minutes of fame squander it with empty words and idiotic antics. Think about how much of YOUR time is wasted when you watch TV, listen to the radio or read newspapers or magazines. How long do you stay with a story if it’s not pertinent to your interests or if the interviewee is dull? With so much competition for your attention it’s easy to move on to the next best thing.

If you don’t want to become the next bimbo and instead touch the hearts and the minds of the nation, here are three things to avoid.

1. Give a fatty bone.

The quickest way to lose interest is to ramble. When you can’t make your point succinctly your audience tunes out-literally. They change the channel or they shift their attention. To keep your audience jazzed respect their time by getting to the point of what they want to know. Give them value every second you’re speaking. Shave off any unnecessary fat and get to the bone, the real core of what you have to give.

2. Be professorial.
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