The Case for Standing Out
If you participate in an interview, see the story and your comments are not included in the final story, it’s natural to question why. Sometimes leaders can be excluded from news stories or segments because their commentary doesn’t fit the angle of the article. In other instances, a person may speak in technical terms which are not always easily understood.
In other situations, spokespersons fail to package their comments in a way that is easy for a journalist to grab and include in their story. But if you want to be included in media stories, you must stand out. You must say something counter-intuitive, controversial, or clever. Here are four tips to show you how:
Be Engaging
Reporters and producers speak to multiple sources each week. They often are working on multiple articles at once. Part of your job as a spokesperson is to break through and be memorable. A journalist cannot include you in a story in they do not remember what you said. When you speak with journalists, aim to be interesting and engaging. If your comments are bland, lacking in tone and context, you may not stand out or provide meaningful hooks for reporters to include your perspective.
Be Knowledgeable
While knowledge alone is insufficient to be included in a media story, there is no substitute for being informed. When you participate in an interview, it should be clear to the reporter that you have the experiential, technical, and historical qualifications to speak on the topic at hand. How you share your knowledge matters, but the journalist should be clear that you are an authority on the topic at hand.
Use Potent Soundbites
A sound bite is a pithy phrase that perfectly summarizes a point. Prior to an interview, think of a couple soundbites that you can use to encapsulate your main message. Additionally, a sound bite is a way to lead with the bottom line upfront. This will allow you to quickly grab and maintain a reporter’s attention. Doing this will also allow you to practice making your point as succinctly as possible. Once you make your overarching point with a pithy soundbite, you can introduce anecdotes and other details to fill out the picture you are painting.
Remember the “How” is as Important as the “What”
How you tell your story is just as important as what you say. You want to be appropriately animated or colorful for the topic and interviewer or host. You want to be intentional about not just what you say, but how you say it. If I am a reporter and I’m speaking with multiple people at once, I’m likely going to be drawn to the person who has substantive points that are buttressed with powerful anecdotes and analogies.
I believe that if you do these things, you will find that you are more frequently included in media stories. But remember, if you’re not having the impact you would like, we’re happy to support you. Schedule a 15-minute consultation to learn about our media training and PR coaching services. We can’t wait to be of service to you.
Jennifer R. Farmer, aka The PR Whisperer,® is the principal of Spotlight PR LLC. Be sure to check out other blogs and subscribe for regular communications updates.